Mutual Fund Performance Charts
Compare socially responsible mutual funds based on their size, growth, and other factors, and check out our screening charts to learn how these SRI funds are screened.
Community Investing Center
Learn how investments in community development work and compare community investing funds at our Community Investing Center website.
Financial Services Directory
Find socially and environmentally responsible financial planners, banks and credit unions, mutual funds, retirement options, and more.
Socially Responsible Investing Trends Report
Our biennial report on socially responsible investing (SRI) trends reveals how SRI is growing in revenue and making corporate social responsibility (CSR) happen.
What is Socially Responsible Investing (SRI)?
Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) integrates environmental, social and governance factors into investment decisions.
The Social Investment Forum (SIF)
is the only national membership association dedicated to advancing the concept, practice, and growth of socially and environmentally responsible investing (SRI). Our members integrate economic, environmental, social and governance factors into their investment decisions and SIF provides programs and resources to advance this work.
SIF's membership includes more than 500 social investment practitioners and institutions, including financial professionals, analysts, portfolio managers, banks, mutual funds, researchers, foundations, community development organizations, and public educators.
More about who we are:
Become a Visible Leader in the Social Investment Community
The Social Investment Forum is the only national membership association dedicated to advancing the concept, practice and growth of socially responsible investing (SRI).
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The Forum’s membership includes more than five hundred social investment practitioners and institutions, including financial professionals, analysts, portfolio mangers, banks, mutual funds, researchers, foundations, community development organizations, and public educators. Members of SIF enjoy a variety of benefits designed to involve members in the full breadth and depth of the SRI industry. Membership is open to organizations or practitioners who wish to participate in the socially responsible investing field.
We look forward to welcoming you aboard, and bringing you the best the socially responsible investing industry has to offer – in networking, information, research, and advocacy. By joining the Social Investment Forum, you’ll be plugging in to the most comprehensive set of industry resources available.
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Sunday, May 25, 2008
WANT TO INVEST IN THE UK?
You've come to the right place.
Our global network provides practical assistance to international companies establishing and expanding their business in the UK.
Read more about investing in the UK
Why invest in the UK?
What makes the UK Europe’s leading investment destination for companies relocating and developing their global business? We look at 20 of the top reasons setting the UK apart.
Sometimes it's just pure luck that helps your company win its first overseas contract. And sometimes it's not.
Trade services for UK companies
Since taking my business to London, I'm hardly ever there.
Investment services for overseas businesses
Our global network provides practical assistance to international companies establishing and expanding their business in the UK.
Read more about investing in the UK
Why invest in the UK?
What makes the UK Europe’s leading investment destination for companies relocating and developing their global business? We look at 20 of the top reasons setting the UK apart.
Sometimes it's just pure luck that helps your company win its first overseas contract. And sometimes it's not.
Trade services for UK companies
Since taking my business to London, I'm hardly ever there.
Investment services for overseas businesses
INVESTMENT IN SHARE MARKET
Purpose of Site
The Investment Company Institute sponsors this award-winning website as part of its efforts to enhance public understanding of the investment company industry and the policy issues that affect it. This site is not intended to address questions about your individual investments; for these, please contact the mutual fund itself or your broker or other financial professional. We welcome your feedback on this site through our user survey. You may also use the survey to request automatic email notification whenever we update the site.
Document Formats
Graphics
Due to the graphical nature of our materials, many of the documents on the Institute's website, as well as on thousands of other websites, are stored as .pdf files (Portable Document Format). This format supports design-intensive documents independent of computer platform. The Acrobat Reader is required to view these files. It can be downloaded free of charge from Adobe's website. Although .pdf files are typically larger than .html files (the web's default format), you may find the images, graphs, illustrations, colors, fonts and other features well worth the longer download times. We have "optimized" these files so that you may begin viewing them before they have finished downloading. The 4.0 Reader or higher is needed to view optimized .pdf files. Once you have downloaded a document the first time, it is "cached" in your system and will load faster thereafter. To determine how long a document will take to download, we recommend the File Download Time Calculator.
