Business English News – 2013 in Review

Smattering: A small amount of something; “Many parts of the province received just a smattering of snow last week.”
Dip: Small decrease followed by a return to the previous level; “Although there was a dip in employee performance during the crisis, things returned to normal when the new CEO took over.”
To foresee: To predict, expect, or forecast.
To reshape: To shape or form something differently or again; “The analysis of huge data sets will reshape health care across the country.”
Prosperity: The state of being successful usually by making a lot of money; “Economic prosperity in 2014 depends on how quickly all of Europe can return to growth.”
To rebalance: To make something balanced or equal; “Governments around the world have worked hard to rebalance their budgets though a combination of spending cuts and tax increases.”
Real economy: The part of the economy that is concerned with actually producing goods and services, as opposed to the part of the economy that is concerned with buying and selling on the financial markets.”
Top/Bottom: The highest and lowest levels of a range of income; “A salary of $100,000 will put you in the top 20% of earners in the country.”
At the expense of: To the harm of someone or something; “He took a job in a better place at the expense of a larger income.”
Shift: Change in attitude, opinion, or judgment; “In 2014, companies may finally shift away from cost-cutting and focus instead on training and development.”
Speculator: A person who trades derivatives, commodities, bonds, equities or currencies with a higher-than-average risk in return for a higher-than-average profit potential.
Standoff: A situation in which one force neutralizes or counterbalances the other.
(Government) Shutdown: Closure of government offices, programs, and services due to financial or political reasons.
Default: Failure to meet a financial obligation or repay a debt; “Even though we’ve renegotiated our repayment terms, we may still default on our loan.”
Fiscal fight: An argument or disagreement related to money and expenditures.
Recurring: To happen, come up, or show up again or repeatedly; “The same problem keeps recurring with our IT system; we need to find a permanent solution.”
Showdown: A final test or confrontation intended to settle a dispute.
Federal spending: Government expenditures for items including grants, salaries and wages, direct payments for individuals, plus commitments in the form of direct loans, guaranteed or insured loans, and insurance.
(Government) Revenue: Income collected by the government in the form of taxes and fees.
Two steps forward, one step back: A situation in which every time you make progress, something bad happens which causes you to be in a worse situation than you were to begin with; “Every solution we come up with seems to create more problems than it solves, so it’s one step forward, two steps back.”
Emerging market: A financial or consumer market in a newly developing country.
Subpar: Not measuring up to or meeting traditional standards of performance,value, or production; “Personally, I think the product design is subpar; our customers won’t be impressed with it.”
Substantial: Significant or a lot; “Greg put in a substantial amount of work to secure the new funding for our company.”
To add (smthng) to the mix: To include or incorporate into an existing situation of value.
To take shape: To begin to show a resemblance of the desired or final outcome; “All of the facilities in Brazil are beginning to take shape in time for the 2014 World Cup.”
BRIC(S): Acronym for a group of emerging economies; Brazil, Russia, India, China (South Africa).
For real: Serious, genuine, or legitimate.
Equivalent: Equal in value, measure, force, effect, or significance; “His silence is equivalent to an admission of guilt.”
Collectively: With everyone or everything taken into account at the same time; “Collectively, the firm’s partners have 111 years of experience,
To creep: To move slowly in the direction of something; “Business has been creeping along slowly this quarter, but next year should be better.”
MINT: Acronym for a new group of emerging economies: Mexico, Indonesia,
Nigeria, Turkey.
Constant: Continually occurring or persistent; ”Our meeting was plagued by constant interruptions.”
Innovation: Something newly introduced, such as a new method or device; “The computer is one innovation that revolutionized the business world.”
To pave the way: To lead or make future goals easier to reach for others;
“Experiments that paved the way for future research.
To predict: To tell of or describe beforehand; “I can’t even begin to predict what housing prices will be like 30 years from now.”
Forefront: The leading or most important part of a movement; “She’s businesswoman who was in the forefront of women’s rights.”
Dominance: Controlling power or influence over others.
Edge: An advantage; “Being able to speak multiple languages can give new graduates a serious edge when it comes to finding a job.”
Boom: A period of quick and extended growth; “With so many growing economies, in the next 5 years we predict a boom in investment in South America.”
Premium products: High quality and expensive products.
High value consumer: A client or customer who commonly spends a lot of money or brings in a significant amount of business.
Ecosystem: Everything that exists in a particular environment; “Our Chinese facilities are a complete ecosystem of production, dormitories, restaurants and shops.”
Market share: The percentage that a company has of the total sales for a particular product or service.
To streamline: To make simpler or more efficient; “Our new learning management system really streamlines the process of tracking a student’s progress.”
To snap up: To purchase very quickly when something comes available.
Struggling: Undergoing a difficult period (generally financially); “Families and businesses around Europe are struggling to pay their bills each month.”
To head down a rocky path: To face or foresee a difficult period in the near future.
To be absorbed by/into: To take in and make part of an existent whole; “Our shareholders will need to absorb the losses from last year’s weak results.”
To lurch: To move suddenly unpredictably.
Bankruptcy: Condition of financial failure caused by not having the money that you need to pay your debts.
To reinvent: To make major changes or improvements to something, or to present it in a different way; “He has reinvented the way that people prepare for business presentations.”
Big fat wallet: To have an excessive or seemingly unlimited amount of money.
To be fitted with: To have something added to an existing item, or location; “Our offices have been fitted with new furniture and computers for everyone.”
Wary: Suspicious, or not trusting a person or situation.
Wearable technology: Electronic equipment or gadgets which can be worn on the body as clothing or fashion accessories (glasses, watches, etc.).
On the horizon: Just imminent or becoming apparent, happening soon.
To bank on: To count on or assume will likely happen; “You can bank on our competition lowering their prices to match our new offers.”
To be/stay ahead of the curve: The act of being/staying in front of the current ways of thinking or trends.
Early adopter: a person who starts using a product or technology as soon as it becomes available.
Safe bet: Someone or something that you are certain will win or succeed; “It’s a safe bet that Samuele will be the one to replace the CEO when he leaves.”
Elegant: Stylish, sophisticated, or tasteful; “Everyone at the company Christmas party dressed in their most elegant clothing.”
Fashion statement: A fashionable item of clothing, accessory, or way of dressing which is intended to get a person noticed or recognized.
To turn over a new leaf: To start to act or behave in a better or more responsible way.
General consensus: General opinion or agreement of a topic.
To be out of the woods: To be safe or past a difficult period.
Work in progress: Incomplete or half-finished.
Gridlock: A point in a dispute at which no agreement can be reached.
To throw sand in the wheels: To cause to be damaged, unusable, or inefficient.
Geopolitics: The relationship among politics and geography, demography, and economics, especially with respect to the foreign policy of a nation.