GLOSSARY
Catalayer Glossary
Definitions for 75 market intelligence, news monitoring, AI briefs, signals, APIs, and Catalayer platform terms. Click any term for a detailed definition and related links.
Amazon
ACoS
Advertising Cost of Sale. PPC spend divided by attributed sales. Good target: 15-25% at steady-state.
Amazon Brand RegistryAmazon program for registered trademark owners. Unlocks A+ Content, Sponsored Brand ads, Brand Analytics. Requires pending or registered tra
BSR (Best Seller Rank)Amazon ranking of products within a category. Lower BSR = more sales. Updates hourly.
FBA ReimbursementMoney Amazon owes for lost, damaged, or incorrectly returned inventory. Typically 3-7% of FBA revenue. Catalayer Claim Pilot finds these aut
LTS (Long-Term Storage)Amazon FBA penalty on units stored > 365 days. $6.90/cubic foot/month plus regular storage. Aggressive removal required.
PPC (Pay Per Click)Amazon Sponsored Products/Brands/Display advertising. Typical cost 15-30% of revenue for launch; 5-15% at steady-state.
Catalayer
All Access
Legacy Catalayer plan (now Pro). Full platform access: News, Monitor, Source Finder, Sourcing Agent, Claim Pilot, Island. Current plan: Pro
Catalayer AISelf-learning analysis engine powering relevance scoring, news summaries, predictions across all Catalayer products.
Claim PilotCatalayer product automating Amazon FBA reimbursement audit. Finds missing inventory, incorrect returns, dimension overcharges.
Finder PlusLegacy Catalayer plan (now Plus). Unlimited Source Finder searches, saved comparisons, CSV exports. Current plan: Plus at $29/month.
Freelancer MonitorCatalayer product tracking Upwork + Guru job postings with boolean rules. 60s alert latency.
IslandCatalayer desktop app for macOS. Native notifications for Monitor alerts. Sub-60s delivery.
Market IntelligenceCatalayer AI analysis capability: relevance scoring, summaries, predictions, follow-up intelligence. Included in Plus ($29/month) and Pro ($
Monitor PlusLegacy Catalayer plan (now Plus). 5 active monitors, Island desktop push, advanced boolean filtering. Current plan: Plus at $29/month.
Signal ChannelCurated Catalayer feed combining refined monitor rules + manual curation. Examples: Freelancer Sourcing, Supply Chain Alerts.
Source FinderCatalayer product matching any product on the web to 1688/Alibaba suppliers. Chrome extension + web workspace.
Trial (Catalayer)7-day All Access Trial granted to new accounts. Full product access for 7 days without credit card.
Compliance
BSCI
Business Social Compliance Initiative. European retailer-led ethical sourcing standard.
REACHEU chemicals regulation. Required compliance for most imported goods.
RoHSEU restriction on hazardous substances. Required for electronics imports to EU.
SMETASedex Members Ethical Trade Audit. Most common third-party audit standard globally.
UFLPAUyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. US law restricting imports of Xinjiang-sourced goods. Affects cotton, polysilicon, some tomatoes.
Customs
E-commerce
Macro
Basis Points
A unit equal to one-hundredth of a percentage point (0.01%). Used to describe interest rate changes: a 25-basis-point cut equals a 0.25% red
Bond YieldThe annual return an investor receives from holding a bond, expressed as a percentage. The 10-year Treasury yield is a key benchmark for mor
Central BankA national monetary authority (e.g. Federal Reserve, ECB, Bank of Japan) that manages interest rates, controls money supply, and oversees ba
CPI (Consumer Price Index)The primary measure of US inflation, published monthly by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tracks a basket of consumer goods and services. Ma
DovishDescribing a central bank stance or comment that favors lower interest rates to support growth and employment. Dovish surprises typically pu
Fed Funds RateThe overnight interest rate at which US banks lend reserves to each other. Set by the Federal Reserve’s FOMC. Changes to this rate ripple th
FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee)The Federal Reserve committee that sets US monetary policy. Meets eight times a year; each meeting is a major market event. Post-meeting pre
HawkishDescribing a central bank stance or comment that favors higher interest rates to fight inflation. Hawkish surprises typically push bond yiel
InflationThe rate at which the general price level of goods and services rises. Measured by CPI (consumer prices) and PCE (Fed’s preferred measure).
