11. Australian Financial Markets Flashcards
What is the financial system?
Consists of individuals, companies, markets and governments that are involved in the process of exchanging financial assets
What is financial intermediary?
An institution that acts as a principal in accepting funds from depositors and lending them to borrowers
What is the market?
An arrangement whereby participants buy and sell.
4 types of financial markets in Australia are
Short term debt market
Long term debt market
Share market
Futures market
Foreign exchange market
What is the primary and secondary markets?
Primary is where securities are traded for the first time.
Secondary is where subsequent trading occurs
What are ordinary shares?
The risk capital of a company, as such shares have residual and ownership rights
What are Bonds?
Loans made to a government body
What are debentures and unsecured notes?
Loans made to companies for a fixed period at a fixed rate of interest
What are unlisted market trading?
This trading is confined to bargaining by individual buyers and sellers and around $3 billion is invested in the unlisted equity market
What are trading banks?
These account for about 56 percent of the total assets of the finance sector in Australia
What is wholesale banking?
Involves transactions with companies of businesses
What are merchant banks?
They have little direct involvement in the retail banking sector, they are concerned with wholesale banking.
What are merchant banks responsible for?
Development of cash management trusts, rebatable preference shares, the commercial bills market, the currency hedge market, the promissory note market and the unofficial deposit market
What are finance companies?
These control about 2% of the total assets of the finance sector of Australia
What is ASX?
The Australian Securities Exchange. The central market place for companies to raise funds
What are short-term financial decisions?
These decisions typically involve cash inflows and outflows that occur within a year or less
What are some methods a company can secure short-term finance?
Overdrafts Short-term loans Bills of exchange Promissory notes/commercial paper Inventory loans Letters of credit Short term euro currency advances Factoring Mortgage securitisation
What are bills of exchange?
A negotiable instrument that involves a drawer, acceptor and payee
What is promissory notes?
An unconditional promise in writing made by one person to another