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Term	Definition (Partial. Please click the term itself to see the entire definition)	Add a Comment	No. of Comments
144 Stock	See `Rule 144 Stock’. ...	Add a comment	0
1933 Act (or ‘33 Act)	See `Securities Act of 1933’. ...	Add a comment	0
1934 Act (or ‘34 Act)	See `Securities Exchange Act of 1934’. ...	Add a comment	0
3X (or 4X, 5X, etc.)	A term which means that investors who purchase the...	Add a comment	0
401(k)	A type of qualified retirement plan in which emplo...	Add a comment	0
83(b) Election	(USA) An election by an employee to treat property...	Add a comment	0
ABI	(UK) Association of British Insurers. The “trade” ...	Add a comment	0
Acceleration Order	(USA) An order by the SEC declaring a registration...	Add a comment	0
Acceleration Request	(USA) A letter (or in some cases, oral communicati...	Add a comment	0
Accountant’s Letter	See `Accountant’s Opinion’. ...	Add a comment	0
Accountant’s Opinion	A report signed by an independent accountant, whic...	Add a comment	0
Accredited Investor	(USA) A term defined in Regulation D under the Sec...	Add a comment	0
Accreted Value	The theoretical price a bond would sell at if mark...	Add a comment	0
Accrual Basis	Accounting method in which income and expenses are...	Add a comment	0
Accrued Expenses	Expenses which are incurred, but for which payment...	Add a comment	0
Accrued Market Discount	An increase in the market price of a discounted bo...	Add a comment	0
Accumulated Earnings Tax	An additional tax on earnings that a business reta...	Add a comment	0
Accumulated Profits Tax	See `Accumulated Earnings Tax’. ...	Add a comment	0
Acid Test Ratio	See `Quick Ratio’. ...	Add a comment	0
AD&D	Accidental Death and Dismemberment. A type of insu...	Add a comment	0
ADA	Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990....	Add a comment	0
Adjustable Rate Preferred Stock	Preferred stock whose dividend rate changes period...	Add a comment	0
ADR or ADS	(American Depositary Receipts or American Deposita...	Add a comment	0
ADV Form	(USA) The form required to be filed with the SEC i...	Add a comment	0
Affiliate	(USA) A person that controls, is controlled by, or...	Add a comment	0
Aftermarket	The trading activity in a security following its p...	Add a comment	0
All Hands Meeting	A meeting during the public offering process atten...	Add a comment	0
All-or-None	An offering of securities which provides that unle...	Add a comment	0
Alternative Investment Market (AIM)	The London Stock Exchange’s market for new, fast g...	Add a comment	0
AMEX	(American Stock Exchange) (USA) An exchange or...	Add a comment	0
Analyst	A research analyst usually employed by an investme...	Add a comment	0
Angel	A person or entity that provides financing to comp...	Add a comment	0
Anti-dilution Provisions	Provisions in an option or a convertible security ...	Add a comment	0
Anti-dilution, Full Ratchet	Anti-dilution provisions that apply the lowest sal...	Add a comment	0
Anti-dilution, Weighted Average	Anti-dilution provisions that apply a weighted ave...	Add a comment	0
Anti-flowback Rules	(USA) SEC rules under Regulation S that apply to o...	Add a comment	0
Anti-take-over Provisions	Provisions in a company’s charter and by-laws that...	Add a comment	0
Antitrust Laws	(USA) The United States laws regulating competitio...	Add a comment	0
Arrearage	Unpaid dividends due to holders of preferred stock...	Add a comment	0
ASB	(UK) Accounting Standards Board. See also IASB, FA...	Add a comment	0
Audit Committee	A committee of the board of directors responsible ...	Add a comment	0
AWARD	shares (conditional or restricted basis)...	Add a comment	0
Back dating	Generally means the practice of changing the grant...	Add a comment	0
Backdoor Listing	A technique used by a private company to become a ...	Add a comment	0
Balloon Note	A form of promissory note requiring repayment of l...	Add a comment	0
Balloon Payment	The final payment under a balloon note, commonly r...	Add a comment	0
Basis	An investor’s total investment in an asset, includ...	Add a comment	0
Basis Point	One hundredth of a percent (0.01%). Used to measur...	Add a comment	0
