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Leverage Cycle
Leverage is defined as the ratio of the asset value to the cash needed to purchase it. The leverage cycle can be defined as the procyclical expansion and contraction of leverage over the course of the business cycle. The existence of procyclical leverage amplifies the effect on asset prices over the business cycle. Why is leverage significant? Conventional economic theory suggests that interest rates determine the demand and supply of loans. This convention does not take into account the concept of default and hence ignores the need for collateral. When an investor buys an asset, they may use the asset as a collateral and borrow against it, however the investor will not be able to borrow the entire amount. The investor has to finance with their own capital the difference between the value of the collateral and the asset price, known as the margin. Thus the asset becomes leveraged. The need to partially finance the transaction with the investor's own capital implies that their ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leverage (finance)
In finance, leverage, also known as gearing, is any technique involving borrowing funds to buy an investment. Financial leverage is named after a lever in physics, which amplifies a small input force into a greater output force. Financial leverage uses borrowed money to augment the available capital, thus increasing the funds available for (perhaps risky) investment. If successful this may generate large amounts of profit. However, if unsuccessful, there is a risk of not being able to pay back the borrowed money. Normally, a lender will set a limit on how much risk it is prepared to take, and will set a limit on how much leverage it will permit. It would often require the acquired asset to be provided as collateral security for the loan. Leverage can arise in a number of situations. Securities like options and futures are effectively leveraged bets between parties where the principal is implicitly borrowed and lent at interest rates of very short treasury bills.Mock, E. J., R. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Financial Contagion
Financial contagion refers to "the spread of market disturbances—mostly on the downside—from one country to the other, a process observed through co-movements in exchange rates, stock prices, sovereign spreads, and capital flows". Financial contagion can be a potential risk for countries who are trying to integrate their financial system with international financial markets and institutions. It helps explain an economic crisis extending across neighboring countries, or even regions. Financial contagion happens at both the international level and the domestic level. At the domestic level, usually the failure of a domestic bank or financial intermediary triggers transmission when it defaults on interbank liabilities and sells assets in a fire sale, thereby undermining confidence in similar banks. An example of this phenomenon is the subsequent turmoil in the United States financial markets. International financial contagion, which happens in both advanced economies and developin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Negative Equity
Negative equity is a deficit of owner's equity, occurring when the value of an asset used to secure a loan is less than the outstanding balance on the loan. In the United States, assets (particularly real estate, whose loans are mortgages) with negative equity are often referred to as being "underwater", and loans and borrowers with negative equity are said to be "upside down". People and companies alike may have negative equity, as reflected on their balance sheets. History The term negative equity was widely used in the United Kingdom during the economic recession between 1991 and 1996, and in Hong Kong between 1998 and 2003. These recessions led to increased unemployment and a decline in property prices, which in turn led to an increase in repossessions by banks and building societies of properties worth less than the outstanding debt. Since 2007, those most exposed to negative equity are borrowers who obtained loans of a high percentage of the property value (such as 90% ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Too Big To Fail
"Too big to fail" (TBTF) is a theory in banking and finance that asserts that certain corporations, particularly financial institutions, are so large and so interconnected with an economy that their failure would be disastrous to the greater economic system, and therefore should be supported by government when they face potential failure. The colloquial term "too big to fail" was popularized by U.S. Congressman Stewart McKinney in a 1984 Congressional hearing, discussing the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's intervention with Continental Illinois. The term had previously been used occasionally in the press, and similar thinking had motivated earlier bank bailouts. The term emerged as prominent in public discourse following the 2008 financial crisis. Critics see the policy as counterproductive and that large banks or other institutions should be left to fail if their risk management is not effective. Some critics, such as economist Alan Greenspan, believe that such lar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Redistribution Of Wealth
