Unit 4 Financial sector Flashcards
4.1 v1: what is the difference between money and wealth?
Money is anything that can be used to purchase goods and services.
Wealth is the accumulation of savings through purchases of assets with money that occurs over time.
4.1 v1: what are financial assets and some examples?
Written claims where a buyer has the right to future income from sellers. Some examples are:
- Loans
- Bonds
- Demand deposits (checking accounts)
- Savings account
4.1 v1: What does it mean if a asset is liquid and what is liquidity?
Liquidity is how close an asset is to cash and how easily it can be turned into cash. Cash itself is the most liquid asset.
4.1 v1: How do assets hold value?
Assets hold value because they accumulate wealth over time. Storing money in assets allows for the asset to grow over time due to interest over time in the growth of the aggregate economy.
4.1 v1: If someone goes to the bank to get a loan with an interest over time, what is the loan to both of the parties?
For the bank, the loan is an financial asset.
For the person borrowing money, the loan is a liability.
4.1 v2: What is the opportunity cost of holding money instead of holding a financial asset?
The opportunity cost is the opportunity to earn interest on the financial asset you could have purchased with your cash. The financial assets that have a higher interest rate then cash include bonds.
4.1 v2: what are bonds?
bonds are pieces of papers bought from the government with face value and number of years the holder can earn interest on the bond. After the time has expired ther holder will get the face value of the bond as well as the interest earned over time.
4.1 v2: What relationship do bonds and interest rates have and why?
bonds and interest rates have an inverse relationship. For example, previous bonds with 5% return a year are less attractive to current bonds with a 6% return. So, the price of the previous bonds go down as buyer are more attracted to financial assets with higher interest rates.
4.2 v1: What are nominal interest rates?
Nominal interest rates are rates you see when doing business when financial institutions which are most commonly banks. Most commonly applied to rates paid on loans, and the rates are not adjusted for inflation.
4.2 v1: What is the real interest rate?
Real interest rates are the real rate of return earned on investments and loans (financial assets). There rates are adjusted for inflation.
4.2 v1: What is the fisher equation?
An equation that helps calculate the real rate of return on investments and how inflation affects the interest rates. The equation is
NIR = RIR + Inflation
4.2 v2: When people choose to purchase a financial asset, what do they take into account?
They take into account how much more money they will acquire over the term (Real rate of return), based on the expected / anticipated rate of return.
4.2 v2: What happens to financial assets when expected inflation is not realized and there is unexpected inflation?
If inflation is higher than anticipated than the real rate of return on financial assets falls relative to if you had calculated inflation correctly.
4.2 v2: What are fixed and flexible interest rates?
Fixed interest rates do not change in response to inflation.
Flexible interest rates change to match their previous real rate of return.
4.2 v2: What do banks and people in general want to do in response to inflation?
During inflation, banks and people will want to maintain their real rate of return. If they have a flexible interest rate they will adjust their nominal interest rate to maintain their real rate of return.
4.2 v2: What do banks set using expected inflation?
Banks use expected inflation to set nominal interest rates for:
- Terms of a customer loan
- Savings vehicles
4.2 v2: When is Actual inflation calculated?
Only after the term of the loan is over.
4.2 v3: What do borrowers, loaners, and savers make decisions on based off what.
What they anticipate inflation to be over the term of their loan or savings.
4.2 v3: What is expected / anticipated inflation?
Inflation that is predicted actually happening.
4.2 v3: Who benefits for unanticipated inflation and who loses? Why?
when inflation is higher then anticipated borrowers are better of and loaners are worse off.
The nominal interest rate stays the same but due to inflation the real interst rate decreases, so the real value of the dollars the borrower has is lower, meaning the bank is receiving dollars of less value then expected.
4.2 v3: If inflation is higher or lower than expected, what happen to the interest rates?
When there is unanticipated inflation the real interest rate will rise or fall to make the equation match the nominal interest rate. The loaner is better off if the real interest rate rises and worse off if the real interest rate falls.
4.3 v1: What is fiat money?
Currency that hold symbolic value because a government has established that it is money
4.3 v1: What is the real value of money
The real value of money is the number of goods and services that money can purchase. This value is not set by the government.
4.3 v1: What are the three functions of money?
- Unit of account
- Store of value
- Medium of exchange
4.3 v1: What is a unit of account.
A function of money. A unit of account means that people commonly accept money as a way to set prices.
For example, in Europe peoples use euros to set prices. The unit of account is euros
4.3 v1: what is a store of value?
A function of money. A store of value means money hold purchasing value over time.
4.3 v1: what is a medium of exchange?
A function of money. A medium of exchange means money is used to exchange goods and services. Money as a medium of exchange helps world economies grow faster.
4.3 v2: What is a nations money supply?
A nations money supply has something called a monetary base commonly referred to as M0 or MB. The monetary base is made up of two components which is the Currency in circulation and bank reserves.
4.3 v2: How does M1 measure the money supply?
measures money through currency in circulation, demand deposits, and saving account in financial institutions. Much larger measure of money then M0
4.3 v2: What is M2 measure of money supply?
Measures money through all factors of M1 but also small denominations time deposits and retail money market funds.
4.4 v1: How do commercial banks operate?
People store money in banks and earn interest. These demand deposits are liabilities to the bank as they have to pay the money stored back. To earn money, banks loan out a portion of the customer demand deposits to people and businesses to earn interest. These loans are the banks assets.
4.4 v1: What is fractional reserve banking?
A policy where banks set a percent of a customer demand deposits the bank must hold in reserves which is known as the reserve requirement. The percent not reserved is loaned out to make interest and generate money to flow throughout the economy. In other words, increasing the money supply.
4.4 v1: What are required reserves?
The Percent of demand deposits the bank must hold in reserves.
4.4 v1: What are excess reserves?
The percent of demand deposits the bank choose to hold on to. These reserves can be loaned out to individual and businesses.
4.4 v1: What are bank balance sheets?
Sheets that shows assets and liabilities of individual banks with both sides being equal to one another. Changes in customer demand deposits affect the size of the bank’s required and excess reserves.
4.4 v1: How is the banking system structured?
The banking system is made up of commercial and investments banks among others. The banking system in most countries are regulated by a central bank.
4.4 v2: What is the money multiplier used for in the banking system.
The money multiplier is used to determine the maximum changes to the banking system when deposits or withdrawals from demand deposits occur.