White knight: A company which sends an offer for acquiring another company. To which there is already another competitive offer directed. The term comes from the resemblance with the white knight who is galloping to save the princes.
White elephant: Investment that nobody wants because it is not profitable. The term comes from a tradition in Thailand where the albinos elephants were given to the rivals of the king. Since white elephants are sacred animals, they are not supposed to work and therefore they are considered to be a burden for their owners.
Wage: Monetary remuneration for utilizing of labour as a production factor, which takes the shape of price, set in a contract. The wage depends on the demand and the supply on the labour market. In practice it is, though, solidly influenced by the monopolistic structure of this market.
Weighty contract: Contract with which the expenses occurred for paying the outstanding obligations exceed the expected economic benefit coming from it.
Withholding tax: Income tax withheld from employees’ wages and paid directly to the government by the employer. It can be also a tax levied on income (interest and dividends) from securities owned by a non-resident.
Wash trade: A deal which does not generate neither profit nor loss.