Chapter 02 - Financial Assets, Money, Financial Transactions, and Financial Institutions

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

Learning Objectives
You will see the most important channels through which funds flow from
lenders to borrowers and back again within the global system of money and
capital markets.
You will discover the nature and characteristics of financial assets-how they
are created and destroyed by decision makers within the financial system.
You will explore the critical roles played by money within the financial system
and the linkages between money and inflation in the prices of goods and
services.
You will examine the important jobs carried out by financial intermediaries in
lending and borrowing and in creating and destroying financial assets.

Key Topics Outline

Financial Assets: What Are They? What Are Their Features?
Balance-Sheet Identities: Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth.
Deficit- and Surplus-Budget Units.
Money: What Is It? What Are Its Principal Functions?
Inflation, Deflation, and Money: Thinking in Real Terms.
Types of Financial Transactions: Direct, Semidirect, and Indirect.
Financial Intermediation and Types of Financial Institutions.
The Disintermediation and Reintermediation of Funds
The Bank-Dominated VS. Market-Dominated Financial Systems.

Chapter Outline
2.1. Introduction: The Role of Financial Assets
2.2. The Nature and Characteristics of Financial Assets
2.2.1. Characteristics of Financial Assets
2.2.2. Types of Financial Assets
2.3. How Financial Assets Are Created
2.4. Financial Assets and the Financial System
2.5. Lending and Borrowing in the Financial System
2.6. Money as a Financial Asset
2.6.1. What Is Money?
2.6.2. The Functions of Money
2.6.3. The Value of Money and Other Financial Assets and Inflation
2.7. The Evolution of Financial Transactions
2.7.1. Direct Finance
2.7.2. Semidirect Finance
2.7.3. Indirect Finance and Financial Intermediation

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2.8. Relative Sizes and Types of Major Financial Institutions

2.8.1. Comparative Sizes of Key Financial-Service Providers
2.8.2. Classifying Financial Institutions
2.8.3. Portfolio (Financial-Asset) Decisions by Financial Institutions
2.9. The Disintermediation of Funds
2.9.1. New Types of Disintermediation
2.10. Bank-Dominated versus Market-Dominated Financial Systems

Key Terms Appearing in This Chapter

financial asset, 26 nominal value, 40
money, 27 direct finance, 41
equities, 27 semidirect finance, 41
debt securities, 27 indirect finance, 42
derivatives, 27 reintermediation, 47
internal financing, 28 secondary securities, 42
external financing, 29 primary securities, 42
deficit-budget unit (DBU), 34 depository institutions, 45
surplus-budget unit (SBU), 34 contractual institutions, 45
balanced-budget unit (BBU), 34 investment institutions, 45
inflation, 38 disintermediation, 47
deflation, 38 bank-dominated financial systems, 48
price indexes, 38 market-dominated financial systems,
48
real value, 40

Questions to Help You Study

1. Exactly what do we mean by the term financial asset?
Answer: 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. Examples include bonds, stocks, insurance policies, futures
contracts, and deposits held in a bank or credit union.

2. How do financial assets come about within the functioning of the financial
system?
Answer: Financial assets arise in the process of borrowing and lending money, or are
related to such processes (e.g., derivatives). Any time funds are borrowed (or stock is
issued) a financial asset is created which represents a claim against the future earnings
or wealth of the borrowing unit.

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3. Carefully explain why the volume of financial assets outstanding must always
equal the volume of liabilities outstanding.
Answer: Because another definition of financial asset is any asset held by a business
firm, government, or household that is also recorded as a liability or claim on some
other economic units balance sheet is a financial asset. The act of borrowing or of
issuing new stock simultaneously gives rise to the creation of an equal volume of
financial assets. For example, a $10,000 financial asset held by a household that had
lent money will be exactly matched by a $10,000 liability of the business firm that
had borrowed the money. Hence, it follows that the volume of financial assets
outstanding must equal the volume of liabilities.

