The process of settling transactions between banks. Because so many transactions take place between banks on a given day, bank clearing exists to process what each party owes or is owed in a central location so the least amount of money actually changes hands. For example, suppose Bank A owes $1 million to Bank B in cleared checks, but Bank B owes Bank A $1.5 million.
In economics, the minimum efficient scale is described as the lowest level on the long-run average total cost curve. It is also called the output of long-run productive efficiency. The minimum efficient scale is never a single level of output; rather, it is a range of outputs whereby the average cost is reduced. The minimum efficient scale differs from one economic sector to another due to the varying cost structures.
The efficiency equation is a comparison of the work output from an operation to the work input to that same operation. The amount of work could refer to time, effort, capacity, or more tangible items. A high level of efficiency implies a minimal amount of wasted time, effort, capacity, materials, and so forth.