Whisper numbers are unofficial earnings estimates for companies. Brokerage houses employ STOCK MARKET analysts who closely watch and make predictions about a narrow range of stocks they “cover.” Major brokerage houses will probably have analysts who cover just oil stocks, utility companies, retailers, etc. Market analysts regularly predict the quarterly earnings-per-share for the companies they follow.

The wheel of retailing is the theory or observation that new competitors come into established retail markets offering lower prices, greater selection of a limited line of products, or unique products challenging a portion of the market of established firms.

The Wheeler-Lea Act of 1938 amended the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914 to give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) jurisdiction over false or misleading advertising in addition to special powers to regulate advertising on food, drugs, cosmetics, and therapeutic devices.

Welfare, also referred to as public charity, is educational, medical, and financial assistance to people identified as needy. In the United States, welfare includes a variety of programs benefiting senior citizens, low-INCOME families, and people with disabilities.

Wealth is usually defined as an abundance of resources.

A warranty is an expressed or implied promise that PRODUCTs sold will perform as represented by the seller’s words, actions or writings. Many consumer goods come with a written “limited warranty” of performance for a certain period of time (“three months parts and labor”), indicating the seller will repair or replace the goods without charge within that period.

Wall Street is both a street in the lower part of Manhattan in New York City and a generic reference to the financial district located there.

The Wagner Act (officially the National Labor Relations Act, 1935) is considered by most labor specialists as the most important 20th-century labor statute. The act, named after New York Senator Robert F. Wagner gave American workers the right to organize, allowed COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, prohibited certain unfair labor practices, and created the NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD (NRLB).

Wage and price controls are government-imposed limits on increases in wages and prices. Also called incomes policies, wage and price controls are typically imposed during wartime to limit INFLATION. During wars, government spending usually expands rapidly to provide the materials and weapons needed for defense.