Financial regulationFinancial regulation is a form of regulation or supervision, which subjects financial institutions to certain requirements, restrictions and guidelines, aiming to maintain the stability and integrity of the financial system. This may be handled by either a government or non-government organization. Financial regulation has also influenced the structure of banking sectors by increasing the variety of financial products available. Financial regulation forms one of three legal categories which constitutes the content of financial law, the other two being market practices and case law.
Réserve fédérale des États-UnisLa Réserve fédérale (officiellement Federal Reserve System, souvent raccourci en Federal Reserve ou Fed) est la banque centrale des États-Unis. Elle est créée en , durant les fêtes, par le Federal Reserve Act dit aussi Owen-Glass Act, à la suite de plusieurs crises bancaires, dont la panique bancaire américaine de 1907. Son rôle évolue depuis et elle renforce son indépendance lors de l'instabilité monétaire des années 1975 et 1985.
Asset classesIn finance, an asset class is a group of financial instruments that have similar financial characteristics and behave similarly in the marketplace. We can often break these instruments into those having to do with real assets and those having to do with financial assets. Often, assets within the same asset class are subject to the same laws and regulations; however, this is not always true. For instance, futures on an asset are often considered part of the same asset class as the underlying instrument but are subject to different regulations than the underlying instrument.
Junk bondJunk bond, ou « obligation pourrie » en français, est l'appellation familière désignant aux États-Unis les obligations à haut risque, obligations qui sont classées comme spéculatives par les agences de notation, c’est-à-dire celles dont la notation financière est inférieure à linvestment grade : inférieure à Baa3 pour Moody's ; inférieure à BBB- pour Standard & Poor's et Fitch Ratings. Autre désignation correcte de ces obligations : high-yield debt''' (« obligations à haut rendement »).
Incomplete marketsIn economics, incomplete markets are markets in which there does not exist an Arrow–Debreu security for every possible state of nature. In contrast with complete markets, this shortage of securities will likely restrict individuals from transferring the desired level of wealth among states. An Arrow security purchased or sold at date t is a contract promising to deliver one unit of income in one of the possible contingencies which can occur at date t + 1.
Mark-to-market accountingMark-to-market (MTM or M2M) or fair value accounting is accounting for the "fair value" of an asset or liability based on the current market price, or the price for similar assets and liabilities, or based on another objectively assessed "fair" value. Fair value accounting has been a part of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) in the United States since the early 1990s.
Risk–return spectrumThe risk–return spectrum (also called the risk–return tradeoff or risk–reward) is the relationship between the amount of return gained on an investment and the amount of risk undertaken in that investment. The more return sought, the more risk that must be undertaken. There are various classes of possible investments, each with their own positions on the overall risk-return spectrum. The general progression is: short-term debt; long-term debt; property; high-yield debt; equity.
Mass marketThe term "mass market" refers to a market for goods produced on a large scale for a significant number of end consumers. The mass market differs from the niche market in that the former focuses on consumers with a wide variety of backgrounds with no identifiable preferences and expectations in a large market segment. Traditionally, businesses reach out to the mass market with advertising messages through a variety of media including radio, TV, newspapers and the Web.
Niche de marchéUne niche de marché, ou créneau commercial, est un segment de marché généralement limité (en termes de clientèle ou de produits), mais faiblement concurrentiel, Une niche se définit par trois critères : , un comportement homogène, et. La difficulté sera de trouver les critères de segmentation adéquats, qui peuvent être très différents selon les marchés. Chaque niche est aussi caractérisée par un mix spécifique, ce qui fait que le même produit peut se trouver présent à la fois sur un marché de masse et sur une niche.
Bear StearnsThe Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. () est la maison mère de Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., une des plus grandes banques d'investissement, d'échange de valeur mobilière et agent de change au monde. Pionnière dans les produits de titrisation, la banque d'affaires, alors la de Wall Street, a été largement exposée pendant la crise des subprimes et ce malgré un renflouement de la Federal Reserve Bank of New York en mars 2008. Bear Stearns a dû être revendue à la banque commerciale JPMorgan Chase à un prix de par action (celles-ci s'évaluaient avant la crise à plus de ).
