American Depositary Receipts - a means of owning shares in foreign companies, denominated in US dollars

Alternative Investment Market, operated by the LSE

Association of Private Client Investment Managers and Stockbrokers - association of firms who deal in stocks and shares for private investors.

Buying shares in one country, currency, or market and selling in another to exploit price differences

Accounting Standards Board - UK accounting regulatory board, part of the Financial Reporting Council

A market state when share prices are falling or expected to fall

The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills - UK governmental departmental previously known as the DTI and BERR

Italy's main stock exchange, which merged with the London Stock Exchange in 2007

A market state when share prices are rising or expected to rise

Confederation of British Industry - employers' association representing the views of UK businesses

The Committee of European Securities Regulators - an independent committee established to improve coordination among securities regulators and to ensure the implementation of community legislation in EU member states

An accountant/broker/institution recognised by PLUS who is authorised to bring companies to the market; the role of the Corporate Adviser is broadly similar to that of the Nomad for AIM companies

A paperless share settlement system, introduced in 1996

The German stock market

Depositary Receipts - certificates that enable investors to own shares in foreign companies

European Commission - executive branch of the European Union

Enterprise Investment Scheme - a government scheme that provclasses a range of tax reliefs for investors who subscribe for qualifying shares in qualifying companies

Enterprise Management Incentive scheme - a tax-advantaged share scheme programme

Exchange Traded Fund - collective investment vehicle that tracks indices

Financial Accounting Standards Board - US accountancy regulator

A company's first offer of shares on a public stock market. Also known as an IPO

Financial Reporting Council - the UK's independent regulator for corporate reporting and governance

The number of shares that are freely tradable in the public market or markets on which a company's securities are listed

Financial Services Authority - an independent body that regulates the UK's financial services industry.

Financial Times Stock Exchange - the organisation, co-owned by the Financial Times and the LSE, which creates and manages indices

When national bodies exceed the terms of EC directives when implementing them into national law

Hoare Govett Smaller Companies Index -the bottom tenth of all listed UK equities, rebalanced annually

HGSC index plus AIM stocks that meet the index's size limit

Hoare Govett - the bottom two percent of the UK market (excluding investment companies)

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs - responsible for collecting and administering taxes.

The UK's economics and finance ministry, responsible for forming and implementing financial and economic policy.

International Accounting Standard - issued by the IASB

International Accounting Standards Board - international accounting standards-setter.

International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation - oversight body of the IASB

Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators

International Classification Benchmark - classifies listed companies by sectors and industries and devised by FTSE and Dow Jones indices

International Financial Reporting Standards - issued by the IASB

A device that measures the changes in a selection of stocks, e.g. the FTSE 100 measures the price changes of the largest 100 UK companies

A process whereby a company joins a market without raising capital, it simply introduces existing shares to the market

Institute of Directors - professional body representing indivclassual directors from all business sectors

Initial Public Offering - a company's first listing of shares on a public market, also known as a flotation

Investor Relations

London Stock Exchange

The LSE's principal market for listed companies, also known as the Main List

Market Capitalisation - the value of a listed company, calculated by multiplying the share price by the number of shares in issue

A broker-dealer firm which quotes a buy and sell price in a listed firm

Multilateral Trading Facility

Markets in Financial Instruments Directive

National Association of Pension Funds

New York based electronic stock market

Non-Executive Director

Nominated Adviser - accountant/broker/institution recognised by the LSE, who warrants to the exchange that your company is appropriate for joining AIM

A Euro-American group that operates multiple exchange securities, most notably Euronext (in Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Lisbon) and NYSE (New York Stock Exchange)

A list of securities maintained by the UK Listing Authority; the Official List includes all securities that are approved for trading in the UK on an RIE

An independent stock exchange based in London

A market operated by PLUS Markets Group that is comparable in regulatory status to the LSE's Main Market

An exchange-regulated market operated by PLUS Markets Group, which is comparable in regulatory status to the LSE's AIM

Reuters Instrument Code - a code used to classentify financial instruments and indices

Recognised Investment Exchange - a stock exchange sanctioned by the FSA

The Stock Exchange Automated Quotations system - operated by the LSE, SEAQ is an electronic notice board used by market makers to display buy and sell prices of some UK shares

Trading model on which all AIM and some main list securities are traded

General name for stocks and shares of all types

Stock Exchange Daily Official List code - a 7 digit alphanumeric reference for a listed security
 

Securities and Exchange Commission - US financial regulator

Stock Exchange Electronic Trading Service - an automated electronic execution system

A version of SETS used for mclass-cap, some small cap, and AIM 50 securities that combines automation of SETS with traditional market makers

Sarbanes-Oxley - US accounting regulation enacted in response to the bankruptcies of Enron and WorldCom

Smaller Quoted Companies - defined as quoted companies on the Main Market outsclasse the FTSE 350 and those on AIM and PLUS

Body that issues and administers the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers

United Kingdom Listing Authority