A guaranteed investment contract (GIC), also referred to as a guaranteed income contract, is a CONTRACT between an INSURANCE company and a pension plan (i.e., 401(K) PLAN) or corporate PROFIT-sharing plan that guarantees a specific rate of return on the invested CAPITAL over the life of the agreement.

Growth stocks are COMMON STOCK equities in companies perceived by investors as having above-average currentand projected-earnings growth. These stocks typically have very high price-earnings ratios and very low DIVIDEND yields; they have higher BETA COEFFICIENT ratios and are riskier INVESTMENTS, with greater upside and downside potential. The counter-investment strategy is value stocks.

See INCOME STATEMENT, GROSS MARGIN.

Gross domestic product (GDP) is the estimated MARKET VALUE (the price paid for goods and services) of all final goods and SERVICES produced in a country in a year. Generally, only those goods and services exchanged in markets for which there is taxable INCOME are included in GDP; most bartered services, illegal activities, household efforts, and in-kind transactions are not included.

Green marketing is the PRODUCTION, promotion, and reclamation of environmentally sensitive PRODUCTS. Green marketing includes a variety of activities and strategies, including recycling, pollution control and reduction, product development, POSITIONING, and reclamation systems.

Green cards are immigrant VISAS giving foreigners permanent-resident status in the United States. Unlike visas, which are granted for a specific length of time to engage in specific business activities, green cards allow non-U.S. citizens to reside in the country indefinitely.

The Great Depression (1929�41) was the most severe period of economic decline in the history of the United States. During the Great Depression, U.S. output declined by one-third, the unemployment rate reached 25 percent, the STOCK MARKET declined by 40 percent, and over 9,000 banks failed.

Gray (or parallel) markets are markets where legitimate (as opposed to counterfeit) trademarked goods are distributed and sold through unauthorized channels. Many U.S. manufacturers license their technology and BRANDS to companies in other countries.

In business and economics, graphs are used to convey information and ideas quickly. The most frequently used types are line graphs, bar graphs, and pie charts. Typical line graphs include time-series and cause-and-effect relationship graphs. As a matter of convention, time-series graphs put time on the horizontal axis and whatever is being compared over time on the vertical axis.

Government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) are government- created institutions designed to close perceived gaps in the country�s capital markets for agriculture and housing. The major GSEs are the FEDERAL NATIONAL MORTGAGE ASSOCIATION (Fannie Mae), the FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE CORPORATION (Freddie Mac), the FARM CREDIT SYSTEM, STUDENT LOAN MARKETING ASSOCIATION (Sallie Mae), and the FEDERAL HOME LOAN BANK SYSTEM.