Redistribution of income and wealth is the transfer of income and wealth (including physical property) from some individuals to others through a social mechanism such as taxation, welfare, public services, land reform, monetary policies, confiscation, divorce or tort law. The term typically refers to redistribution on an economy-wide basis rather than between selected individuals. Understanding of the phrase varies, depending on personal perspectives, political ideologies and the selective use of statistics. It is frequently used in politics, to refer to perceived redistribution from those who have more to those who have less. Rarely, the term is used to describe laws or policies that cause redistribution in the opposite direction, from the poor to the rich. The phrase is sometimes related to the term ''class warfare'', where the redistribution is alleged to counteract harm caused by high-income earners and the wealthy through means such as unfairness and discrimination. R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Long (finance)
In finance, a long position in a financial instrument means the holder of the position owns a positive amount of the instrument. The holder of the position has the expectation that the financial instrument will increase in value. This is known as a bullish position. The term "long position" is often used in context of buying options contracts. Ownership When an investor holds a long position in a stock they are buying a share of ownership in a company. Depending on the type of Stock purchased this can entitle the shareholder to voting rights at shareholder meetings or dividend payments. Security In terms of a security, such as a stock or a bond, or equivalently ''to be long'' in a security, means the holder of the position owns the security, on the expectation that the security will increase in value, and will profit if the price of the security goes up. ''Going long'' a security is the more conventional practice of investing. Future Going long in a future means th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Market Maker
A market maker or liquidity provider is a company or an individual that quotes both a buy and a sell price in a tradable asset held in inventory, hoping to make a profit on the difference, which is called the ''bid–ask spread'' or ''turn.'' This stabilizes the market, reducing price variation (Volatility (finance), volatility) by setting a trading price range for the asset. In U.S. markets, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission defines a "market maker" as a firm that stands ready to buy and sell stock on a regular and continuous basis at a publicly quoted price. A Designated Primary Market Maker (DPM) is a specialized market maker approved by an exchange to guarantee a buy or sell position in a particular assigned security, option, or option index. In currency exchange Most foreign exchange trading firms are market makers, as are many banks. The foreign exchange market maker both buys foreign currency from clients and sells it to other clients. They derive income from the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flight-to-quality
A flight-to-quality, or flight-to-safety, is a financial market phenomenon occurring when investors sell what they perceive to be higher-risk investments and purchase safer investments, such as Gold as an investment, gold and Government bond, government bonds. This is considered a sign of fear in the marketplace, as investors seek less risk in exchange for lower Profit (accounting), profits. Flight-to-quality is usually accompanied by an increase in demand for assets that are government-backed and a decline in demand for assets backed by private agents. Definition More broadly, flight-to-quality refers to a sudden shift in investment behaviors in a period of financial turmoil whereby investors seek to sell assets perceived as risky and instead purchase safe assets. A defining feature of flight-to-quality is insufficient risk-taking by investors. While excessive risk-taking can be a source of financial turmoil, insufficient risk-taking can severely disrupt credit and other financial ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Liquidity Risk
Liquidity risk is a financial risk that for a certain period of time a given financial asset, security or commodity cannot be traded quickly enough in the market without impacting the market price. Types Market liquidity – An asset cannot be sold due to lack of liquidity in the market – essentially a sub-set of market risk. This can be accounted for by: * Widening bid–ask spread * Making explicit liquidity reserves * Lengthening holding period for value at risk (VaR) calculations Funding liquidity – Risk that liabilities: * Cannot be met when they fall due * Can only be met at an uneconomic price * Can be name-specific or systemic Causes Liquidity risk arises from situations in which a party interested in trading an asset cannot do it because nobody in the market wants to trade for that asset. Liquidity risk becomes particularly important to parties who are about to hold or currently hold an asset, since it affects their ability to trade. Manifestation of liquidity r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tobin's Q
Tobin's q (or the q ratio, and Kaldor's v), is the ratio between a Asset, physical asset's market value and its replacement value. It was first introduced by Nicholas Kaldor in 1966 in his paper: ''Marginal Productivity and the Macro-Economic Theories of Distribution: Comment on Samuelson and Modigliani''. It was popularised a decade later by James Tobin, who in 1970, described its two quantities as: Measurement Single company Although it is not the direct equivalent of Tobin's q, it has become common practice in the finance literature to calculate the ratio by comparing the market value of a company's equity and liabilities with its corresponding book values, as the replacement values of a company's assets is hard to estimate: :Tobin's q = \frac It is also common practice to assume equivalence of the liabilities market and book value, yielding: :Tobin's q = \frac. Even if market and book value of liabilities are assumed to be equal, this is not equal to the "Market to Book R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
