springloading
n.— «He has wandered into the tumult about how some companies dated the stock options granted top managers as part of managers’ compensation.…What the SEC commissioner defended, however, is the practice known as “springloading,” a term Atkins said possessed an “ominous ring.” That’s when a company purposely schedules a grant ahead of good news or postpones one before it has to release bad news. The goal is maximize the value of the options for recipients.» —“Point of View: SEC’s Atkins on Options” by Neal Lipschutz Houston Chronicle (Texas) July 7, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)