the time value of money
arbitrage
diversification
a mechanism that facilitates the purchase and sale (trade) of financial instruments including equity, debt instruments, derivatives and foreign currencies.
it:
brings together of lenders (savers) and borrowers, aiding in the transfer of funds from people who wish to lend them to people who wish to borrow them (capital raising)
allows the transference of funds between parties
allows international trade between individuals, companies, and governments
lenders have more than they wish to consume. therefore:
they loan funds that are excess to their consumption to other market participants (borrowers).
In exchange they receive a positive rate of return on these funds from the people they lend to.
borrowers have less than they want to invest. therefore:
they borrow funds that are required to meet their current consumption or investment requirements.
In exchange, they pay a positive rate of return on these funds to the people they lend from.
commercial banks
building societies
credit unions
insurance companies
superannuation funds
money market
capital market
derivatives market
foreign exchange markets
the short-term government debt market - this includes treasury bills and treasury notes.
the interbank market
the bills market
the commercial paper market
the negotiable certificates of deposit (CD) market
medium to long-term debt instruments like
corporate debt
government debt
equity - this considered at medium to long term borrowing as businesses can technically exist forever.
Short-term debt instruments issued by corporations are classified as forming part of the money markets, while company issued medium-to-long term instruments are traded in the capital markets.
these instruments include:
loans
debentures
unsecured notes
subordinated debt.
They allow you to lock in the price of an asset in advance.
They are available over a wide range of assets including shares and debt instruments
Examples of derivatives include forwards contracts, futures contracts and options contracts.
both the money and capital market can be further split in the the primary and the secondary market.
the primary market consists of transactions with newly issued instruments and therefore raise funds for issuers.
the secondary market transactions represent transferring from one holder to another, therefore not raising any additional funds for the issuer.
ordinary annuities
deferred annuities
annuities due