
Investment Strategy: Financial Market Basics
When it comes to investing, the common terminology says that you're investing in "the markets" or Wall Street. But what do these terms mean, and how are markets defined? Simply put, financial markets are where traders and investors buy and sell assets. Markets can be used as a way for businesses to reduce risk and raise capital. Through markets, investors can buy into these companies in a way that hopefully makes money. The benefits of financial markets in a capitalist economy are numerous, from bringing confidence to the economy and helping to fund entrepreneurial ventures to providing liquidity to businesses.1,2 Several types of financial markets can be invested in, including but not limited to stocks, bonds, derivatives, and commodities. We review and explain the basics of these four types of financial markets below.