| opening bell | the beginning of a day of trading on a market |
| opening price | a price for a security at the beginning of a trading day |
| overdraw | withdraw more money from a bank account than it contains |
| overdraft | withdrawal of more money from a bank account than it contains |
| paper money | banknotes |
| Parquet | Paris Bourse |
| pawnbroker | a person who lends money against a security, e.g. jewellery, cars etc. |
| Pay As You Earn (PAYE) | Pay As You Earn (PAYE) |
| payroll | a list of employees who receive salaries or wages, together with the amounts due to each |
| payslip | a small document showing details of money earned and tax and insurance paid |
| penny shares | very low-priced stock that is a speculative investment |
| per capita income | the average income of each of a particular group of people, e.g. citizens of a country |
| Public offering | a method of raising money used by a company by which it invites the public to apply for shares |
| personal identification number | (PIN) |
| petty cash | a small amount of money used for minor business expenses |
| Petty Cash account | a record of small cash payments for minor business expenses |
| pensions | money received regularly after retirement |
| poison pill | a measure taken by a company to avoid a hostile takeover |
| price instability | a situation in which the prices alter daily |
| principal | the original amount of a loan not including interest |
| private company | a company which has not been registered as a public company |
| problem child | a subsidiary company that is not performing well |
| parent company | a company with one or more subsidiary undertakings |
| proceeds | an income from a transaction |
| profit and loss account | the summary record of a company's sales revenues and expenses over a period |
| profiteer | an individual who aims to make excessive profits disregarding others |
| profit motive | a desire of a business to make profit |
| pro forma invoice | an invoice sent to the purchaser in advance of goods |
| projection | an expected future trend |
| Protectionism | a government economic policy of restricting the level of imports |
| protective tariffs | a tariff imposed to restrict imports |
| public debt | the money that the government owes |
| public limited companies | quoted companies with shares listed on the stock exchange |
| pump-priming | the injection of further investment in order to revitalise a company in stagnation |
| quoted companies | companies listed on a stock exchange |
