ballast

Heat at the base of a continent can weaken and remove part of its dense root, making the continent lighter and more buoyant, like a hot air balloon rising after dropping its ballast.

Bonds are faring better now and seem to be back in their traditional role as ballast in portfolios.

But most pros believe that 2022 was an anomaly caused by the Federal Reserve’s steep interest-rate hikes to combat inflation, and that bonds have returned to their traditional role as ballast in portfolios.

Also contained in his report was Captain Perreira’s description of the bars that the vessel was carrying as ballast to keep the ship steady while transporting such a large human cargo to Brazil.

The crew opened the boat’s ballast tanks, allowing seawater to rush in.