4. What is the difference between internal finance and external finance?

Answer: In internal finance, both the household and the business firm use the current
income and accumulated saving to acquire assets (self-financed). In external finance,
the firm will issue the financial liabilities to raise additional funds to the household
securities evidencing a loan of money.

5. When a business, household, or unit of government is in need of additional

funding, what are its principal alternatives? What factors should these different
economic units consider when they have to choose among different sources of
funds?
Answer: For any economic unit the principal alternatives for raising funds include:
(1) accumulate savings (internal financing), (2) sell off existing assets, (3) borrowing,
or (4) issue new stock. Accumulate saving approach take some times. Firms may need
to postpone the equipment purchase that will result in lost sales and lost profits.
Selling some existing assets may take time, and there is a risk of substantial loss,
especially if fixed assets must be sold. Borrowing has an advantage of raising the
funds quickly, and the interest cost on a loan is tax deductible. For issuing new stock,
firms need to take on debt, and the cost of equity financing is often more expensive
than borrowing and requires more time to arrange.

6. What is the relationship between the process of creating financial assets and
liabilities and the acts of saving and investment? Why is that relationship
important to your financial and economic well-being?
Answer: For the balance sheet of any economic unit, Total assets = Total liabilities +
Net worth, where total assets = real assets + financial assets. For the whole economy
and financial system, Total financial assets = Total liabilities. So, for the economy as a
whole, Total real assets = Total net worth (i.e., accumulated savings). Society
increases its wealth only by saving and increasing the quantity of its real assets
(investment), for these assets enables the economy to produce more goods and
services in the future. However, the financial system provides the essential channel
necessary for the creation and exchange of financial assets between savers and
borrowers so that real assets can be acquired. Without that channel for savings, the
total volume of investment in the economy will be greatly reduced, and society's
scarce resources will be allocated less efficiently than is possible with a system of
financial markets. Growth in society's income, employment, and standard of living
will be seriously impaired without a vibrant global financial system at work.

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7. What do the following terms mean?

Deficit-budget unit (DBU)
Surplus-budget unit (SBU)
Balanced-budget unit (BBU)
Answer: Let R = Current income receipts, E = Expenditures out of current income,
FA = Change in holdings of financial assets, and D = Change in debt and equity
outstanding.
The Deficit-budget unit (DBU) (net borrower of funds) is a net demander of
funds from the financial system, selling financial assets, issuing new debt, or selling
new stock to raise new money: E > R and D > FA.
The Surplus-budget unit (SBU) (net lender of funds) is a net supplier of funds
to the financial system, purchasing financial assets, paying off debt, or retiring equity
(stock): R > E and FA > D.
The Balanced-budget unit (BBU) is neither net lender nor net borrower: R = E
and D = FA.

8. Which were you last year a deficit-, surplus-, or balanced-budget unit? Why is
it important to know?
Answer: These concepts are important because it enables us to understand how the
global financial system permits businesses, households, and governments to adjust
their financial position from that of net borrower (DBU) to net lender (SBU) and back
again, smoothly and efficiently. It is important to know our status, so that we may take
corrective actions if we desire another status.

9. Explain what money is. What are its principal functions within the system of
money and capital markets? within the economy?
Answer: Money is any financial asset that is generally accepted in payment for the
purchases of goods and services. Examples include currency and checking accounts.
Within the system of money and capital markets, all financial assets are valued
in terms of money, and flows of funds between lenders and borrowers occur through
the medium of money.
Within the economy,
1. Money serves as a standard of value (or unit of account) for all goods and
services.
2. Money serves as a medium of exchange, such that buyers and sellers no
longer need to have an exact coincidence of wants in terms of quality,
quantity, time, and location.
3. Money serves as a store of value a reserve of future purchasing power
although the value of money can experience marked fluctuations.
4. Money functions as the only perfectly liquid asset. It exhibits price
stability, ready marketability, and reversibility.