Bearer Securities	Shares of capital stock or bonds evidenced by cert...	Add a comment	0
Beneficial Owner	The person who enjoys the economic benefits of own...	Add a comment	0
Best Efforts Underwriting	An underwriting arrangement in which an underwrite...	Add a comment	0
Best Execution Requirement	The obligation of market makers, broker/dealers, a...	Add a comment	0
Beta	A statistical measure of a security’s volatility a...	Add a comment	0
Bid Offer Spread (UK)	The difference between quoted prices for a securit...	Add a comment	0
Black-Scholes Formula	A statistical method of estimating the present val...	Add a comment	0
Blank Cheque Preferred Stock	Authorised preferred stock, the terms of which are...	Add a comment	0
Blue Chip	Stock of a large company with a solid record of st...	Add a comment	0
Blue Sky Law	(USA) State laws regulating the offer and sale of ...	Add a comment	0
Board Minutes	Minutes of the meetings of the board of directors,...	Add a comment	0
Bond	A debt obligation, often secured by a mortgage on ...	Add a comment	0
Book Manager	The lead managing underwriter who maintains the Bo...	Add a comment	0
Book or Syndicate Book	The list of investors who have indicated an intere...	Add a comment	0
Book Value per Share	A company’s net worth (assets minus liabilities) d...	Add a comment	0
Book-Entry Securities	Securities whose ownership are evidenced by an ent...	Add a comment	0
Bookbuilding	Process pursuant to which the lead underwriter(s) ...	Add a comment	0
Bookrunner	The underwriter in charge of the bookbuilding proc...	Add a comment	1
Bridge Loan, Bridge Financing or Bridge Round	A loan or equity investment to provide financing f...	Add a comment	0
Bring-along Rights	Contractual rights pursuant to which minority shar...	Add a comment	0
Bring-down Letter	A letter confirming, as of a later date (usually t...	Add a comment	0
Broker	One who acts as an intermediary between the buyer ...	Add a comment	0
Broker/Dealer	Any individual or firm, other than a bank, which i...	Add a comment	0
Brokerage	1. Activity of a broker. 2. Remuneration of a...	Add a comment	0
Burn Rate	In venture capital financing, the rate at which a ...	Add a comment	0
Buy Side or Buy Side Trader	The individual within an institutional investor wh...	Add a comment	0
Buyback	A corporation’s repurchase of stock or bonds it ha...	Add a comment	0
Buying on Margin	See `Margin’. ...	Add a comment	0
C Corporation	(USA) A corporation that is subject to taxation as...	Add a comment	0
CAC 40	made up from a sample of the 40 most active French...	Add a comment	0
CAC-40 (Companie de Agents de Change 40 Index)	An index based on 40 of the largest and most liqui...	Add a comment	0
Call Option or Call	A contract that gives the holder the right to purc...	Add a comment	1
CANCELLED	deleted, annulled, countermanded...	Add a comment	0
Capital Stock	Stock that a company may issue evidencing its equi...	Add a comment	0
Capitalization	The sum of a corporation’s long-term debt, stock a...	Add a comment	0
Capitalization Rate	The discount rate used to determine the present va...	Add a comment	0
Capitalization Ratios	The percentage of a company’s total capitalization...	Add a comment	0
Capped-style Option	An option with an established profit cap. A capped...	Add a comment	0
Carried Interest	The percentage of a venture capital fund’s profits...	Add a comment	0
Cash Basis	The accounting practice of recording sales and exp...	Add a comment	0
Cashless Exercise	An exercise of options whereby the participant doe...	Add a comment	0
Cede & Co	(USA) A firm which acts as the record owner of sec...	Add a comment	0
Cheap Stock	Stock (or rights to acquire stock) issued to emplo...	Add a comment	0
Chinese Wall	The term used for the procedures within a multi-di...	Add a comment	0
Class	Classes of securities are securities that share th...	Add a comment	0
Class Action Suit	A lawsuit brought by one person on behalf of a lar...	Add a comment	0
Classified Stock	The separation of a company’s capital stock into m...	Add a comment	0
Claw Back Option	The right to require repayment of funds set aside ...	Add a comment	0
Clearstream	Clearstream is an international clearing and settl...	Add a comment	0
