Introduction to the Financial Markets Flashcards
What is a financial market?
Mechanism that allows buying and selling of financial securities at prices that reflect supply and demand.
What are the functions of financial markets in modern economy?
Facilitate:
- raising of capital;
- transfer of risk;
- transfer of liquidity;
- international trade.
Distributing the economy’s resources for the best available alternatives at each moment in time.
Channeling funds from households, firms and governments that have saved surplus funds to those that have a shortage.
How is the relationship between financial markets and corporations?
They are different things but interact and influenciate each other
What is the turnover rate?
number of shares traded over a period of time/number of shares outstanding
What dos it mean if the turnover rate increases?
Means that shares are being traded more agressively
What have companies been doing regarding investments and financings?
They have been increasing their investments in financial assets and getting more financing, which means that they also pay higher amounts to financial markets.
Why is it important to understand financial markets?
- They involve capital flows affecting businesses, production and wellfare of countries;
- To take regulation measures;
- They impact the economy, like GDP growth.
Why are financial markets important?
Because savers aren’t always the ones who have profitable investment opportunities available;
Allow consumers to time their purchases better - distinguish good ideas that should be financed, from bad ideas.
What do firms do during periods of stress in the financial system?
They tend to substitute bank debt with funding from capital sources.
Why are intermediaries and indirect finance also important?
They complement the financial market regarding transaction costs, risk sharing and asymmetric information.
Why do financial intermediaries and indirect finance complement financial markets regarding transaction costs?
Because
-their large size allows them to take advantage of economies of scale
-small savers and potential borrowers might be frozen out of financial markets.
Why do financial intermediaries and indirect finance complement financial markets regarding risk sharing?
- through asset transformation, since they create and sell assets with risk characteristics that people are more comfortable with, and then buy other assets that have more risk
- diversification
Regarding asymmetric information in the financial markets, what is the problem that might occur before the transaction?
Adverse selection - when potential borrowers with bad cerdit risk are the ones more actively seeking out a loan, thus more likely to be selected; also, people tend to doubt higher returns, but good companies tend to have higher returns.
Regarding asymmetric information in the financial markets, what is the problem that might occur after the transaction?
Moral hazard - risk that borrowers might engage in activities that are undesirable from the lender’s point of view - these can’t monitor borrowers and may not make a loan
How can banks alleviate the problems of adverse selection and moral hazard (due to asymmetric information)?
- banks are better equipped to separate bad credit risk from good
- banks can develop expertise in monitoring the parties they lend to
What is one of the reasons why problems like adverse selection and moral hazard can affect financial intermediaries?
Banks tend to create a higher level of risk because if everything goes right they profit a lot, but if things go wrong they will be helped
In what can capital markets be classified as?
- Primary markets - where private firms issue bonds/stocks for the first time;
- Secondary market - where stocks are traded between investors.
What are the functions of investment banks?
1) Origination - advise on type of securities to issue, time of issuance and issue price
2) Distribution - sale of securities
3) Assumption of risk - underwriter can purchase the entire issue at a negotiated price, and assumes the risk of loss if the issue is unmarketable
4) Certification - underwrite certifies the quality of the issue
When does the seasoned issue happens?
Happens when a corporation sells additional stock, after going public, to raise further capital
What is defined on the underwriter agreement?
The securities to be sold; the quantity and the selling price.