
Rose notes that Treasury bills, with no default risk and an active secondary market, usually yield the lowest rate in the money market and that other instruments appear to move with Treasury bill rates. There are also broader forces that affect interest rates in all money and capital markets. Large-denomination certificates of deposit ($100,000 or more)įorces influencing interest rates in the money markets are varied and may reflect supply and demand conditions in different money market instruments.Net Eurodollar borrowings by domestic banks from their own foreign branches.Several important money market instruments are listed below: 3 Most money market instruments are liquid, which means that they can be quickly converted into cash assets without a sizeable loss.Įach day billions of dollars are traded in the money markets.Assets are typically issued in large denominations, often $1 million or more.Most markets are informal "telephone" markets with low transaction costs."Generally characterized by a high degree of safety of principal.".

Money markets, therefore, represent the short-term spectrum of the financial markets, where securities that mature in a year or less are traded. 1 For corporations, governments, and financial institutions with temporary excess funds, these markets provide an efficient means to lend to other corporations, governments, and individuals who have a temporary need for funds. Money markets provide an important mechanism in an economy for transferring short-term funds from lenders to borrowers. Businesses, financial institutions, governments, investors, and individuals use the foreign exchange markets to adjust their currency holdings. Over a trillion dollars in foreign exchange trades take place every day foreign exchange dealers handle most transactions. Most exchanges are made in bank deposits and involve U.S. Treasury are active in the money markets as they adjust their short-term portfolios.įoreign exchange markets facilitate the trade of one foreign currency for another. Financial institutions, corporations, governments, and the U.S. Over a billion dollars in transactions take place in these markets on a daily basis.

By definition, the financial assets, such as stocks and bonds, that are traded in these markets will mature in one year or less. Money markets are the financial markets where short-term financial assets are bought and sold.

The Money and Foreign Exchange Markets Are Key Components of the Financial System
