block

Large quantity of stock or large dollar amount of bonds held or traded. As a rule of thumb, 10,000 shares or more of stock and $200,000 or more worth of bonds would be described as a block. Bloomberg Financial Dictionary

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A large amount of shares, normally 10,000 shares or more. Exchange Handbook Glossary

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▪ I. block block ¹ [blɒk ǁ blɑːk] noun [countable]

1. FINANCE a large number of shares in a particular company held by one owner or traded at one time. A block of shares usually involves 10,000 shares or more:

• The company paid C$17.5 million to acquire a block of 1,224,489 shares.

• A 10 million-share block trade in Avon at 39½ excited traders early in the day.

• Wall Street's best-known and most aggressive block trader

2. PROPERTY a large building divided into separate parts:

• a block of apartments

• office blocks

  [m0] ▪ II. block block ² verb [transitive] ECONOMICS

if a government or other authority blocks something, they prevent it happening, developing, or succeeding:

• The French government blocked the import of New Zealand agricultural products into the Common Market.

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Ⅰ.

block UK US /blɒk/ verb [T]

► to decide officially to stop something from happening or continuing: »

The federal government's fight to block a bankruptcy settlement was rejected by the Supreme Court.

block a bid/deal/merger »

The Federal Trade Commission said it planned to block the merger.

► BANKING if a bank blocks someone's account, they make it impossible for that person to remove money from it: »

Accounts of all suspected terrorists have been blocked.

► COMMUNICATIONS to stop emails, text messages, phone calls, etc. from a particular person: »

The new phone allows users to block messages from particular senders.

Ⅱ.

block UK US /blɒk/ noun [C]

► STOCK MARKET a large number of shares that are sold by one organization at a particular time: »

Deutsche Bank placed a block of six million shares at 781p.

»

The shares were sold on the Toronto Stock Exchange in a block trade.

► ECONOMICS an official decision to stop something happening or continuing: a block on sth »

Lobbyists are calling for a block on bonuses to rail operators while their safety record is so poor.

put/remove a block on sth »

The government has put a block on all arms sales to the country.

► PROPERTY a building consisting of several apartments, offices, etc.: »

There are four apartments in each block.

»

a block of office buildings

● on the block — Cf. on the block

● lay your head/neck on the block — Cf. lay your neck on the block