War Babies

War babies grow up tough, since a war baby was born in a country that was, um...at war. In a more specific context, a war baby might describe a baby who has one local parent and one foreign parent, the latter being from the occupied or stationed country.

War babies was a term used as early as 1932 (it’s the title of a Shirley Temple firm; you know, that little girl with the curls and dimples), and has been repeatedly used in film, music, and art. Next time you’re feeling low, just be thankful you’re not a baby that’s in the midst of a war.

Why is this term in a finance glossary? Well, when soliders come home from war, they generally, historically, "get busy," and a baby boom in one form or another is created. It then has all kinds of repurcussions on the economy and world, and Wall Streeters...track it.