When viewing .pdf files, use the page icons on the toolbar to size the page within your screen. Use the magnifying glass icons to zoom in or pull back from the page. The hand icon allows you to move the page onscreen. You can move from page to page by using the arrow icons or the thumbnail pages in the left margin. Unlike .html files, where links are color-coded, links in .pdf files can be identified by a change in the cursor: the hand icon becomes a pointing finger.
Please note that the onscreen electronic page numbers generated by the Acrobat reader do not correspond to the publication's printed page numbers.
Audio/Video
This website also includes sound bites (audio files) and video clips. You will need speakers (or headphones) and the RealPlayer plug-in for listening to audio and viewing video. A free plug-in can be downloaded from RealPlayer's website. Some pages may also include Flash video or animations. A free plug-in can be downloaded from Adobe's website.
Privacy Policy
Your privacy is important to us. When you visit our site, we do not collect any personal, identifying information about you unless you volunteer that information in our user survey. (If you ask us questions in the user survey and do not volunteer an email address or other identifying information, we cannot respond to you.) We do not use individual survey information for commercial purposes nor do we share this information with any other organization. You will not receive any email from us as a result of using our website unless you request to be notified of website updates through our user survey and supply us with your email address.
We do not place a "cookie" in your browser files (among other things, cookies allow websites to be customized for each user) except in the following situation: If you elect to "turn off" the hyperlink alert (the popup box that informs you that you are leaving ici.org when you click on a link to another website), a cookie is placed in your browser to disable the alert for as long as your browser is open. Because it is not a permanent cookie, you will need to "turn off" the hyperlink alert each time you visit our site in order to disable it for that visit. If you do not want this temporary cookie in your browser file, leave the hyperlink alert on.
In addition to information you choose to provide us through our user survey, we gather information about how our site is used. For instance, our web server automatically collects each visitor's domain name (the internet name of the organization through which the visitor connects to us; examples of domain names include ici.org, sec.gov, and aol.com). We also collect aggregate information about user visits, such as when the site is visited most often and which areas of the site are accessed most often.
We use both kinds of information-the information you volunteer through user surveys and the information we automatically collect-to analyze how to improve our site. We also use this information to report to our member organizations aggregate statistics on how the site is used.
This site also includes a section devoted to the fund industry's views on consumer privacy.
Copyright and Linking Policies
The Investment Company Institute makes the information on its website available to anyone. You may store any of this information on your own computer for your personal use only, you may print copies of the information for your personal use only, and you may link to this information from your website. You may cite or refer to the information in this site in any media provided you include proper attribution indicating Investment Company Institute as the source and http://www.ici.org as the URL.
Unless otherwise noted, the entire contents of this website, including text and images, belong exclusively to the Investment Company Institute (ICI). With the exception of brief excerpts properly attributed, you may not distribute the text or graphics to others (except through hyperlink); you may not reproduce, modify, or reuse the text or graphics; and you may not "mirror" or "frame" this information on your own server.
Disclaimers
As a convenience to our users, many of the documents on our website contain links to information created and maintained by other organizations. Please note that ICI does not control, and is not responsible for, the accuracy, timeliness, or even the continued availability or existence of this outside information. Opinions expressed on other sites are not necessarily those of the Institute, nor does ICI endorse, warrant, or guarantee products or services described or offered on other sites. Neither is ICI responsible for the contents of any websites that choose to link to the Institute's website.
The Investment Company Institute sponsors this award-winning website as part of its efforts to enhance public understanding of the investment company industry and the policy issues that affect it. This site is not intended to address questions about your individual investments; for these, please contact the mutual fund itself or your broker or other financial professional. We welcome your feedback on this site through our user survey. You may also use the survey to request automatic email notification whenever we update the site.
