Macaroni Defense   -    An approach taken by a company that does not want to be taken over. The company issues a large number of bonds with the condition they must be redeemed at a high price if the company is taken over.

Mad Hatter   -   A CEO or managerial team whose ability to lead a company is highly suspect.

Madoff , Bernard L.   -   Bernard L Madoff looks set to make history by becoming the instigator of the largest financial scam or fraud in the history of mankind. His alleged Ponzi Pyramid Scheme looks set to lose $50 billion for those who invested with him. Bernard L. Madoff was a very well respected individual in the investment world, and was a former chairman and director of the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASDAQ).

Main Street   -   Shorthand for "the investing public"--in the same way that "Wall Street" is used to refer to investment professionals and brokers.

Managed Money   -   A means of investment where the investor, rather than buying and selling their own securities, places their investment funds in the hands of a qualified investment professional for a predetermined annual fee.

Manipulation   -   The act of artificially inflating or deflating the price of a security. In most cases, manipulation is illegal. It is much easier to manipulate the share price of smaller companies, such as penny stocks, because they are not as closely watched by analysts as the medium- and large-sized firms.
Also known as "price manipulation".

Maple Bond   -   A Canadian dollar denominated bond that is sold in Canada by foreign financial institutions and companies. Similar to other foreign bonds, such as the bulldog bond, samurai bond and the matilda bond. The maple bond gives domestic investors (in this case, Canadian investors) the opportunity to invest in foreign companies without worrying about the effects of currency exchange fluctuations.

Margin Call   -   A broker's demand on an investor using margin to deposit additional money or securities so that the margin account is brought up to the minimum maintenance margin.
This is sometimes called a "fed call" or "maintenance call".

Margin Pressure   -   A finanicial term for the effect of certain internal or market forces on a company's gross, operating or net margins. If something happens to make a company's costs rise or revenues fall, margins will become compressed, reducing net earnings.
Things that can cause margin pressure include:

1. When a new competitor enters the business and increases its product offering or lowers its costs
2. When commodity costs rise or other costs within the supply chain are rising
3. When increased regulatory controls are imposed on the company or industry
4. When new legislation is introduced that fundamentally changes the markets in which the company competes
5. When internal production problems or delays arise
6. When rising selling, general and administrative expense (SG&A) costs occur without a proportional rise in revenue

Market Cannibalization   -   The negative impact of a company's new product on the sales performance of its existing related products.

Market Jitters   -   Feelings of nervousness created by uncertainty or fear about the current investment environment.

Market Maven   -   Slang used to describe a good investor who is "in-the-know." It also implies opinion leadership.

Market Overhang   -   An observational theory stating that in certain stocks at certain times, there is a buildup of selling pressure. This occurs as a combined result of sales and a strong wish to sell among those who still hold the stock but fear that selling it may cause further declines. Depending on the overall liquidity in the stock, a market overhang can last for weeks, months or longer. Market overhang usually relates to trading in one security but can also apply to larger areas of the market, such as an entire sector.

Market Perform   -   An investment rating used by analysts when the expectation for a given stock or investment is that it will provide returns in line with those of the S&P 500 or other leading market averages.
Market perform is a neutral assessment of a stock and is neither strongly positive or negative. If, however, the stock has gone through a period of market underperformance, it is an indication that the stock is expected to improve its performance relative to market averages.

Market Sentiment   -   The feeling or tone of a market (i.e. crowd psychology). It is shown by the activity and price movement of securities.

Market Swoon   -   A slang term for a decline in the overall value of the stock market. Market swoons can be seen when indexes, such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) , have a significant drop in price.

Market Timing   -   1. The act of attempting to predict the future direction of the market, typically through the use of technical indicators or economic data.
2. The practice of switching among mutual fund asset classes in an attempt to profit from the changes in their market outlook.

Marlboro Friday   -   A reference to Friday, Apr 2, 1993, when Philip Morris, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, announced that it would be cutting the price of Marlboros to compete with generic cigarette makers. The company's stock tanked 26% following the announcement, losing about $10 billion off its market cap in a single day.
The day is remembered as a landmark moment in the 1990s consumer movement away from name brand products in favor of cheaper generic products with prices 50% lower than their branded competitors. In its wake, money managers moved cash from name brand consumer goods makers like Coca-Cola and Tambrands (the former maker of Tampax tampons) to technology stocks and generic consumer goods producers. 

