Showing results by author "iMinds" in All Categories

Learn about the life and times of Saint Francis of Assisi with iMindsJNR audio-learning series for younger minds. The story of Saint Francis is particularly famous among Catholics. The story of his simple, peaceful life has transcended religious borders to become an inspiration to many.

Learn about IPOs with iMinds Money's insightful fast knowledge series. IPOs or Initial Public Offerings are the sale of a company's equity to the public for the first time. By “going public”, a private company can be invested in by anyone on a stock exchange. Companies commonly “go public to” either to raise capital or to increase the company's liquidity. Previously, IPOs were limited to long established, large private firms.

Learn about Leveraged Buyouts with iMinds Money's insightful fast knowledge series. Leveraged buyouts originated in the early 1960’s. It is also known as a hostile takeover, a highly-leveraged transaction, or a bootstrap transaction. In effect, it is a tactic through which control of a corporation is acquired by buying up a majority of their stock using borrowed money.

Lehman Brothers Holding Co. was the fourth-largest U.S. investment bank before the firm's spectacular collapse in 2008. Lehman's global businesses previously generated more than $19 billion in 2007 from its vast capital markets, investment banking and investment management businesses. Lehman's Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing on September 15, 2008 marked one of the largest bankruptcies in U.S. history.

Learn about East Germany with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. In East Germany, it was not uncommon to hear of secret police patrolling the streets dressed as civilians. It was not unusual to find hidden cameras lying in garbage cans. Artistic expression often led to a prison sentence, while learning about the outside world came only through censored films.

Learn about Mutual Funds with iMinds Money's insightful fast knowledge series. A mutual fund is an investment vehicle that allows a group of investors to pool their money, allowing a professional to collectively trade securities on their behalf in exchange for a small fee. The pooled funds are used to purchase a diverse range of assets and provide a return to the investor.

Learn about Market Capitalisation with iMinds Money's insightful fast knowledge series. Market capitalisation, or simply market cap, is the total tradable value of a public company, equal to the number of shares outstanding times share price. It is therefore an indicator of public opinion on the total future value or net worth of a business. This also means market capitalisation will fluctuate over time and even within the space of a day.

If you're watching a movie where a world-weary detective is having trouble with a "dame" or a "broad", and cigarette smoke is wafting through the scene - you're probably appreciating a bit of "film noir". Film noir literally means black film referring to both the look and the attitude of these movies.

Learn about commodities with iMinds Money's insightful fast-knowledge series. A commodity is a tradeable item, which can usually be processed further and sold. This includes industrial goods such as metals; agricultural goods like wheat, wool or sugar; and bulk goods such as iron ore or coal. In their original and simplified sense commodities are uniform in value, meaning it is irrelevant who produces the commodity, as its value will remain the same.

Learn about the sport of Parkour with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. If there was only one way to describe parkour, it would be to call it a sport. Parkour involves the task of overcoming obstacles, both physical and mental. But not everybody is in agreement with what parkour is truly about. What we do know is that parkour originated in France where it is sometimes referred to as "l'art du déplacement" meaning "the art of displacement".

Learn about the history and geography of Antarctica with iMindsJNR audio-learning series for younger minds. Antarctica is the fifth biggest continent on Earth. It is also the coldest. The sun shines for only half of the year and stays under the horizon for the other half. Early explorers of Antarctica described it as a mysterious, lonely place. But they also described it as a desert. And a desert it is!

Learn about EBITDA with iMinds Money's insightful fast knowledge series. Traditionally, those looking to investigate the financial health and value of a company have focused on things such as net income, cash flow and revenue. In recent times, another form of financial analysis has become increasingly used by investors, debt holder and others interested in the worth of businesses. It is known as EBITDA.

Learn about short selling with iMinds Money's insightful fast knowledge series. Short selling is the practice of selling borrowed stock at a high price and then buying back the stock at a lower price. A short seller expects to profit from the fall in a stock's price. The more common investment practice is to “go long”, that is, to buy stock with the expectation of the price rising in the future. Simply, a short transaction sells high and buys low, while a long transaction buys low and sells high.

Learn about Energy Security with iMinds Money's insightful fast knowledge series. Since the industrial revolution the consumption of relatively inexpensive energy has become vital to the functioning of the world economy and modern society. Energy production that is heavily reliant on fossils fuels sourced from an increasingly concentrated number of countries leaves economies highly vulnerable to energy security threats.

Learn about the life of Mahatma Gandhi with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series.

On January 30, 1948, a small, peaceful man, aged 78, was shot dead while holding a prayer meeting in Delhi, India. What made this man's death global news was the extraordinary life that had preceded it. The world gasped in shock that the man who had brought India her independence had been killed; that a man who had proven to be one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century was dead.

Learn the philosophy of the eternal truths with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. "Eternal truths" are ideas that are not proved or demonstrated, but are nonetheless believed due to their apparent self-evidence. Acceptance of such facts is believed to come about through reason. Those who believe in eternal truths define them as ideas or statements so undeniable that proof is unnecessary.

Learn about Murphy's Law with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. Murphy's Law is a tongue-in-cheek and rather pessimistic adage of eight simple words: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. The translation of these words into "Murphy's Law" was in honour of US aerospace engineer Edward Aloysius Murphy Junior.

Learn about Junk Bonds with iMinds Money's insightful fast knowledge series. Junk bonds are bonds with a potential for high returns but which also come with many risks. A junk bond is like an IOU from an organisation that states the amount it will pay you back, the date it will pay you back and the interest it will pay you back. But what truly sets junk bonds apart from similar investments is the credit quality of their issuers.

Learn about securitization with iMinds Money's insightful fast knowledge series. Securitization as a financial term has evolved over the decades, as different methods and products have developed from the process. At a basic level, securitization is the process of taking an illiquid asset, or a group of relatively homogenous assets, and through financial engineering, transforming them into a security. The assets are pooled together and repackaged into a single security, which is then sold to investors.

William Shakespeare is one of the most famous writers of all time. But little is known about the life of this playwright and poet.What we do know is that Shakespeare was born in 1564 in a town in the west of England called Stratford-Upon-Avon. His father, John Shakespeare, was a glove-maker who was also on the local council.