Document Formats
Graphics
Due to the graphical nature of our materials, many of the documents on the Institute's website, as well as on thousands of other websites, are stored as .pdf files (Portable Document Format). This format supports design-intensive documents independent of computer platform. The Acrobat Reader is required to view these files. It can be downloaded free of charge from Adobe's website. Although .pdf files are typically larger than .html files (the web's default format), you may find the images, graphs, illustrations, colors, fonts and other features well worth the longer download times. We have "optimized" these files so that you may begin viewing them before they have finished downloading. The 4.0 Reader or higher is needed to view optimized .pdf files. Once you have downloaded a document the first time, it is "cached" in your system and will load faster thereafter. To determine how long a document will take to download, we recommend the File Download Time Calculator.
When viewing .pdf files, use the page icons on the toolbar to size the page within your screen. Use the magnifying glass icons to zoom in or pull back from the page. The hand icon allows you to move the page onscreen. You can move from page to page by using the arrow icons or the thumbnail pages in the left margin. Unlike .html files, where links are color-coded, links in .pdf files can be identified by a change in the cursor: the hand icon becomes a pointing finger.
Please note that the onscreen electronic page numbers generated by the Acrobat reader do not correspond to the publication's printed page numbers.
Audio/Video
This website also includes sound bites (audio files) and video clips. You will need speakers (or headphones) and the RealPlayer plug-in for listening to audio and viewing video. A free plug-in can be downloaded from RealPlayer's website. Some pages may also include Flash video or animations. A free plug-in can be downloaded from Adobe's website.
Privacy Policy
Your privacy is important to us. When you visit our site, we do not collect any personal, identifying information about you unless you volunteer that information in our user survey. (If you ask us questions in the user survey and do not volunteer an email address or other identifying information, we cannot respond to you.) We do not use individual survey information for commercial purposes nor do we share this information with any other organization. You will not receive any email from us as a result of using our website unless you request to be notified of website updates through our user survey and supply us with your email address.
We do not place a "cookie" in your browser files (among other things, cookies allow websites to be customized for each user) except in the following situation: If you elect to "turn off" the hyperlink alert (the popup box that informs you that you are leaving ici.org when you click on a link to another website), a cookie is placed in your browser to disable the alert for as long as your browser is open. Because it is not a permanent cookie, you will need to "turn off" the hyperlink alert each time you visit our site in order to disable it for that visit. If you do not want this temporary cookie in your browser file, leave the hyperlink alert on.
In addition to information you choose to provide us through our user survey, we gather information about how our site is used. For instance, our web server automatically collects each visitor's domain name (the internet name of the organization through which the visitor connects to us; examples of domain names include ici.org, sec.gov, and aol.com). We also collect aggregate information about user visits, such as when the site is visited most often and which areas of the site are accessed most often.
We use both kinds of information-the information you volunteer through user surveys and the information we automatically collect-to analyze how to improve our site. We also use this information to report to our member organizations aggregate statistics on how the site is used.
This site also includes a section devoted to the fund industry's views on consumer privacy.
Copyright and Linking Policies
The Investment Company Institute makes the information on its website available to anyone. You may store any of this information on your own computer for your personal use only, you may print copies of the information for your personal use only, and you may link to this information from your website. You may cite or refer to the information in this site in any media provided you include proper attribution indicating Investment Company Institute as the source and http://www.ici.org as the URL.
Unless otherwise noted, the entire contents of this website, including text and images, belong exclusively to the Investment Company Institute (ICI). With the exception of brief excerpts properly attributed, you may not distribute the text or graphics to others (except through hyperlink); you may not reproduce, modify, or reuse the text or graphics; and you may not "mirror" or "frame" this information on your own server.
Disclaimers
As a convenience to our users, many of the documents on our website contain links to information created and maintained by other organizations. Please note that ICI does not control, and is not responsible for, the accuracy, timeliness, or even the continued availability or existence of this outside information. Opinions expressed on other sites are not necessarily those of the Institute, nor does ICI endorse, warrant, or guarantee products or services described or offered on other sites. Neither is ICI responsible for the contents of any websites that choose to link to the Institute's website.
