Ex. Many ​small businesses are ​struggling to ​stay afloat.
7. bail out something/someone - to help someone or something such as a ​plan or ​company, esp. by giving or ​lending:

Ex. Congress passed a $15 ​billion Aid ​package to bail out the ​airlines.
8. To have/get  a stake in something - to have something at risk in something; to have a financial or other interest in something. 
Ex. I have a stake in that company. I want it to make a profit. I don't have a stake in it, so I don't care. 
Ex. In return for its investment, the government expects to get a stake in the banks.
9. To ease - to make or ​become less ​severe, ​difficult, ​unpleasant, painful. 
Ex. To ease the ​problem of ​overcrowding, new ​prisons will be  built.
Ex. To cut in interest rates in an effort to ease the crisis.
10. Takeover - a ​situation in which a company gets ​control of another ​company by ​buying enough of ​its shares.

The impact of the sub-prime mortgage crisis is quickly shown to have implications beyond the United States. Losses are felt by investment banks as far afield as Australia. Firms cancel sales of bonds worth billions of dollars, citing market conditions

The US Federal Bank and the European Central Bank tries to bolster the money markets by making funds available for banks to borrow on more favourable terms.
Interest rates are also cut in an effort to encourage lending.

But the short-term help does not solve the liquidity crisis - or availability of cash for banks - as banks remain cautious about lending to each other.
A lack of credit - to banks, companies and individuals - brings with it the threat of recession, job losses, bankruptcies, repossessions and a rise in living costs.

UK bank Northern Rock seeks an emergency loan to stay afloat, prompting a "run" on the bank, as worried customers withdraw £2bn. The bank is later nationalised. In the US, the near-collapse of Bear Stearns leads to a crisis of confidence in the financial sector and the end of investment-only banks.

Seeking a long-term solution, the US government agrees a $700bn bail-out that will buy up Wall Street's bad debts in return for stake in the banks. The US government plans to borrow the money from world financial markets and hopes it can sell the distressed assets back once the housing market has stabilised.

The UK government launches its own bail-out, making £400bn extra capital available to eight of the UK's largest banks and building societies in return for preference shares in them. In return for its investment, the government expects to get a stake in the banks - although exactly how much is not quite clear yet.

Economies around the world are affected by the credit crunch. Governments move to nationalise banks from Iceland to France. Central banks in the US, Canada and some parts of Europe take the unprecedented step of co-ordinating a half-point percent cut in interest rates in an effort to ease the crisis.

Economies around the world are affected by the credit crunch. Governments move to nationalise banks from Iceland to France. Central banks in the US, Canada and some parts of Europe take the unprecedented step of co-ordinating a half-point percent cut in interest rates in an effort to ease the crisis.