10. Does money have any serious limitations as a financial asset? What are these
limitations?

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Answer: Yes, money has serious limitations as a financial asset within the financial
system. Money tends to carry the lowest rate of return. One measure of the cost of
holding money is the income forgone by the owner who fails to convert his or her
money balances into more profitable in investments in real or financial assets. Another
limitation is the value of money (purchasing power). The value of money changes due
to inflation or deflation in the economy.

11. Can you distinguish between inflation and deflation? What do they have to do
with money, if anything?
Answer: Inflation refers to a rise in the average price level of all goods and services.
The opposite of inflation is deflation, where the average level of prices for goods and
services actually declines. Inflation decreases the value or purchasing power of money
and is a special problem in the financial markets because it can damage the value of
financial contracts. Deflation increases the value or purchasing power of money and
benefits those whose income doesnt also decline with price, therefore they can buy
more goods and services than they could in the past.

12. Would you expect to find a relationship between money supply growth and
inflation or deflation? What kind of relationship?
Answer: Yes, there is a relationship.
The quantity theory of money is a theory asserting that the quantity of money
available determines the price level and that the growth rate in the quantity of money
available determines the inflation rate.
Money supply
Value of Money Price Level
High Low

A

B

Low Money demand High

0 M
Quantity of Money

When the central bank increases the supply of money, the money supply curve
shifts as shown in the diagram above. The value of money then decreases (i.e. the
price level increases inflation occurs) so that supply and demand can reach a
balance. The equilibrium moves from point A to point B.
Hence, when monetary growth exceeds the amount needed to
support sustainable growth in economic activity (an upward shift in
the money demand curve), prices will rise.

13. What is direct finance? Semidirect finance? Indirect finance?

Answer: Direct finance: Borrower and lender meet each other and directly exchange
funds (loans of spending power for an agreed-upon period of time) in return for
financial assets (primary securities in the form of stocks, bonds, notes, etc.,
evidencing direct claims against borrowers) without the help of a third party to bring
them together.

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Semidirect finance: Direct lending with the aid of market markers (such as
security brokers, dealers, and investment bankers) who assist in the sale of direct
claims against borrowers by bringing SBU and DBU units together for fees and
commissions.
Indirect finance: Financial intermediaries (commercial banks, insurance
companies, credit unions, mutual funds, finance companies, pension funds) issue
securities of their own (secondary securities indirect claims against the ultimate
borrowers in the form of deposits, insurance policies, retirement savings accounts,
etc.) to the ultimate lenders and at the same time accept IOUs from borrowers
(primary securities direct claims against the ultimate borrowers in the form of loan
contracts, stocks, bonds, notes, etc.).

14. In the evolution of the financial system, which do you think came first -
direct, indirect, or semidirect finance? Why do you think this is so?
Answer: Most financial systems in history started out using direct finance, since it is
the simplest method of carrying out financial transactions that satisfy the needs of
savers and borrowers.

15. What are the essential differences between primary and secondary securities?
Why are these instruments important to the operation of the financial system?
Answer: Primary securities: direct claims against the ultimate borrowers in the form
of loan contracts, stocks, bonds, notes, etc. Secondary securities: indirect claims
against the ultimate borrowers issued by financial intermediaries in the form of
deposits, insurance policies, retirement savings accounts, etc. Both primary and
secondary securities are financial assets. In the financial system, they are the
instruments that are created and exchanged between savers and borrowers so that real
assets can be acquired. Being direct claims against the ultimate borrowers, primary
securities are essential to all methods of finance. Secondary securities, on the other
hand, permit a given amount of saving in the global economy to finance a greater
amount of investment than would have occurred without the presence of
intermediation. This is so because intermediation makes saving and borrowing easier
and safer secondary securities generally carry low risk of default, can be acquired in
small denominations, and are mostly liquid.

