1. Financial Assets Flashcards
What is asset allocation?
Asset allocation involves deciding how much money to allocate to broad classes of assets.
What are money markets composed of?
Money markets are composed of short-term, marketable, liquid, low-risk debt securities.
What are capital markets?
Capital markets are financial markets where long-term debt or equity securities are bought and sold. These markets allow companies, governments, and other organizations to raise funds for their projects and operations. Main markets: primary and secondary.
What is a Treasury Bill (T-bill)?
A Treasury Bill is a government-issued debt security with a short-term maturity, sold to raise money.
What is a Certificate of Deposit (CD)?
A CD is a bank deposit where interest and principal are paid at maturity, and it cannot be withdrawn on demand.
What is commercial paper?
Commercial paper is short-term unsecured debt notes issued by large, well-known companies.
What is a banker’s acceptance?
A banker’s acceptance is an order to a bank by a customer to pay a sum of money at a future date.
What are Eurodollars?
Eurodollars are dollar-denominated deposits at foreign banks or branches of American banks.
What is a repurchase agreement?
A repurchase agreement is the short-term sale of securities with an agreement to repurchase them at a slightly higher price.
What is the federal funds rate?
The federal funds rate is the overnight rate set by the Federal Reserve.
What are Treasury notes and bonds?
Treasury notes have maturities up to 10 years, while bonds have maturities from 10 to 30 years.
What are municipal bonds?
Municipal bonds are tax-exempt bonds issued by state and local governments.
What are corporate bonds?
Corporate bonds are debt securities issued by private firms to borrow money directly from the public.
What are mortgage-backed securities?
Mortgage-backed securities represent an ownership claim in a pool of mortgages or an obligation secured by such a pool.
What is common stock?
Common stock represents ownership shares in a corporation.
What is preferred stock?
Preferred stock pays a fixed amount of income each year, but does not convey voting power.
What is an American Depository Receipt (ADR)?
An ADR is a certificate traded in U.S. markets representing ownership in shares of a foreign company.
What is the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)?
The DJIA is a price-weighted index of 30 large blue-chip corporations.
What is a derivative asset?
A derivative asset’s value is dependent on or contingent upon the value of an underlying asset.
What is a call option?
A call option gives the holder the right to purchase an asset at a specified price before a specified expiration date.
What is a put option?
A put option gives the holder the right to sell an asset at a specified price before a specified expiration date.
What is a futures contract?
A futures contract is an obligation to buy or sell an asset at a specified future date for a predetermined price.
What is an investment company?
An investment company pools and invests funds from individual investors in securities or other assets.
How is Net Asset Value (NAV) calculated?
NAV is calculated as the market value of assets minus liabilities, divided by the number of shares outstanding.
What is a unit investment trust?
A unit investment trust is a fixed portfolio of securities for the life of the fund.
What is an open-end investment company?
An open-end investment company continuously issues or redeems shares at NAV.
What is a closed-end investment company?
A closed-end investment company does not redeem or issue new shares; its shares are traded among investors.
What is a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)?
A REIT is a closed-end fund that invests in real estate or mortgages.
What is a hedge fund?
A hedge fund is a private investment fund that pools assets from investors and is managed by a fund manager.
What is a mutual fund?
A mutual fund is an open-end investment company that pools money from many investors to invest in a diversified portfolio.
What is a front-end load?
A front-end load is an entry fee charged when buying into a mutual fund.
What is a back-end load?
A back-end load is an exit fee charged when selling out of a mutual fund.
What is an expense ratio?
The expense ratio represents the operating expenses of a mutual fund.
What is an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF)?
An ETF is a type of investment fund that tracks an index and can be traded like a stock.
What is the price-earnings (P/E) ratio?
The P/E ratio is the ratio of a stock’s price to its earnings per share.
What is a dividend yield?
The dividend yield is the annual dividend payment expressed as a percentage of the stock price.
What is buying on margin?
Buying on margin means borrowing part of the purchase price of a stock from a broker.
What is a margin call?
A margin call occurs when the value of an investor’s margin account falls below the maintenance level.
What is short selling?
Short selling is when an investor borrows stock, sells it, and then buys it back later to return it, hoping to profit from a price decline.
What is insider trading?
Insider trading refers to buying or selling securities based on material, non-public information.
What is a market order?
A market order is a buy or sell order to be executed immediately at the current market price.
What is a price-contingent order?
A price-contingent order is an order where the trader specifies a price at which they are willing to buy or sell a security.
What is a bid price?
A bid price is the price at which a dealer or buyer is willing to purchase a security.
What is an ask price?
An ask price is the price at which a dealer or seller is willing to sell a security.
What is the bid-ask spread?
The bid-ask spread is the difference between the bid price and the ask price, representing the dealer’s profit.
What is a dealer market?
A dealer market is a market where dealers buy and sell securities from their own inventory.
What is an Electronic Communication Network (ECN)?
An ECN is a computer-operated trading network that allows direct trading without a middleman.
What is a Designated Market Maker (DMM)?
A DMM is responsible for maintaining a fair and orderly market in a particular security.
What is algorithmic trading?
Algorithmic trading uses computer programs to make trading decisions based on pre-set criteria.
What is high-frequency trading?
High-frequency trading is a type of algorithmic trading that involves executing a large number of orders at extremely high speeds.
What is a dark pool?
A dark pool is a private trading venue where investors can trade large blocks of securities without revealing their intentions.
What is a full-service broker?
A full-service broker provides personalized investment advice, as well as executes trades on behalf of clients.
What is a discount broker?
A discount broker executes trades for clients but offers little or no investment advice.
What are explicit trading costs?
Explicit trading costs refer to the brokerage commissions paid when a trade is executed.
What are implicit trading costs?
Implicit trading costs include the bid-ask spread and the price concessions when trading large quantities of securities.
What is the Wilshire 5000 index?
The Wilshire 5000 is a broad-based market index used as a benchmark for the performance of equity fund managers.
What is insider information?
Insider information is non-public, material information about a company that can affect its stock price.
What is capital gains tax?
Capital gains tax is a tax on the profit made from the sale of a financial asset, like stocks or real estate.
What is a revenue bond?
A revenue bond is a municipal bond backed by the revenue generated from the project it is issued to finance.
What is a general obligation bond?
A general obligation bond is a municipal bond backed by the full taxing power of the issuing government.