FM 9 - Introduction
FM 9 - Introduction
Introduction
Financial Intermediation
❖ purchasing direct claims with one set of characteristics (e.g. maturity,
denomination) from borrowers
❖ transform purchased claims with a different set of characteristics, then sells
them to the lenders
Types of Financial Intermediaries
a. Depository Institutions
- commercial banks, savings and loan associations, savings banks, and
credit unions.
- They derive the bulk of their loanable funds from deposit accounts sold to
the public.
c. Investment Intermediaries
- finance companies, mutual funds, venture capitalist, and money market
mutual funds (MMMFs).
- They sell shares to the public and invest the proceeds in stocks, bonds,
and other securities.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• In the equity market, investors and traders buy and sell shares of stock.
• Stocks are stakes in a company, purchased to profit from company dividends or the resale of the
stock.
• In the debt market, investors and traders buy and sell bonds.
• Debt instruments are essentially loans that yield payments of interest to their owners.
• Equities are inherently riskier than debt and have a greater potential for big gains or big losses.
(investopedia.com)
b. Primary Market vs. Secondary Market
▪ Rights Offering
- permits companies to raise additional equity through the primary market after
already having securities enter the secondary market
- current investors are offered prorated rights based on the shares they currently
own, and others can invest anew in newly minted shares.
▪ Private Placement
▪ Preferential Allotment
- offers shares to select investors (usually hedge funds, banks, and mutual funds)
at a special price not available to the general public.
Similarly, businesses and governments that want to generate debt capital can choose to issue new short-
and long-term bonds on the primary market.
Specialized Categories of Secondary Market
▪ Auction Markets
- All individuals and institutions that want to trade securities congregate in one
area and announce the prices at which they are willing to buy and sell.
- These are referred to as bid and ask prices.
- The idea is that an efficient market should prevail by bringing together all
parties and having them publicly declare their prices.
- Thus, theoretically, the best price of a good need not be sought out because the
convergence of buyers and sellers will cause mutually agreeable prices to
emerge.
▪ Dealer Markets
(investopedia.com)
c. Money Market vs. Capital Market
▪ Government Bonds
▪ Corporate Bonds
▪ Mortgages
- Long-term loans to households or businesses to purchase buildings or land, with
the underlying asset (house, land, or plant) serving as collateral.
▪ Commercial Bank Loans
▪ Bank Debentures
- A debt instrument issued by financial institutions to borrow long-term funds
from capital market.
- There is no reserve requirement for bank debentures.
- Also, the amount of bank debentures is considered as the part of bank capital
because it is a stable source of funds for financial institutions.
▪ Stocks: no specified maturity date.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• The money market is a short-term lending system. Borrowers tap it for the cash they need to
operate from day to day. Lenders use it to put spare cash to work.
• The capital market is geared toward long-term investing. Companies issue stocks and bonds to
raise money to grow their businesses. Investors buy them to share in that growth.
• The money market is less risky than the capital market while the capital market is potentially
more rewarding.
(investopedia.com)
❖ Moneyness
• some financial assets act as a medium of exchange or as a settlement of transactions
• although not money itself, some financial assets are closely approximate money in that
they can be transformed into money at little cost, delay, or risk
• near money
❖ Reversibility
• the cost of investing in a financial asset and then getting out of it and back into cash
again
• financial assets are traded in an organized market (market makers)
• bid-ask spread – the difference between the price at which a market maker is willing to
sell (ask price) and the price at which a market maker is willing to buy (bid price)
Example:
A market maker is willing to sell some financial asset for Php 70.50 and is willing
to buy it for Php 70.00. The bid-ask spread is Php 0.50.
❖ Term to Maturity
• the length of time until the date when the instrument is scheduled to make its final
payment, or the owner is entitled to demand liquidation
• demand instruments – a creditor can ask for repayment at any time
• maturity may terminate before its stated maturity (bankruptcy, reorganization)
❖ Liquidity
• how much sellers stand to lose if they wish to sell immediately against engaging in a
costly and time-consuming search
• it may depend on suitable buyers (e.g., small stock corporation vs. speculators &
market-makers) – non-suitable buyers who are ready to purchase an instrument would
most likely ask for a discount price
• it may depend on contractual arrangement (e.g., ordinary deposits vs. pension funds) –
deposits are liquid since they can be cashed in any time while pension funds are
practically illiquid since they can only be cashed in upon retirement
• it may depend on the quantity to be sold – small quantities are more liquid than large
quantities
• Liquidity closely relates to whether a market is thick or thin.
❖ Convertibility
• a financial asset which can be transformed into another financial asset
• a bond which can be converted into another bond
• a bond which can be converted into equity shares (stocks)
• a stock which can be converted into another stock
❖ Currency
• financial assets are denominated in one currency
• foreign exchange risk – the risk of receiving less value from a financial asset due to the
fluctuations in exchange rates
• dual currency securities – issued to reduce foreign exchange risk
Example:
Paying interest in one currency but the paying the principal amount or redemption value
in a second currency.
❖ Complexity
• combining two or more simpler financial asset
• One must “decompose” complex assets into their component parts and price each
component separately.
• Most complex financial assets involve a choice/option granted to the issuer or investor
to do something to alter the cash flow.
• The value of such financial assets depends on the value of the choices/options granted
to the issuer or investor – it becomes essential to understand how to determine the
value of an option.
❖ Tax Status
• differ from year to year, country to country, financial asset to financial asset
• depends on the type of issuer, length of time the asset is held, the nature of the owner
and so on
Fabozzi, F.J. & Modigliani F. (2009). Capital Markets: Institutions and Instruments.
(Fourth Edition). Pearson.