16. In what different ways are financial institutions classified or grouped? Why
are such classifications or groupings important in helping us understand what
different financial institutions do and what kinds of financial assets they prefer to
hold?
Answer: Depository institutions derive the bulk of their loanable funds from deposit
accounts sold to the public. Examples include commercial banks, savings and loan
associations, savings banks, credit unions.
Contractual institutions attract funds by offering legal contracts to protect the
saver against risk. Examples include insurance companies, pension funds.
Investment institutions sell shares to the public and invest the proceeds in
stocks, bonds, and other assets. Examples include investment companies, money
market funds, real estate investment trusts.

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Since there are so many types of financial institutions (commercial banks,

insurance companies, etc.) in the financial system today, grouping them according to
what their distinctive function is greatly help us understand what they do and hence
what kinds of financial assets they prefer to hold. Note that the above three groupings
apply to financial intermediaries. Other financial institutions include security brokers
and dealers, central banks, regulatory institutions, etc.

17. Which financial institutions are the largest within the financial system? Why
do you think this is so?
Answer: In most countries, banks are the dominant financial institution. This is
because most goods and services are paid for using money, and banks, being the
primary depositary institution, have developed extensively to facilitate payments
(checking accounts, direct deposits, preauthorized payments, letters of credit, banker's
acceptances, etc.). So, most households, businesses, and units of government have
bank accounts holding most of their working capital. Moreover, bank deposits are
relatively safe and liquid (although money is not always a good store of value and the
return is usually relatively low), such that savings usually accumulate in bank
accounts first before they are invested elsewhere. And due to risk aversion, lack of
time, inertia, or inadequate investment knowledge, the amount of such savings can be
quite substantial.

18. What factors influence the particular financial assets each financial
institution acquires?
Answer: The factors influence the particular financial assets each financial institution
acquires are: 1) the relative rate of return and risk, 2) the cost, volatility, and maturity
of incoming funds, 3) the size of the individual financial institution, and 4) regulations
and competition.

19. What is disintermediation and why is it important? How has discrimination

changed in recent years? What is meant by the term reintermediation?
Answer: Disintermediation means the withdrawal of funds from a financial
intermediary by the ultimate lenders (SBUs) and the lending of those funds directly to
the ultimate borrowers (DBUs). In other words, disintermediation involves the
shifting of funds from indirect finance to direct and semidirect finance.
Disintermediation forces a financial institution to surrender funds, and if severe, may
lead to losses of its assets and ultimate failure. In recent years some banks have sold
off some of their loans because of difficulties in raising enough capital and some of
their largest borrowing customers have learned how to raise their funds directly from
the open market rather than borrowing from financial intermediary.
Reintermediation is the disintermediation that reverses itself as funds flow
back into the perceived safe heaven of financial intermediaries.

20. Explain the difference between a bank-dominated financial system and a

market-dominated financial system. What trends in the structure of the financial
system appear to be ongoing in more highly developed economies around the
world?

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Answer: In bank-dominated financial systems, banks play the prominent role in

supplying credit and attracting savings. In market-dominated financial systems,
traditional financial intermediaries are gradually playing somewhat lesser roles and
growing numbers of borrowers (particularly the largest corporations) are selling
securities (such as stocks and bonds) in the open market to get the funds they need.
The trends in the structure of financial systems are leading toward more market-
dominated oriented than the bank-dominated financial systems in the developed
economies. With the emergence of market-dominated systems there may be greater
competition to attract the publics savings, higher returns for savers, increased
competition among lenders, and more funds available to loan.

Problems and Issues

1. In a recent year, the various sectors of the economy listed below reported the
following net changes in their financial assets and liabilities (measured in
billions of dollars):
Net Acquisitions Net Increase
of Financial Assets in Liabilities
Households $434.6 $292.0
Farm businesses 2.7 -2.5
Nonfarm noncorporate businesses 8.7 35.0
Nonfinancial corporations 84.9 127.8
State and local governments 74.8 60.6
U.S. government 13.0 236.3
Foreign individuals and institutions 150.7 29.0
Federal Reserve System 32.0 31.2
Commercial banking 256.0 245.7
Private nonbank financial institutions 556.9 590.7

