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 Wall Street - Common name for the New York City financial district located in the lower portion of Manhattan (and also the name of an actual street in the area) where the New York and American stock exchanges and many brokerage firms are headquartered. It is also a generic term for anything associated with investing or the stock market.
Wash - Purchase and sale of the same security either simultaneously or within a short period of time. Wash sales taking place within 30 days of the underlying purchase do not qualify as tax losses.
When Issued - Term refers to a security offered for sale in advance even though it has not been issued. New issues of stocks and bonds, stocks that have split and Treasury securities are all traded on a when issued basis.
Wholesale - Trade in which a broker-dealer buys an over-the-counter stock from another broker-dealer. (See "Retail")
Windfall Profits - Sudden, unexpected profit caused by events not controlled by the beneficial person or company. For example, oil companies and their shareholders in the 1970s earned windfall profits because of oil prices increases.
Wire House - Brokerage firm whose branch offices are linked by communications systems that permit the rapid dissemination of financial information and quotations.
Working Capital - Funds invested in a company's cash, accounts receivable, inventory and other current assets. Internal sources of working capital include retained earnings and operating efficiencies; external sources include short-term borrowings and equity financing not channeled into long-term assets. Working capital finances a company's cash conversion cycle. (See "Cash Conversion Cycle")
Workout Quote - Quotation in which a brokerage firm estimates the price that it believes it can obtain if given reasonable time to enter the market and find the stock to buy or sell.
Writer - Seller of put option and call option contracts, obligated to buy or sell the underlying security at a predetermined price by a specific date if the option is exercised. | 
