What Are Financial Markets And How Do They Affect The Economy?

by Broderick Hooper on September 24, 2010

So what are financial markets, anyway? The word is confusing because it is used in so many inaccurate ways. Some people think of it as the stock market alone while others think of it as any market that involves the exchange of capital. In this article, we will clear all this confusion.

One good way to better understand these financial markets is by comparing them to places in which economic transactions take place. The investor will share in the profits of a company if ever everything goes well, brought about the particular investment that he or she put into it. Conversely, if a company does not do well, the investor also suffers a loss.

In talking about what are financial markets, what most people think of is the stock market. Stocks are shares in a corporation that has gone public. A company will sell stocks to the general public in order to raise funds for its own growth. In return, when the company makes a profit, so, too, does the investor. The stock market is what keeps the US economy growing.

Most people think of the stock market as the Dow, but the stock market is more than the Dow. The Dow is a moniker for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, but there are also other types of Dow markets, like the Dow Jones Transportation Average and the Dow Jones Utility Average. The stocks that compose these averages can be found on the NASDAQ, the New York Stock Exchange, and others.

Mutual funds are groups of stocks, which makes buying and selling much easier. Individual stocks create volatility in the marketplace when they are bought and sold, but trading with large groups of stocks, mutual funds, creates a much calmer trading environment. Investors who buy mutual funds can make money if they pick the right mutual funds.

A bond is essentially a debt security. It works very much like an I. O. U. Someone who invests in a bond is actually a lender. There are all kinds of bonds; for example Treasury bonds, corporate bonds, and municipal bonds. People who buy bonds can help out the government, a federal agency, a municipal body, or a corporation. Bonds make the US economy more liquid and they affect the rates of mortgage interest.

Finally, in talking about what are financial markets, one should not overlook the commodity market. Commodities are natural substances that originate from the earth like gold, silver, oil, natural gas, and cattle, to name but a few. Investors speculate on whether a commodity price will go up or down. Commodity trading is also known as futures because commodities are bought with a hope that they will be delivered in the future.

You can predict the market with forex news. A reputable forex review portal can help decide better.

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