Chapter 02

The Economics of Money, Banking, and
Financial Markets
Thirteenth Edition
Chapter 2
An Overview of the
Financial System
Copyright © 2022, 2019, 2016 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved
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• To study the effects of financial markets and financial
intermediaries on the economy, we need to acquire an
understanding of their general structure and operation.
• This chapter begins that process by presenting an
overview of the study of financial markets and institutions.
Learning Objectives (1 of 2)
2.1 Compare and contrast direct and indirect finance.
2.2 Identify the structure and components of financial
markets.
2.3 List and describe the different types of financial market
instruments.
2.4 Recognize the international dimensions of financial
markets.
Learning Objectives (2 of 2)
2.5 Summarize the roles of transaction costs, risk sharing,
and information costs as they relate to financial
intermediaries.
2.6 List and describe the different types of financial
intermediaries.
2.7 Identify the reasons for and list the types of financial
market regulations.
Function of Financial Markets (1 of 2)
• Performs the essential function of channeling funds from
economic players that have saved surplus funds to those
that have a shortage of funds
• Direct finance: borrowers borrow funds directly from
lenders in financial markets by selling them securities
Function of Financial Markets (2 of 2)
• Promotes economic efficiency by producing an efficient
allocation of capital, which increases production
• Directly improve the well-being of consumers by allowing
them to time purchases better
Figure 1 Flows of Funds Through the
Financial System
Structure of Financial Markets (1 of 2)
• Debt and Equity Markets
– Debt instruments (maturity)
– Equities (dividends)
• Primary and Secondary Markets
– Investment banks underwrite securities in primary
markets.
– Brokers and dealers work in secondary markets.
Structure of Financial Markets (2 of 2)
• Exchanges and Over-the-Counter (OTC) Markets:
– Exchanges: NYSE, Chicago Board of Trade
– OTC markets: Foreign exchange, Federal funds
• Money and Capital Markets:
– Money markets deal in short-term debt instruments
– Capital markets deal in longer-term debt and equity
instruments
Financial Market Instruments (1 of 2)
Table 1 Principal Money Market Instruments
Type of Instrument Amount ($ Amount ($ Amount ($ Amount ($

billions, end billions, end billions, end billions, end
of year) of year) of year) of year)
1990 2000 2010 2019
U.S. Treasury bills 527 647 1,767 2,416
Negotiable bank certificates of deposit 547 1,053 1,923 1,859

(large denominations)
Commercial paper 558 1,602 1,058 1,045
Federal funds and security repurchase 372 1,197 3,598 4,356

agreements
Source: Federal Reserve Financial Accounts of the United States: https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/Z1
Financial Market Instruments (2 of 2)
Table 2 Principal Capital Market Instruments
Type of Instrument Amount ($ Amount ($ Amount ($ Amount ($
billions, end billions, end billions, end billions, end
1990 2000 2010 2019
Corporate stocks (market value) 3,530 17,628 23,567 54,624
Residential mortgages 2,676 5,205 10,446 11,159
Corporate bonds 1,703 4,991 10,337 14,033
U.S. government securities (marketable long-term) 2,340 3,171 7,405 14,204
U.S. government agency securities 1,446 4,345 7,598 9,431
State and local government bonds 957 1,139 2,961 3,068
Bank commercial loans 818 1,497 2,001 3,818
Consumer loans 811 1,728 2,647 4,181
Commercial and farm mortgages 838 1,276 2,450 3,230
Source: Federal Reserve Financial Accounts of the United States: https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/Z1
Internationalization of Financial Markets
• Foreign Bonds: sold in a foreign country and denominated in
that country’s currency
• Eurobond: bond denominated in a currency other than that of
the country in which it is sold
• Eurocurrencies: foreign currencies deposited in banks outside
the home country
– Eurodollars: U.S. dollars deposited in foreign banks outside
the United States or in foreign branches of U.S. banks
• World Stock Markets:
– help finance corporations in the United States and the U.S.
federal government
Function of Financial Intermediaries:
Indirect Finance (1 of 3)
• Lower transaction costs (time and money spent in

carrying out financial transactions)
– Economies of scale
– Liquidity services
• Reduce the exposure of investors to risk
– Risk sharing (asset transformation)
– Diversification
• Deal with asymmetric information problems:

– Adverse Selection (before the transaction): try to
avoid selecting the risky borrower by gathering
information about them
– Moral Hazard (after the transaction): ensure borrower
will not engage in activities that will prevent him/her to
repay the loan.
▪ Sign a contract with restrictive covenants.
• Financial intermediaries can also achieve economies of

scope; that is, they can lower the cost of information
production for each service by applying one information
resource to many different services, but they can also
create potential costs in terms of conflicts of interest.
• Overall conclusion:
– Financial intermediaries allow “small” savers and
borrowers to benefit from the existence of financial
markets.
Types of Financial Intermediaries (1 of 6)
Table 3 Primary Assets and Liabilities of Financial Intermediaries
Depository institutions (banks)
Primary Liabilities Primary Assets (Uses of

Type of Intermediary (Sources of Funds) Funds)
Commercial banks Deposits Business and consumer loans,
mortgages, U.S. government
securities, and municipal
bonds
Savings and loan associations Deposits Mortgages
Mutual savings banks Deposits Mortgages
Credit unions Deposits Consumer loans
[Table 3 Continued]
Contractual savings institutions

