Acquisition

An acquisition is the purchase of one business or company by another company or other business entity. Consolidation occurs when two companies combine together to form a new enterprise altogether, and neither of the previous companies survives independently. Acquisitions are divided into "private" and "public" acquisitions, depending on whether the acquiree or merging company (also termed a target) is or is not listed on public stock markets. An additional dimension or categorization consists of whether an acquisition is friendly or hostile.

Arbitrage
n economics and finance, arbitrage is the practice of taking advantage of a price difference between two or more markets: striking a combination of matching deals that capitalize upon the imbalance, the profit being the difference between the market prices. When used by academics, an arbitrage is a transaction that involves no negative cash flow at any probabilistic or temporal state and a positive cash flow in at least one state; in simple terms, it is the possibility of a risk-free profit at zero cost. E.X. Suppose that the exchange rates (after taking out the fees for making the exchange) in London are 5 = $10 = 1000 and the exchange rates in Tokyo are 1000 = $12 = 6. Converting 1000 to $12 in Tokyo and converting that $12 into 1200 in London, for a profit of 200, would be arbitrage. In reality, this "triangle arbitrage" is so simple that it almost never occurs. But more complicated foreign exchange arbitrages, such as the spot-forward arbitrage (see interest rate parity) are much more common.

Asset Bubble
An asset bubble is formed when the prices of assets are over-inflated due to excess demand. It usually occurs when investors all flock to a particular asset class, such as real estate or commodities such as oil. This happened in 20052006 with real estate, and in the summer of 2008 with oil prices. It is a form of inflation that is not always accurately captured in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). For that reason, asset bubbles can be aggravated by low interest rates.

Asset Management Company

An (AMC) is an investment management firm that invests the pooled funds of retail investors in securities in line with the stated investment objectives. For a fee, the investment company provides more diversification, liquidity, and professional management consulting service than is normally available to individual investors. The diversification of portfolio is done by investing in such securities which are inversely correlated to each other. They collect money from investors by way of floating various mutual fund schemes.

Authorized Share Capital

The maximum value of the shares, calculated at par value, that can be issued under a firm's articles of association. It can be increased only with shareholders' approval. Most companies' authorised capital exceeds the amount that has been issued as it allows them to quickly issue more shares if necessary.