Dictionary of Finance and Investment Terms: big three
big three
the three large automobile companies in America, which are, alphabetically, Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors. Since the automobile business has such a major influence on the direction of the economy, the Big Three's fortunes are closely followed by investors, analysts, and economists. Because auto company profits rise and fall with the economy, they are considered to be cyclical stocks. In 1998, Chrysler merged with Daimler-Benz to create DaimlerChrysler AG.