Using these figures, indicate which sectors were deficit-budget sectors (DBUs)
and which were surplus-budget sectors (SBUs) for the year under study.
Were there any balanced-budget sectors (BBUs)? Which sectors were the
largest net lenders and the largest net borrowers during the year? For all
these sectors combined, were more funds loaned or more funds borrowed?
Why do you think there is a discrepancy between the total funds loaned and
total funds borrowed?
ANSWER: The following sectors are deficit-budget sectors, because net increase in
liabilities exceeds net acquisitions of financial assets: Nonfarm noncorporate
businesses, Nonfinancial corporations, U.S. government, and Private nonbank
financial institutions.
The following sectors are surplus-budget units, because net acquisitions of
financial assets exceed net increase in liabilities: Households, Farm businesses, State
and local governments, foreign individuals and institutions, and Commercial banking.
The Federal Reserve System could be classified as balanced-budget sector
given that the difference is so small.

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The largest net lenders are the households and the largest net borrowers are
U.S. government.
More funds appear to have been borrowed ($1,645.8 billion) than loaned
($1,614.3 billion). This discrepancy is probably due to incomplete (omitted groups
and statistical discrepancies) or incorrect reporting of financial transactions, especially
those of foreign individuals and institutions.

2. In this chapter, a number of different types of financial transactions were

discussed: direct finance, semidirect finance, indirect finance
(intermediation), disintermediation, and reintermediation. Examine each of
the following financial transactions and indicate which type it is. (Note: Some
of the transactions described below involve more than one type of financial
transaction. Be sure to identify all types of transactions involved.)
a. Borrowing money from a bank: Indirect finance
b. Purchasing a life insurance policy: Indirect finance
c. Selling shares of stock through a broker and returning the proceeds of the
sale to your checking account: Reintermediation and Semi-direct finance
d. Withdrawing money from a savings deposit account and lending it to a
friend: Disintermediation and direct finance
e. Selling shares of stock to a colleague at work: Direct finance
f. Your corporation's contracting with an investment banker to help sell its
bonds: Semi-direct finance
g. Writing a bank check to purchase stock from your broker:
Disintermediation and semi-direct finance

3. ITT Corporation in the most recent period reported current sales receipts of
$542 million, current operating expenditures of $577 million, and net new
debt issued of $5 million. What change in holdings of financial assets must
have occurred over the period? Was ITT a deficit-, surplus-, or balanced-
budget unit in the most recent period? Explain why.
ANSWER: Current Operating Expenditures = $577 million, Current Sales Receipts =
$542 million, and Net New Debt issued = $5 million.
Because: R - E = FA - D
$542 - $577 = FA - $5
And: FA= $5 - $35 = - $30 million
Because current operating expenditures exceed current receipts by $35 million, ITT
was a deficit-budget unit (DBU) in the most recent period.

4. What happened to the purchasing power of the U.S. dollar if the base period
for the cost-of-living index is 1980=100 and the index reached the following
levels in the indicated years?
a. 1985 116
b. 1990 127
c. 1995 134
d. 2000 151
e. 2005 170

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ANSWER: From Purchasing Power of the U.S. dollar equal to 1 divided Cost of
Living Index where goods and services are sold in U.S. dollars multiplied by 100.
a. The U.S. dollar's relative purchasing power has fallen to 1/116 100 = 0.86.
In other words, the purchasing power of the U.S. dollar in 1985 was just 86%
of its purchasing power in 1980.
b. The U.S. dollar's relative purchasing power has fallen to 1/127 100 = 0.79.
c. The U.S. dollar's relative purchasing power has fallen to 1/134 100 = 0.75.
d. The U.S. dollar's relative purchasing power has fallen to 1/151 100 = 0.66.
e. The U.S. dollar's relative purchasing power has fallen to 1/170 100 = 0.59.

