1% compounded monthly is what I intended to say, as opposed to compounded continuously or yearly.
Or 1/12th of a percent monthly return compounded monthly?
Isn't your second statement the same as the first? 1200 dollar balance returns $1 per month, or $12 per year?
In this case where x = 1% (or .01) they're so close it almost doesn't matter. For x = 10% it's a lot clearer.
That said, it's also not equal to (1 + y) ^ 12, where y is whatever value is needed to have (1 + y) ^ 12 = 1 + x.
1% compounded monthly is what I intended to say, as opposed to compounded continuously or yearly.