Life insurance companies Premiums from policies Corporate bonds and mortgages
Fire and casualty insurance Premiums from policies Municipal bonds, corporate
companies bonds and stock, and U.S.
government securities
Pension funds, government Employer and employee Corporate bonds and stock
retirement funds contributions
[Table 3 Continued]
Investment intermediaries

Finance companies Commercial paper, Consumer and business loans
stocks, bonds
Mutual funds Shares Stocks, bonds
Money market mutual funds Shares Money market instruments
Hedge funds Partnership participation Stocks, bonds, loans, foreign
currencies, and many other
assets
Table 4 Primary Financial Intermediaries and Value of Their
Assets
Depository institutions (banks)
Type of Intermediary Value of Value of Value of Value of

Assets ($ Assets ($ Assets ($ Assets ($
billions, end of billions, end billions, end billions, end
year) of year) of year) of year)
1990 2000 2010 2019
Commercial banks,
savings and loans, and 4,744 7,687 12,821 18,518
mutual savings banks
Credit unions 217 441 876 1,534
[Table 4 Continued]
Contractual savings institutions
Type of Intermediary Value of Assets Value of Assets Value of Assets Value of Assets
($ billions, end ($ billions, end ($ billions, end ($ billions, end
1990 2000 2010 2019
Life insurance companies 1,367 3,136 5,168 8,508
Fire and casualty

insurance companies 533 866 1,361 2,650
Pension funds (private) 1,619 4,423 6,614 10,919
State and local

government retirement 820 2,290 4,779 9,335
funds
[Table 4 Continued]
Investment intermediaries
Type of Intermediary Value of Assets Value of Assets Value of Assets Value of Assets
($ billions, end of ($ billions, end ($ billions, end ($ billions, end
year) of year) of year) of year)
1990 2000 2010 2019
Finance companies 612 1,140 1,589 1,528
Mutual funds 608 4,435 7,873 17,660
Money market mutual 493 1,812 2,755 3,634
funds
Source: Federal Reserve Financial Accounts of the United States:
https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/Z1 , Tables L110, L114, L115, L116, L118, L120, L121, L122, L127.
Regulation of the Financial System (1 of 4)
• To increase the information available to investors:
– Reduce adverse selection and moral hazard problems
– Reduce insider trading (SEC)
• To ensure the soundness of financial intermediaries:
– Restrictions on entry (chartering process).
– Disclosure of information.
– Restrictions on assets and activities (control holding
of risky assets).
– Deposit Insurance (avoid bank runs).
– Limits on competition (mostly in the past):
▪ Branching
▪ Restrictions on interest rates
Table 5 Principal Regulatory Agencies of the U.S. Financial
System
Regulatory Agency Subject of Regulation Nature of Regulations
Securities and Exchange Organized exchanges and Requires disclosure of information;

Commission (SEC) financial markets restricts insider trading
Commodities Futures Trading Futures market exchanges Regulates procedures for trading in
Commission (CFTC) futures markets
Office of the Comptroller of the Federally-chartered Charters and examines the books of
Currency commercial banks and thrift federally chartered commercial
institutions banks and thrift institutions; imposes
restrictions on assets they can hold
National Credit Union Federally-chartered credit Charters and examines the books of
Administration (NCUA) unions federally chartered credit unions and
imposes restrictions on assets they
can hold
[Table 5 Continued]
Regulatory Agency Subject of Regulation Nature of Regulations
State banking and insurance State-chartered depository Charter and examine the books of
commissions institutions and insurance state-chartered banks and insurance
companies companies, impose restrictions on
assets they can hold, and impose
restrictions on branching
Federal Deposit Insurance Commercial banks, mutual Provides insurance of up to
Corporation (FDIC) savings banks, savings and $250,000 for each depositor at a
loan associations bank, examines the books of insured
banks, and imposes restrictions on
assets they can hold
Federal Reserve System All depository institutions Examines the books of commercial
banks and systemically important
financial institutions; sets reserve
requirements for all banks

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The Economics of Money, Banking, and

Type of Instrument Amount ($ Amount ($ Amount ($ Amount ($

Negotiable bank certificates of deposit 547 1,053 1,923 1,859

Federal funds and security repurchase 372 1,197 3,598 4,356

Source: Federal Reserve Financial Accounts of the United States: https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/Z1

Source: Federal Reserve Financial Accounts of the United States: https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/Z1

• Lower transaction costs (time and money spent in

• Deal with asymmetric information problems:

• Financial intermediaries can also achieve economies of

Depository institutions (banks)

Primary Liabilities Primary Assets (Uses of

Contractual savings institutions

Primary Liabilities Primary Assets (Uses of

Primary Liabilities Primary Assets (Uses of

Depository institutions (banks)

Type of Intermediary Value of Value of Value of Value of

Contractual savings institutions

Fire and casualty

Pension funds (private) 1,619 4,423 6,614 10,919

State and local

Source: Federal Reserve Financial Accounts of the United States:

Regulatory Agency Subject of Regulation Nature of Regulations

Securities and Exchange Organized exchanges and Requires disclosure of information;

Regulatory Agency Subject of Regulation Nature of Regulations

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