5. A household receives $6,000 in income for the month of September. Which of

the following could have been true of the households financial assets and
liabilities (debt) if its total expenditures for the month amounted to $7,000?
a. Its financial assets grew by $1,000 and its debt grew by $2,000.
b. Its financial assets fell by $1,000 and its debt grew by $2,000.
c. Its financial assets grew by $2,000 and its debt grew by $1,000.
d. Its financial assets grew by $2,000 and its debt fell by $1,000.
ANSWER: The true answer is a.

6. Marvin purchases a $2,000 computer on line using his credit card. His wife,
Jane, purchases an identical computer with a check. For Marvin and Janes
combined household balance sheet:
a. Total assets have increased by $4,000, but there has been no change in net
worth.
b. Total assets have increased by $4,000, while total liabilities rose by $2,000.
c. Total financial assets fell by $2,000, while total liabilities rose by $2,000.
d. Total financial assets fell by $2,000, while net worth remained unchanged.
ANSWER: The true answer is c.

EXCEL 7. Jack and Jill are small business persons who run a hot dog stand
licensed to operate outside a business shopping district. They have been so
successful that they believe a second hot dog stand in the area also would be
profitable. The capital expense to set it up would be $10,000 and they are
considering several options. Use a spreadsheet to evaluate these options by
inserting (i) their receipts in column one; (ii) expenses in column two; (iii) change
in financial assets in column three; and change in their debt in column (iv). State
whether they would be a surplus-budget unit or a deficit budget unit under each
option.
a. Their sales for the month turn out to be $12,000 and their expenses are
$9,500; they borrow $10,000 for the new stand.
ANSWER: They would be a deficit budget:
Receipts Expenses Change in Financial Assets Change in Debt
$12,000 $19,500 $7,500

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b. Their sales for the months turn out to be $15,000 and their expenses are
$9,500; they sell $5,000 in stock and borrow the remaining funds needed
to finance the new stand.
ANSWER: They would be a surplus budget:
Receipts Expenses Change in Financial Assets Change in Debt
$15,000 $19,500 -$5,000 -$500

c. Their sales for the month turn out to be $8,000 and their expenses $9,500;
they choose neither borrow any funds nor build the second stand.
ANSWER: They would be a deficit budget:
Receipts Expenses Change in Financial Assets Change in Debt
$8,000 -$1,500

d. Their sales for the month turn out to be $8,000 and their expenses $9,500;
they use $5,000 in their bank account (with no other asset sales) to help
finance the new stand.
ANSWER: They would be a deficit budget:
Receipts Expenses Change in Financial Assets Change in Debt
$8,000 $19,500 -$5,000 $6,500

Web-Based Problems
1. The total volume of primary securities created by the banking system as a
whole is referred to as bank credit. The total volume of secondary securities
issued by the banking system is given by the banks total liabilities minus any
interbank lending, referred to as either borrowings from other banks or
federal funds purchased.
a. Go to the website of the Federal Reserve System and find its H.8
statistical release: www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h8/Current/. Identify
the total volume of primary and secondary securities for the banking
system as a whole for the most recent quarter.
Answer: For May 2007 (Monthly), the total volume of primary securities (Bank
Credit) for the banking system is $8,542.4 billions. The banks total liabilities are
$8,960.0 billions. The interbank lending is $354.2 billions. The total volume of
secondary securities for the banking system for May 2007 is $8,605.8 billions
($8,960.0 $354.2 = $8,605.8).

b. Compute the difference between the total amount of credit created by the
banking system in the form of primary securities and the banking
systems liabilities in the form of secondary securities. What does this
difference represent? What is this difference expressed as a percentage of
total assets in the banking system?

