Chapte

2
r Financial Assets, Money,
Financial Transactions, and
Financial Institutions

Money and Capital Markets

Financial Institutions and Instruments in a Global Marketplace

Eighth Edition
Peter S. Rose

McGraw Hill / Irwin Slides by Yee-Tien (Ted) Fu

The Creation of Financial Assets
A financial asset is …
 a claim against the income or wealth

of a business firm, household, or unit

of government,
 represented usually by a certificate,

receipt, computer record file, or other

legal document,
 and usually created by or related to

the lending of money.

Characteristics of Financial
Assets
 Financial assets are required because
they promise future returns to their
owners and serve as a store of value
(purchasing power).
Characteristics of Financial
Assets
 They do not depreciate like physical
goods, and their physical condition or form
is usually not relevant in determining their
market value.
 Their cost of transportation and storage
is low, such that they have little or no value
as a commodity.
 Financial assets are fungible – they can
easily be changed in form and substituted
for other assets.
Different Kinds of Financial
Assets
 Any financial asset that is generally
accepted in payment for the purchases of
goods and services is a form of money.
Examples include currency and checking
accounts.
 Equities represent ownership shares in a
business firm and are claims against the
firm’s profits and proceeds from the sale of
its assets. Common stock and preferred
stock are equities.
Different Kinds of Financial
Assets
 Debt securities entitle their holders to a
priority claim over the holders of equities to
the assets and income of an economic unit.
They are either negotiable or
nonnegotiable. Examples include bonds,
notes, accounts payable, and savings
deposits.
 Derivatives have a market value that is tied
to or influenced by the value or return on a
financial asset. Examples include futures
contracts, options, and swaps.
Classification of Financial
Institutions
 Depository institutions derive the bulk of
their loanable funds from deposit accounts
sold to the public.
 Commercial banks, savings and loan
associations, savings banks, credit unions.

 Contractual institutions attract funds by

offering legal contracts to protect the saver
against risk.
 Insurance companies, pension funds.
Classification of Financial
Institutions
 Investment institutions sell shares to
the public and invest the proceeds in
stocks, bonds, and other assets.
 Investment companies, money market
funds, real estate investment trusts.