tailieunhanh - Financial Markets and Institutions Web Chapter

The genuine saving indicator marks a step forward by the Bank to move away from simple GDP per capita calculations and introduce some human and environmental considerations into mainstream national accounting. Because of its simple and striking nature it looks set to be a major factor in key Bank documents and policy advice. Perhaps it will even become the figure which represents the combined total of the two sides of the “national balance sheet” outlined in Wolfensohn’s CDF proposal. However, it suffers from flawed data and methodology. The exclusion of key factors, the assumption of “weak sustainability”, and the. | Web Chapter Financial Markets and Institutions LEARNING GOALS LG2 Explain how financial institutions serve as intermediaries between investors and firms. Provide an overview of financial markets. LG3 Explain how firms and investors trade money market and capital market securities in the financial markets in order to satisfy their needs. Describe the major securities exchanges. Describe derivative securities and explain why firms and investors use them. Describe the foreign exchange market. 1 2 WEB CHAPTER Financial Markets and Institutions Financial Institutions financial institution An intermediary that channels the savings of individuals businesses and governments into loans or investments. Financial institutions serve as intermediaries by channeling the savings of individuals businesses and governments into loans or investments. They are major players in the financial marketplace with more than 12 trillion of financial assets under their control. They often serve as the main source of funds for businesses and individuals. Some financial institutions accept customers savings deposits and lend this money to other customers or to firms. In fact many firms rely heavily on loans from institutions for their financial support. Financial institutions are required by the government to operate within established regulatory guidelines. Key Customers of Financial Institutions The key suppliers of funds to financial institutions and the key demanders of funds from financial institutions are individuals businesses and governments. The savings that individual consumers place in financial institutions provide these institutions with a large portion of their funds. Individuals not only supply funds to financial institutions but also demand funds from them in the form of loans. However individuals as a group are the net suppliers for financial institutions They save more money than they borrow. Firms also deposit some of their funds in financial institutions primarily in checking