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Answer: The difference between the total amount of credit created by the banking
system in the form of primary securities and the banking systems liabilities in the
form of secondary securities is $417.6 billions ($8,542.4 $8,960.0 = -$417.6),
which is used to sell the liabilities to the outside the banking system. The
difference is equivalent to 4.19 percent of the total assets ($9,971.5 billions) in the
banking system.

c. See if you can find annual balance sheets for at least two of the longest
U.S. banks for example Bank of America (BAC) and Wells Fargo
(WFC). Identify the total amount of primary securities (investment
securities plus loans, claims and advances) and secondary securities
(customer deposits plus short-term borrowings less federal funds
purchased) for each bank. Perform similar calculations as in part (b) to
determine what percentage of the total assets for each of these banks is
the difference between primary and secondary securities on their books.
Does this tell you anything about these very large banks relative to the
banking industry as a whole?
Answer: For Bank of America from http://investor.bankofamerica.com
For December 31st, 2006, the total amount of primary securities (investment
securities plus loans, claims and advances) is $890,320 millions ($697,474 +
$192,846 = $890,320) and the total amount of secondary securities (customer
deposits plus short-term borrowings less federal funds purchased) is $617,270
millions ($693,497 + $141,300 - $217,527 = $617,270). The difference between
the amounts of primary and secondary securities is $273,050 millions ($890,320
$617,270 = $273,050). The difference is equivalent to 18.7% of the banks total
assets ($1,459,737 millions)
For December 31st, 2005, the total amount of primary securities is $787,349
millions ($565,746 + $221,603 = $787,349) and the total amount of secondary
securities is $510,284 millions ($634,670 + $116,269 - $240,655 = $510,284). The
difference between the amounts of primary and secondary securities is $277,065
millions ($787,349 $510,284 = $277,065). The difference is equivalent to 21.4%
of the banks total assets ($1,291,803 millions)

For Wells Fargo & Co from https://www.wellsfargo.com.

For December 31st, 2006, the total amount of primary securities is $315,352
millions and the total amount of secondary securities is $323,072 millions. The
difference between the amounts of primary and secondary securities is shortage
$7,720 millions ($315,352 $323,072 = -$7,720). The difference is equivalent to
1.6% of the banks total assets ($481,996 millions)
For December 31st, 2005, the total amount of primary securities is $306,966
millions and the total amount of secondary securities is $338,342 millions. The
difference between the amounts of primary and secondary securities is shortage
$31,376 millions ($306,966 $338,342 = -$31,376). The difference is equivalent
to 6.5% of the banks total assets ($481,471 millions)

2. Most major security dealers houses engage in both semidirect and indirect
financing in their roles as financial intermediaries.

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a. Identify which of these two types of financing should show up on the

intermediary's balance sheet and which should not. Explain.
Answer: The semidirect financing should not show up on the financial
intermediary's balance sheet and the indirect financing should, since the former
merely facilitates a transaction between the ultimate borrower and the ultimate
lender, whereas the latter borrows from the ultimate lender, thereby creating a
liability, and lending to the ultimate borrower, thereby creating an asset.

b. How would you expect these two different types of financial transactions
to show up on the intermediary's income statement?
Answer: Semidirect finance requires paying fees and commissions to market
makers--such expenses may show up on the borrowers income statement as
revenues. Indirect finance actually earns a spread from the different interest rates
agreed with the intermediarys ultimate borrowers (higher interest rate) and
lenders (lower interest rate). Such an interest income earned would show up as
revenues and the payments to the ultimate lender would show up as interest
expense.

c. Consult the worldwide web for the annual balance sheet and income
statement of a major dealer house such as Lehman Brothers
(www.lehman.com) or Goldman Sachs (www.gs.com). Identify the
semidirect and indirect finance activities of these or other dealer houses.
Answer: For Lehman Brothers, the semidirect is shown in the form of
commission and fee and the indirect is shown in the form of Interest and
dividends. In 2006, Lehman Brothers receives the revenue in the form of
commission equal to $2,050 millions and in the form of interest and dividends
equal to $30,284 millions.
For Goldman Sachs, the semidirect is shown in the form of asset management
and securities services and the indirect is shown in the trading and principle
investment. In 2006, Goldman Sachs receives the revenue in the form of asset
management and securities services equal to $6,474 millions and in the form of
the trading and principle investment equal to $25,562 millions.

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