Finance terms from the week of Monday, March 23, 2026
25 clues and answers from Monday, March 23, 2026 to Sunday, March 29, 2026, each with a
plain-language definition where the term is one worth knowing. These
puzzles are no longer playable; today's game is on the
play page and the last seven days are in the
practice archive.
1 The United States labor market indicator that has remained near 3.5 to 4 percent despite aggressive monetary tightening and reflects the percentage of the workforce without jobs.
Answer: UNEMPLOYMENT(12 letters)
The share of the labour force without work but actively seeking it.
2 The semiconductor manufacturer that completed a 69 billion dollar acquisition in late 2023 to expand into enterprise software and virtual machine technology after securing final regulatory approval from antitrust authorities in China.
Answer: BROADCOM(8 letters)
3 The specific mathematical metric used by debt investors to measure the price sensitivity of a bond to a 1 percent change in prevailing interest rates which is always expressed in years rather than a percentage and becomes significantly higher when the periodic coupon payments are lower.
Answer: DURATION(8 letters)
A bond's price sensitivity to interest rates, expressed in years. A duration of 7 implies roughly a 7% price fall if yields rise one percentage point.
4 The measure of a stock or portfolio sensitivity to movements in the broader market where a value of 1.0 indicates that the asset moves in perfect correlation with the benchmark index. In the Capital Asset Pricing Model this Greek letter represents the systematic risk that cannot be diversified away and determines the expected return of an investment relative to the risk free rate.
Answer: BETA(4 letters)
A measure of how much an asset moves relative to the overall market. A beta of 1.0 moves in line with the market; above 1.0 amplifies its swings.
5 The illegal algorithmic trading practice where a market maker rapidly submits and then immediately cancels large orders to artificially inflate perceived market depth and manipulate the underlying asset price which notably contributed to the 2010 Flash Crash that temporarily erased nearly 1 trillion dollars in equity value.
Answer: SPOOFING(8 letters)
Entering orders with no intention of executing them, to create a false impression of supply or demand and move the price.
1 What legal process did the major pharmaceutical retailer Rite Aid initiate in late 2023 to address its mounting debt and over 3.3 billion dollars in long-term liabilities while simultaneously shuttering hundreds of underperforming locations?
Answer: BANKRUPTCY(10 letters)
A legal process for an insolvent debtor, either reorganising obligations while continuing to operate or liquidating assets to repay creditors in order of priority.
2 What major European insurance group announced a 10.8 billion dollar deal in March 2026 to acquire the specialty insurer Beazley, significantly expanding its footprint in the global cyber and professional liability markets?
Answer: ZURICH(6 letters)
3 What specific bankruptcy category saw a nearly 91 percent spike in filings during March 2026 as small businesses struggled to refinance maturing debt at significantly higher interest rates?
Answer: SUBCHAPTER(10 letters)
Subchapter S of the Internal Revenue Code, which lets a qualifying corporation pass income through to shareholders instead of paying corporate tax.
4 What global private equity firm announced a $349 million dollar deal on March 16 to acquire a major Australian wealth management firm as it expands its footprint in the Asia Pacific region?
Answer: BAIN(4 letters)
5 What major American technology corporation saw its shares fall over 3 percent on March 12 as the broader industrials and technology sectors led a market wide selloff triggered by rising Brent prices?
Answer: ADOBE(5 letters)
Friday, March 27, 2026
1 What major American facility services company reached a definitive agreement on March 11 to acquire its rival UniFirst in a massive 5.5 billion dollar transaction to consolidate its lead in the uniform rental and workplace supplies market?
Answer: CINTAS(6 letters)
2 What specific regional banking institution was the subject of a $348 million dollar acquisition by Esquire Financial in March 2026 as the sector continues to see consolidation following the previous years of instability?
Answer: SIGNATURE(9 letters)
3 What major Japanese automotive manufacturer announced on March 20 2026 that it would invest 4.5 billion dollars into a new solid state battery production facility in North Carolina to accelerate its transition to electric vehicles?
Answer: TOYOTA(6 letters)
4 What specific financial term refers to a market where prices are falling or expected to fall and is traditionally defined by a decline of 20 percent or more from recent highs?
Answer: BEAR(4 letters)
A market in sustained decline, conventionally a fall of 20% or more from a recent peak; a bear is an investor expecting prices to fall.
5 What specific 19th century economic theory suggests that the value of a good is determined by the total amount of socially necessary labor required to produce it rather than by use value or pleasure?
Answer: MARXIAN(7 letters)
Economic analysis in the tradition of Karl Marx, centered on class, labor and the tendency of capital to concentrate.
1 What specific American footwear and apparel giant reported a rare quarterly revenue decline on March 21 2026 citing a 10 percent drop in direct to consumer sales as it struggles to regain market share from upstart competitors like On and Hoka?
Answer: NIKE(4 letters)
2 What American diversified industrial corporation agreed on March 18 2026 to spin off its massive aerospace and defense division into a standalone entity to unlock shareholder value and focus on its core climate and energy solutions?
Answer: HONEYWELL(9 letters)
3 What specific term describes the 1930 United States law that raised import duties on over 20000 goods to record levels exacerbating the Great Depression and triggering a global trade war?
Answer: SMOOT(5 letters)
The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which raised US tariffs on hundreds of imported goods.
4 What specific 19th century economic school led by Adam Smith and David Ricardo argued that markets are self regulating and that free trade leads to the most efficient allocation of resources?
Answer: CLASSICAL(9 letters)
Classical economics, the tradition running from Adam Smith and David Ricardo, which holds that markets left alone tend toward full employment.
5 What specific financial term refers to the process of an investor selling a security at a loss to offset a capital gains tax liability a strategy commonly employed by high net worth individuals in December?
Answer: HARVESTING(10 letters)
Realising losses deliberately to offset taxable gains elsewhere, then reinvesting to maintain exposure - tax-loss harvesting.
1 What major Canadian e commerce platform announced a significant 2026 strategic pivot to integrate generative artificial intelligence into its merchant storefronts to automate inventory management and customer service?
Answer: SPOTIFY(7 letters)
2 What major American insurance company announced an all stock merger with Equitable Holdings on March 26 2026 to create a combined entity valued at approximately 22 billion dollars?
Answer: COREBRIDGE(10 letters)
3 What European packaging company is the subject of a 4.7 billion dollar leveraged loan package initiated by banks in March 2026 to finance its acquisition by Clayton Dubilier and Rice?
Answer: SEALED(6 letters)
4 What specific 19th century economic school led by Adam Smith and David Ricardo argued that markets are self regulating and that free trade leads to the most efficient allocation of resources?
Answer: ROARING(7 letters)
5 What economic phenomenon describes a situation where a central bank increases the money supply by purchasing long term government bonds a strategy heavily used during the 2008 financial crisis?
Answer: EASING(6 letters)
Loosening monetary policy to support activity - cutting rates, or buying assets once rates are already near zero.