Marquee Asset   -   A company's most appealing asset. Also referred to as a trophy asset.

Masterbrand   -   A specific overarching brand name that serves as the main anchoring point on which all underlying products are based. Masterbranding attempts to create a strong association between a company's products and what the brand represents. While individual products will always have their own names/brands, it is the masterbrand that contributes to the consumer's belief that the product is different compared to all others in its class.

Material Insider Information   -   Material information, about certain aspects of a company, that has not yet been made public but that will have at least a small  impact on the company's share price once released. It is illegal for holders of material insider information to use the information - however it was received - to their advantage in trading stock, or to provide the information to family members or friends so they can use it to make trades.

Maximizer^TM   -   A brand of customer relationship management software popularly used by brokers and investment advisors for tracking clients and leads.

McMansion   -   Slang that describes a large, opulent house that may be generic in style and represents a good value for a homebuyer in terms of its size. This type of home is built to provide middle and/or upper middle class homeowners with the luxurious housing experience that was previously only available to high net worth individuals.
The name is derived as a play on words on McDonald's fast food restaurants, as these homes also represent the pervasiveness and excessive consumption that critics often associate with Mcdonald's.

Mega Cap   -   Companies having a market capitalization greater than $200 billion.

Merchant Banks   -   Merchant banks do not offer services to the general public but advise companies on corporate finance, investment management and securities trading. They manage large funsd such as pension funds.

Michael Milken   -   As an executive at investment bank Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc during the 1980s, Milken used high-yield junk bonds for corporate financing and mergers and acquisitions. He amassed an enormous personal fortune, but in 1989 he was indicted by a federal grand jury and eventually spent nearly two years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of securities fraud. While he is credited with founding the high-yield debt market, he was banned for life from the securities industry.

Mid Cap   -   A company with a market capitalization between $2 and $10 billion, which is calculated by multiplying the number of a company''''s shares outstanding by its stock price. Mid cap is an abbreviation for the term "middle capitalization".

Middleman   -   A slang term for an intermediary in a transaction or process chain. A middleman will facilitate interaction between parties, typically for a commission or fee. Some critics say that businesses and customers should try to "cut out the middleman" by dealing directly with each other, avoiding any increased costs or commissions.

Mine and Yours   -   Terms used by floor traders to signify buying and selling. Mainly used in forex transactions.

Minus Tick   -   Designates a trade that occurs at a lower price than the immediately preceding trade. Also referred to as "downtick" or "zero minus tick".

Mom and Pop   -   An adjective denoting a small-scale and family-like atmosphere, often used to describe these types of businesses and investors.

Momo Play   -   A slang term used to describe an investment purely as a momentum play, not worrying about the company's fundamentals.

Monday Effect   -   A theory that states that returns on the stock market on Mondays will follow the prevailing trend from the previous Friday. Therefore, if the market was up on Friday, it should continue through the weekend and, come Monday, resume its rise.

Money Laundering   -   The process of creating the appearance that large amounts of money obtained from serious crimes, such as drug trafficking or terrorist activity, originated from a legitimate source.

Moral Hazard   -   The risk that a party to a transaction has not entered into the contract in good faith, has provided misleading information about its assets, liabilities or credit capacity, or has an incentive to take unusual risks in a desperate attempt to earn a profit before the contract settles.

Moral Suasion   -   A persuasion tactic used by an authority (i.e. Federal Reserve Board) to influence and pressure, but not force, banks into adhering to policy. Tactics used are closed-door meetings with bank directors, increased severity of inspections, appeals to community spirit, or vague threats. A good example of moral suasion is when the Fed Chairman speaks on the markets - his opinion on the overall economy can send financial markets falling or flying.

Most Active   -   The stocks on an exchange that had the highest volume over a given period. The most common time period used is a single trading day.

Mothballing   -   The preservation of a production facility without using it to produce. Machinery in a mothballed facility is kept in working order so that production may be restored quickly if needed.

Mr. Copper   -   Otherwise known as Yasuo Hamanaka, Mr. Copper was a trader in the copper market who lost over $2.5 Billion for his employer, Sumitomo Corp. (in Japan). The losses amassed from unauthorized trading in secret accounts between 1985 and 1996.