Interest RatesThe cost of borrowing money, set by central banks through their policy rate. Higher interest rates typically slow economic activity and pres
Monetary PolicyThe actions taken by a central bank to manage money supply and interest rates. Expansionary policy lowers rates to stimulate growth; contrac
Rate CutA central bank decision to lower its policy interest rate. Generally bullish for stocks (cheaper capital, higher valuations) and bonds (exis
Rate HikeA central bank decision to raise its policy interest rate. Generally bearish for stocks (cost of capital rises, valuations compress) and bon
RecessionA significant decline in economic activity lasting more than a few months. Officially dated in the US by the NBER. Typically associated with
Yield CurveA plot of bond yields across different maturities (e.g. 2-year vs 10-year Treasuries). An inverted yield curve (short rates higher than long
Markets
Bear Market
A prolonged decline of 20% or more from recent highs in a broad index or specific asset. Often accompanied by pessimistic investor sentiment
Bull MarketA sustained rise of 20% or more from recent lows in a broad index or specific asset. Characterized by positive investor sentiment, rising ea
Earnings BeatWhen a company reports quarterly earnings higher than the Wall Street consensus estimate. Typically triggers a positive share-price reaction
Earnings GuidanceForward-looking statements from company management about expected future revenue, earnings, or operating metrics. Guidance raises or cuts of
Earnings MissWhen a company reports quarterly earnings below the Wall Street consensus estimate. Typically triggers share-price weakness and analyst down
Equity ValuationThe process of estimating the fair value of a stock. Common methods include discounted cash flow (DCF), price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, price
Investor SentimentThe overall attitude of market participants toward a security, sector, or the market as a whole. Bullish sentiment drives buying; bearish se
Market CapitalizationTotal value of a company’s outstanding shares (share price × shares outstanding). Classified as mega-cap (>$200B), large-cap, mid-cap, small
Market CatalystAn event or announcement that materially moves an asset’s price. Examples: earnings, FDA approval, Fed decision, M&A deal, regulatory change
P/E RatioPrice-to-earnings ratio, calculated as share price divided by earnings per share. A common valuation shortcut: high P/E suggests growth expe
VolatilityThe degree of variation in a security’s returns over time. Measured by standard deviation or the VIX index for the S&P 500. Elevated volatil
SEO
BreadcrumbList
Schema.org markup for navigation breadcrumbs. Triggers Google's path display in search results.
FAQPage SchemaSchema.org markup for Q&A content. Triggers Google "People also ask" rich results.
IndexNowProtocol for submitting URLs to Bing/Yandex for fast indexing. Catalayer auto-submits new content every 10 min.
Schema.orgStructured data standard across web. Catalayer implements Article, FAQPage, HowTo, JobPosting, Organization, SoftwareApplication, WebSite, B
Shipping
CIF (Cost Insurance Freight)
Incoterm where seller pays for goods, insurance, and freight to destination port. Buyer still handles customs and last-mile.
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid)Incoterm where seller handles everything including import duties. Simplest for buyers but usually includes hidden margin.
FOB (Free On Board)Incoterm where seller delivers goods to the ship at port of origin. Buyer handles ocean freight forward. Most common Chinese sourcing term.
Sourcing
1688
China's largest domestic B2B marketplace (1688.com). Native Chinese platform with factory-direct pricing 30-60% below Alibaba. Requires paym
AlibabaChina's largest B2B wholesale marketplace for international buyers. Focuses on export trade. Typically 30-60% higher prices than 1688 for th
Chinese New Year (CNY)Major holiday shutting down most Chinese factories 2-4 weeks each February. Plan sourcing 10 weeks ahead.
Landed CostTotal cost per unit at your warehouse: FOB + freight + duty + customs + last-mile. Most sellers underestimate by 25-50% by only tracking FOB
MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity)Smallest batch a factory will produce. Typically 100-1000 units depending on product category and customization.
ODM (Original Design Manufacturer)Factory that designs + produces. You brand their existing design. Faster launch, less IP ownership.
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)Factory producing goods for other companies to brand. Most 1688 suppliers offer OEM.
PingPongCross-border fintech enabling USD-RMB transactions for international trade. Alternative to bank wires.
Private LabelBrand-your-own sourcing model. Factory produces generic product with your branding. 40%+ margin vs. resale.
Trade AssuranceAlibaba's escrow/buyer protection program for orders placed via Alibaba. Covers goods never shipped, quality below spec, quantity shortage.
Trading
AdCom (Advisory Committee)
External panel of experts advising FDA on complex drug decisions. Votes move biotech stocks 20-40% within hours.
CRL (Complete Response Letter)FDA rejection letter requiring additional data. Stock typically drops 30-60% on CRL news.
PDUFA DatePrescription Drug User Fee Act deadline. Date by which FDA must decide on a drug application. Major biotech catalyst event.
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