The Hindu Business Line : Investment Quiz

1. The hedge fund, Amaranth Advisors, has been in the news after one of its trading desks lost close to $5 billion in a week. Which commodity was the fund placing its bets on?

2. Qualified Institutional Placements (QIPs) are expected to be the next hot flavour for Indian corporates looking to raise funds. Name the first company to raise funds through this route.

3. German entrepreneur Alexander Schopmann has founded an airline that will reinstate a practice that has been banned on other airlines years ago. Name the airline and the practice in question. (Hint: The service is likely to take your breath away!)

4. Renaissance, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, Towne Place Suites and Spring Hill Suites are all brands of which leading global hospitality chain?

5. This outfit was started way back in 1692 by a certain James Campbell, who set up operations as a goldsmith-banker. Now the international private banking arm of the Royal Bank of Scotland, it is famously known in the UK as banker to the Queen. Name it.

6. The acquisition of which Swiss-based company is expected to catapult Merck of Germany to the position of one the largest pharma players in the European market?

7. What common word in the world of business has its origins in the Roman word for plunge or sink?

8. Based at Austin in the US, this company, founded by Dr E. L. Kersten, has the logo of a smiley with a frown ":-( ". Its products are a line of motivational poster parodies called Demotivator. Name this company.

9. The term VSOP is normally associated with brandy. What does this abbreviation stand for?

10. The Forbes list of 400 Richest Americans had predictable names at the top of the heap, with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett occupying the first two positions. Who figures third on the list? (Hint: It's not Larry Ellison)

Answers

1. Natural Gas

2. Spentex Industries

3. His proposed airline called Smoker's International Airline will permit onboard smoking!

4. Marriott

5. Coutts & Co

6. Serono

7. Merger; the Roman word in question is mergo

8. Despair, Inc

9. Very superior old pale or very special old pale

10. Casino czar Sheldon Adelson

Compiled by Nath Balakrishnan