I. Definition of Financial System: the group of institutions in the economy that help to match one person’s saving with another person’s investment.
II. Financial Institutions in the U.S. Economy
A. Financial Markets
1. Definition of Financial Markets: financial institutions through which savers can directly provide funds to borrowers.
2. The Bond Market
a. Definition of Bond: a certificate of indebtedness.
b. A bond identifies the date of maturity and the rate of interest that will be paid.
c. One important characteristic that determines a bond’s value is its term. The term is the length of time until the bond matures. All else equal, long-term bonds pay higher rates of interest than
short-term bonds.
d. Another important characteristic of a bond is its credit risk, which reveals the probability that the borrower will fail to pay some of the interest or principal. All else equal, the more risky a
bond is, the higher its interest rate.
e. A third important characteristic of a bond is its tax treatment. For example, when state and local governments issue bonds (called municipal bonds), the interest income earned by the
holders of these bonds is not taxed by the federal government. This makes these bonds more attractive, thus lowering the interest rate needed to entice people to buy them.