Finance terms from the week of Monday, April 6, 2026
10 clues and answers from Saturday, April 11, 2026 to Sunday, April 12, 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 This corporate defense mechanism involves a shareholder rights plan designed to prevent a hostile takeover by making the target company stock prohibitively expensive. When triggered it allows existing shareholders to buy additional shares at a discount which dilutes the ownership stake and voting power of the unwanted acquirer.
Answer: POISON(6 letters)
A poison pill, formally a shareholder rights plan, lets existing shareholders buy discounted stock if a bidder crosses an ownership threshold, making a hostile takeover far more expensive.
2 This software giant acquired LinkedIn for 26 billion dollars in 2016 and later became the second company in history to reach a 3 trillion dollar market capitalization. Under its current leadership it transitioned from a legacy Windows focus to a cloud first strategy and recently invested billions in generative artificial intelligence.
Answer: MICROSOFT(9 letters)
3 This venture capital term describes a privately held startup company with a post money valuation of at least one billion dollars. Though once rare the number of these entities surged during the low interest rate era of 2020 and 2021 leading to concerns about inflated valuations and unsustainable cash burn rates.
Answer: UNICORN(7 letters)
A privately held startup valued at more than one billion dollars.
4 In the world of corporate finance this term describes a situation where a company is unable to meet its financial obligations to its lenders as they become due. This can lead to a formal legal process where the company assets are liquidated or the business is reorganized under the supervision of a court to settle the outstanding claims of creditors.
Answer: DEFAULT(7 letters)
Failure to meet a debt obligation - missing a payment, or breaching a term that makes the debt immediately repayable.
5 This major European oil and gas company headquartered in London reported a record profit of nearly 40 billion dollars in 2022 following a surge in energy prices. The company is currently balancing a strategy of returning billions to shareholders through buybacks while also attempting to transition its massive energy portfolio toward renewable sources and low carbon technologies.
Answer: SHELL(5 letters)
Sunday, April 12, 2026
1 What American media conglomerate entered into a definitive agreement in July 2024 to merge with Skydance Media in a complex two step transaction valued at approximately 8 billion dollars to settle its mounting debt?
Answer: PARAMOUNT(9 letters)
2 What major European automaker officially listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in September 2022 with a valuation of roughly 75 billion euros in one of the largest initial public offerings in continental history?
Answer: PORSCHE(7 letters)
3 What specific term describes a market where there is only one buyer for a particular product or service giving that buyer significant power over the prices set by multiple competing sellers?
Answer: MONOPSONY(9 letters)
A market with a single dominant buyer, mirroring monopoly on the selling side.
4 What term refers to the period of time during which an investor is prohibited from selling their shares in a company following an initial public offering or a merger?
Answer: LOCKUP(6 letters)
A period after a listing during which insiders are contractually barred from selling their shares, commonly 90 to 180 days.
5 Which American hedge fund manager earned approximately 4 billion dollars in 2020 by placing a massive credit hedge just as the global economy began to lock down due to the pandemic?