Closed Corporation	A corporation in which all of the voting stock is ...	Add a comment	0
Closely Held	A corporation in which most of the stock is held b...	Add a comment	0
CMF: conseil des marches financiers	French professional authority taking care of the c...	Add a comment	1
Co-sale Agreement	See `Tag Along Agreement’. ...	Add a comment	0
COB : commission des operations de bourse	French organization of regulation and control havi...	Add a comment	0
Collateral	Securities or other property pledged by a borrower...	Add a comment	0
Combination Stock Option Plan	(USA) A plan under which a company can grant both ...	Add a comment	0
Comfort Letter or Cold Comfort Letter	A letter delivered by the auditors for an issuer a...	Add a comment	0
Comment Letter	(USA) A letter prepared by an examiner at the SEC ...	Add a comment	0
Commercial Paper	An unsecured obligation issued by a corporation or...	Add a comment	0
Commission Bancaire et Financière / Commissie voor	The Belgian Commission of Banking and Finance is t...	Add a comment	0
Commission des Opérations de Bourse (COB)	The Commission des Opérations de Bourse, or COB, i...	Add a comment	0
Common Stock	(USA) The basic form of equity ownership in a corp...	Add a comment	0
Common Stock Equivalents	Debt and/or equity type securities capable of subs...	Add a comment	0
Common Stock Ratio	A company’s common stock divided by its total capi...	Add a comment	0
Compensation Committee	A committee of the board of directors responsible ...	Add a comment	0
Competent Authority	A term used within Directives produced by the Euro...	Add a comment	0
Confidentiality and Proprietary Rights Agreement	An agreement by which an employee, customer or ven...	Add a comment	0
Consolidated Financial Statements	Financial statements for a company and all of its ...	Add a comment	0
Conversion	The act of exchanging one form of security for ano...	Add a comment	0
Conversion Parity	The equal dollar relationship between the price of...	Add a comment	0
Conversion Premium	The dollar or percentage amount by which the price...	Add a comment	0
Conversion Ratio	The ratio indicating the number of underlying secu...	Add a comment	0
Convertible Debt	A debt obligation of a company which is convertibl...	Add a comment	0
Convertible Preferred Stock	Preferred stock convertible into common stock. ...	Add a comment	0
Cooling-off Period	(USA) A delay imposed informally by the SEC before...	Add a comment	0
Cost Basis	See `Basis’. ...	Add a comment	0
Covenants	Provisions in a venture capital investment agreeme...	Add a comment	0
Cross-collateralization	When collateral for one loan or obligation is also...	Add a comment	0
CSOP	(UK) Company Share Option Plan - a discretionary p...	Add a comment	0
Cumulative Dividend (also Cum Div)	A dividend which accumulates if not paid in the pe...	Add a comment	0
Cumulative Preferred Stock	A form of preferred stock which provides that if o...	Add a comment	0
Cumulative Voting	A technique permitted by the laws of some states i...	Add a comment	0
DAX	A price-weighted index of the most heavily traded ...	Add a comment	0
Dealer	Any individual or firm, other than a bank, which i...	Add a comment	0
Debenture	A note or bond usually backed only by the general ...	Add a comment	0
Debenture, Subordinated	See `Subordinated Debenture’. ...	Add a comment	0
Debt	A fixed obligation to pay money at a stated time. ...	Add a comment	0
Debt Capital	Capital raised through the issuance of bonds. ...	Add a comment	0
Debt Financing	Financing by selling bonds, notes or other debt in...	Add a comment	0
Debt Ratio	Debt capital divided by total capital. ...	Add a comment	0
Debt/Equity Ratio	A measure of a company’s leverage, calculated by d...	Add a comment	0
Default	Failure to discharge an obligation when due. ...	Add a comment	0
Defined Benefit Plan	A retirement plan in which the employees’ benefits...	Add a comment	0
Defined Contribution Plan	A retirement plan in which the employer’s obligati...	Add a comment	0
Delisting	The removal of a company from listing on an exchan...	Add a comment	0
Delta	Means the amount that an option's theoretical valu...	Add a comment	0
