What is "blue chip"

also blue-chip, in reference to the high-value poker counter, from 1904 in the figurative sense of "valuable;" stock exchange sense, in reference to "shares considered a reliable investment," is first recorded 1929; especially of stocks that saw spectacular rises in value in the four years or so before the Wall Street crash of that year.

n. 1 A high value gaming chip. 2 A stock or other investment that has a high price because of its perceived reliability.

1. n. a common stock of a nationally known company whose value and dividends are reliable; typically have high price and low yield; "blue chips are usually safe investments" [syn: blue-chip stock]

2. a blue poker chip with the highest value

According to the New York Stock Exchange, a blue chip is stock in a corporation with a national reputation for quality, reliability, and the ability to operate profitably in good times and bad. The most popular index that follows U.S. blue chips is the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted average of 30 blue-chip stocks that are generally the leaders in their industry. All companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average are blue-chips, but the Dow Jones Industrial Average is an index that does not include all companies that are blue chips. Nevertheless, it has been a widely followed indicator of the stock market since October 1, 1928. Often these stocks pay dividends.

Blue Chip is the third album by Acoustic Alchemy, released under the MCA Master Series label in 1989, and again under GRP in 1996.

The album presented an experiment with pop music in the band's signature style, using strong, memorable melody lines.

The most successful track here is "Catalina Kiss", the album opener and a longstanding live favourite. Using a shuffle rhythm, the track calls upon the saxophone for embellishments, whilst tonal harmonies between the two guitars evoke a strong melody. JazzTrax presenter Art Good suggested that the track was inspired by an appearance by the band at the 1988 Catalina Island Jazz Festival.

Blue chip may refer to:

• Blue casino token
• Blue chip (stock market), a type of security
• Blue chip (sports), collegiate athletes who are targeted by professional sports teams
• Blue Chip Stamps, a trading stamps company
• Blue Chip (album), a 1989 album by Acoustic Alchemy
• Blue Chips, a 1994 film
• Blue Chip Casino, Hotel and Spa, located in Indiana
• Blue chip hacking scandal, a political scandal involving the use of corrupt private investigators by British 'blue chip' companies
• Blue Chip Economic Indicators, a monthly publication of Aspen Publishers with consensus forecasts of the economy of the United States
• The Blue Chip series, the '55-'59 GMC versions of Chevrolet Task Force trucks

Blue chips are athletes, particularly high school players, targeted for drafting or signing by teams at the college level. Collegiate players being scouted by professional franchises may also be referred to as blue chips.

Blue chip players are those who have proven themselves to be among the best at their positions in their respective sports and are more sought after and wanted than other players. They are typically perceived as "can't miss" prospects who are desired by most organizations. Blue chip athletes are likely to have an immediate impact on teams that acquire them and have proven skills rather than speculative or untapped potential. Many top recruits eventually go on to be successful at the professional level, especially in basketball and baseball.