MUTUAL FUNDS:INVESTING IN AMERICA'S FUTURE
ICI Welcomes SEC Proposal to Simplify Launch of ETFs, May 2008
In a comment letter to the SEC, the Institute expresses its strong support for a proposal for a new rule to govern launch of exchange-traded funds. The rule will replace the current process, which requires new ETFs to seek SEC exemptive orders. The proposal will allow for the continued growth of the increasingly popular ETF sector.
ICI Welcomes U.S. Supreme Court's Municipal Bond Ruling, May 2008
Tax-free investment returns are vital for millions of investors, ICI said in a statement welcoming the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Department of Revenue of Kentucky v. Davis. The decision preserves income that is free of state as well as federal taxes for investors who held about $156 billion in 450 single-state municipal bond funds at the end of 2007.
ICI Urges Flexibility in IRS Automatic Enrollment Rules, May 2008
Testifying on behalf of the Institute, Frank Nessel of Vanguard Plan Consulting Group urged the Internal Revenue Service to modify its proposed regulations to give employers more options in offering automatic enrollment in 401(k) and other defined contribution plans under the Pension Protection Act of 2006. Creating flexibility for employers will encourage them to offer auto enrollment and promote greater retirement savings, ICI said.
ICI Fact Book Reports 7% Growth in Retirement Assets, May 2008
Growth in IRAs and defined-contribution retirement accounts, including 401(k)s, fueled a $1.1 trillion increase in retirement assets in 2007, according to data released in the 2008 Investment Company Fact Book. The annual volume reports on a wide range of data on the funds industry, including characteristics of mutual fund-owning households and rapid growth in lifecycle and lifestyle funds.
Stevens Urges Policy Makers to Build on 401(k)'s Success, May 2008
The nation's 401(k) system has become the "dominant private-sector device for retirement savings," and its success will continue if regulators, employers, and the financial services industry work together to encourage more plans and greater worker participation, ICI President and CEO Paul Stevens told attendees at the Institute's 50th Annual General Membership Meeting.
GMM Chairman Celebrates Industry's Foundation in Investor Service, May 2008
Edward C. Bernard, Chairman of T. Rowe Price Mutual Funds and Chairman of the 50th Annual General Membership Meeting, urges the fund industry to build upon its foundations as it looks to the future. Three key foundations, he says, are "our fiduciary culture; our embrace of regulation, and our laser-sharp focus on serving investors."
ICI President Paul Stevens Lauds Commissioner Atkins' Service to American Investors, May 2008
ICI President and CEO Paul Schott Stevens describes SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins as "a strong and independent voice, urging policies that reflect his powerful intellect, strong principles, extensive experience, and diligent consideration," in a statement following the announcement Atkins will step down from the Commission when his current term expires.
Other recent developments
A Guide to Understanding 529 Plans
This brochure outlines the options available for investing in 529 savings plans.
A Guide to Unit Investment Trusts
This brochure discusses how UITs operate, and provides a general overview of the different types of UITs.
A Guide to Closed-End Funds
This brochure reviews the types of closed-end funds and their operations.
A Guide to Exchange-Traded Funds
This brochure summarizes exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and explains how they differ from index mutual funds.
More about investing
Frequently Asked Questions About Municipal Bonds
In light of recent credit market conditions, ICI has provided detailed background information on municipal bonds that includes a discussion of credit ratings, bond insurance, and monoline insurers.
Frequently Asked Questions About Closed-End Funds
ICI's comprehensive look at closed-end funds includes a discussion of the auction rate preferred securities issued by closed-end funds, the causes and implications of a failed auction, and the responsibilities of a closed-end fund in the event of a failed auction.