Demand Registration Rights	(USA) The contractual right of a security holder t...	Add a comment	0
Depository Trust Company (DTC)	(USA) DTC is the world’s largest securities deposi...	Add a comment	0
Derivative or Derivative Security	A financial instrument or security whose character...	Add a comment	0
Development Stage Capital/Fund	Venture capital financing in connection with a com...	Add a comment	0
Diagonal Spread	An option strategy involving two options, one a pu...	Add a comment	0
Diluted Earnings Per Share	See `Fully Diluted Earnings Per Share’. ...	Add a comment	0
Dilution	A decrease in the value of securities as the resul...	Add a comment	0
Direct Public Offering	A public offering in which shares are sold directl...	Add a comment	0
Discount Options	Options that have an exercise price below market v...	Add a comment	0
Distribution	The sale of a block of securities to a number of i...	Add a comment	0
Dividend	A share of a company's net profits distributed by ...	Add a comment	0
DOL	U.S. Department of Labor....	Add a comment	0
Double Dip	Participating preferred stock which entitles a hol...	Add a comment	0
Dow Jones Euro Stoxx	Index of security prices launched in February 1998...	Add a comment	0
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIJA)	An index based on 30 major stocks listed on the Ne...	Add a comment	0
Down Round	A round of equity financing at a valuation lower t...	Add a comment	0
Drag-along Rights	See `Bring-along Rights’. ...	Add a comment	0
DTC	See `Depository Trust Company’. ...	Add a comment	0
Dual Listing	The listing of a security on more than one exchang...	Add a comment	0
Dual Trading Facility	Admission to trading by a stock market or exchange...	Add a comment	0
Due Diligence	An examination of the books and records of an issu...	Add a comment	0
EAFE Index	The Europe, Australia, and Far East Index, from Mo...	Add a comment	0
Earnout	An arrangement in which sellers of a business may ...	Add a comment	0
EASD (European Association of Securities Dealers)	An association of securities houses, investment ba...	Add a comment	0
EBIT	Earnings before interest and taxes a financial me...	Add a comment	0
EBITDA	Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and ...	Add a comment	0
ECB : European Central Bank	Institute charged to lead the monetary policy of t...	Add a comment	0
EDGAR	See `Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retr...	Add a comment	0
EEOC	U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission....	Add a comment	0
Effective Date	(USA) The date of the SEC order declaring the regi...	Add a comment	0
Effective Par	The par value for preferred stock that would ordin...	Add a comment	0
EIC	(USA) Earned Income Tax Credit....	Add a comment	0
Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval	(USA) The SEC’s system required to be used since 1...	Add a comment	0
EMI	(UK) Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI) - Comp...	Add a comment	0
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)	(USA) The Employee Retirement Income Security Act ...	Add a comment	0
Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)	(USA) A plan established by a company for the allo...	Add a comment	0
Employee Stock Purchase Plan	A plan under which key employees are given the rig...	Add a comment	0
Employee Stock Repurchase Agreement	An arrangement in which a corporation sells stock ...	Add a comment	0
ERISA	See `Employee Retirement Income Security Act’. ...	Add a comment	0
ESOP	See `Employee Stock Ownership Plan’ . ...	Add a comment	0
EURIBOR : European Interbank Offered Rate	Daily indicator representing the arithmetic mean o...	Add a comment	0
EURO.NM	A pan-European grouping of regulated markets dedic...	Add a comment	0
Euroclear	Euroclear is an international clearing organisatio...	Add a comment	0
EURONEXT	The name of the entity expected to result from the...	Add a comment	0
European Option	See `European-style Option’. ...	Add a comment	0
European-style Option	An option which can only be exercised for a short,...	Add a comment	0
EVCA (European Venture Capital Association)	An association formed to promote and facilitate Eu...	Add a comment	0
