什么是金融市场

以便利短期货币借贷为目的的一整套机构、规章及做法。因此，金融市场不同於有关中长期信贷的资本市场。金融市场的货币涵义不限於银行券（纸币）而是包括经过短期通知即可变为现金的一系列资产，如政府短期证券和汇票。虽然各国的金融市场的具体事宜和运作方式有所不同，但其基本功能都是让手中有短期资金的人可以出借，而需要信贷的人可以借到款项。这一功能通常由一个需要抽取利润的仲介人来完成。在大多数国家里，政府在金融市场中扮演一个重要的角色，同时作为借出者和借入者存在，并常常利用其手中的权力来颁布货币政策以影响货币供给和银行利率。美国的金融市场有许多金融工具，从汇票和政府证券到票据交换所和存款单的资金。此外，联邦准备系统还直接向银行提供大量的短期信贷。国际金融市场则调节国家之间的借出、借入和货币交换等活动。

money market

Set of institutions, conventions, and practices whose aim is to facilitate the lending and borrowing of money on a short-term basis. The money market is, therefore, different from the capital market, which is concerned with medium- and long-term credit. The transactions that occur on the money market involve not only banknotes but assets that can be turned into cash at short notice, such as short-term government securities and bills of exchange. Though the details and mechanism of the money market vary greatly from country to country, in all cases its basic function is to enable those with surplus short-term funds to lend and those with the need for short-term credit to borrow. This function is accomplished through middlemen who provide their services for a profit. In most countries the government plays a major role in the money market, acting both as a lender and borrower and often using its position to influence the money supply and interest rates according to its monetary policy. The U.S. money market covers financial instruments ranging from bills of exchange and government securities to funds from clearinghouses and certificates of deposit. In addition, the Federal Reserve System provides considerable short-term credit directly to the banking system. The international money market facilitates the borrowing, lending, and exchange of currencies between countries.