Exemption or Exempt from Registration	(USA) An exemption from the statutory requirement ...	Add a comment	0
EXERCISABLE	options can now be exercised on payment of money...	Add a comment	0
Exercise	As a verb, to use the right to purchase shares at ...	Add a comment	0
Exercise Price	The price at which shares that are subject to a st...	Add a comment	0
EXERCISED	the shares have been bought...	Add a comment	0
Exit Strategy	The method by which an investor anticipates liquid...	Add a comment	0
Expense Allowance	An amount paid by the issuer of a security to an u...	Add a comment	0
Expiration	Commonly used term in the US to discuss the last d...	Add a comment	0
EXPIRED	have come to an end, become void, reached expiry...	Add a comment	0
Expiry	The termination of option rights. Meaning to have ...	Add a comment	0
ExSOP or ExSOP Award	"Executive (or employee) Shared ownership Plan - t...	Add a comment	0
Fair Market Value	The price based on the current market value determ...	Add a comment	0
FAQs	Frequently Asked Questions....	Add a comment	0
FASB	(USA) The Financial Accounting Standards Board. Th...	Add a comment	0
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)	(USA) A US federal agency that insures deposits in...	Add a comment	0
FICA	U.S. Federal Insurance Contribution Act. Refers to...	Add a comment	0
Final Prospectus	The final version of a prospectus which includes t...	Add a comment	0
Final Salary Plan	A retirement plan in which the employees’ benefits...	Add a comment	0
Financial Services Authority (FSA)	The Financial Services Authority is an independent...	Add a comment	0
FIRPTA (Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Ac	(USA) A law subjecting foreign investors owning US...	Add a comment	0
First Preferred Stock	Preferred stock which takes precedence over other ...	Add a comment	0
First Refusal	See `Right of First Refusal’. ...	Add a comment	0
Float or Free Float or Public Float	The number of shares not held by corporate insider...	Add a comment	0
Flowback	(USA) Term used to describe securities initially o...	Add a comment	0
Follow-on Investment	An additional investment by existing investors, wh...	Add a comment	0
Forfeiture Period	Period during which employees holding forfeitable ...	Add a comment	0
Form 10-K	A form required to be filed annually with the SEC ...	Add a comment	0
Form 10-Q	A form required to be filed quarterly including un...	Add a comment	0
Form 2OF	This is an integrated form used both as a registra...	Add a comment	0
Form 6-K	The form filed with the SEC by foreign companies s...	Add a comment	0
Form 8-A	The form filed with the SEC to register a company’...	Add a comment	0
Form 8-K	A form required to be filed with the SEC by any US...	Add a comment	0
Form S-1	The most complete version, required for initial pu...	Add a comment	0
Form S-2	Intermediate version, used for public companies al...	Add a comment	0
Form S-3	Short version, used for public companies already r...	Add a comment	0
Form SB-2	Similar to Form S-1, but somewhat abbreviated, for...	Add a comment	0
Form U-7	A form of registration at the state level for offe...	Add a comment	0
Forms	See `Registration Statement’ and `Reporting Compan...	Add a comment	0
Forms 3, 4 and 5	Reports to the SEC required to be made under Secti...	Add a comment	0
Forms F-1, 2, and 3	For foreign companies; correspond with Forms S-1, ...	Add a comment	0
Forward Pricing	(USA) The SEC requirement that open-end investment...	Add a comment	0
Founder’s Stock	Stock issued to the founders of a company, usually...	Add a comment	0
Free Float	See `Float’. ...	Add a comment	0
Freezeout	A process whereby a controlling stockholder of a c...	Add a comment	0
FTSE 100	An index based on the stock of the top 100 compani...	Add a comment	0
Fully Diluted Earnings Per Share	Common stock earnings per share calculated as if a...	Add a comment	0
FUTA	U.S. Federal Unemployment Tax Act....	Add a comment	0
GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles)	Rules and procedures generally accepted within the...	Add a comment	0
GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade)	See `WTO’. ...	Add a comment	0
GDR