Frequently Asked Questions About Money Market Funds
ICI's updated background information on money market funds takes a closer look at the credit enhancements, such as bond insurance, that securities issuers employ to maintain a security's eligibility to be held in a money market fund.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bond Mutual Funds
The Institute has updated its background information on bond funds with 2007 data.
More questions and answers
2008 Investment Company Fact Book (pdf), May 2008
The Fact Book is a primary source for statistics and analysis concerning investment companies and household, institutional, and foreign owners of fund shares.
Characteristics of Mutual Fund Investors, 2007 (pdf), April 2008
ICI takes an in-depth look at mutual fund investors in this new research, which shows that fund investors are in their peak earnings and savings years; are employed and have moderate household incomes; frequently own equity funds; and focus on retirement savings.
More ICI research
Unit Investment Trust Data, April 2008
Unit investment trusts, investment companies that hold fixed portfolios of selected stocks or bonds, had total deposits of $2.77 billion in April, according to statistics compiled by ICI.
Trends in Mutual Fund Investing, March 2008
The combined assets of the nation's mutual funds decreased by $24.1 billion, or 0.2 percent, to $11.734 trillion in March, according to the Investment Company Institute's official survey of the mutual fund industry.
Money Market Mutual Fund Assets, May 22, 2008
Total money market mutual fund assets increased by $11.17 billion to $3.509 trillion for the week ended Wednesday, May 21, the Investment Company Institute reported.
More ICI statistics
ICI President and CEO Testifies Before Labor Department Regarding 401(k) Service Provider Proposal, April 2008
ICI President and CEO Paul Schott Stevens reiterated the Institute's strong support for disclosure rules that will help assure that 401(k) plan fiduciaries have all the information they need to make the decisions entrusted to them under ERISA.
ICI President's Remarks at Mutual Funds and Investment Management Conference (speech), March 2008
ICI President and CEO Paul Schott Stevens focused on the SEC's "momentous" Summary Prospectus proposal in his remarks at an industry conference. "The Commission has seized upon the potential of the Internet in re-conceiving its approach to mutual fund disclosure," said Stevens. "Our own extensive research and the SEC's ... strongly suggest that this is the right approach."
More ICI viewpoints
Investment Professionals
Advisors & Investment Professionals
Investment products, literature and sales tools for the advisor-delivered market.
RIAs, TPAs, Trust Institutions
Trading, custody and brokerage services for RIAs, TPAs, Trust Institutions.
Broker-Dealers
Clearance, capital markets, and brokerage technology through National Financial.
Hedge Fund Managers
Execution, securities lending, financing and custody through Fidelity Prime Services.
Capital Markets
Trading, products and services with a commitment to execution excellence.
Investment products, literature and sales tools for the advisor-delivered market.
RIAs, TPAs, Trust Institutions
Trading, custody and brokerage services for RIAs, TPAs, Trust Institutions.
Broker-Dealers
Clearance, capital markets, and brokerage technology through National Financial.
Hedge Fund Managers
Execution, securities lending, financing and custody through Fidelity Prime Services.
Capital Markets
Trading, products and services with a commitment to execution excellence.
Investors
Want guaranteed income with the potential for growth?
Tax refund coming? Six ways to spend it smarter
Is your portfolio still on track? Get a free review
80 emerging economies: The new Fidelity EMEA Fund
Find 69 of the "Money 70" funds at Fidelity
Implications of rising inflation
Fully customized searches: Fidelity Options Screener
All bond trades are one dollar or less
Four investment strategies for a volatile market
Fidelity market research on rising inflation
Today's market update
Tax refund coming? Six ways to spend it smarter
Is your portfolio still on track? Get a free review
80 emerging economies: The new Fidelity EMEA Fund
Find 69 of the "Money 70" funds at Fidelity
Implications of rising inflation
Fully customized searches: Fidelity Options Screener
All bond trades are one dollar or less
Four investment strategies for a volatile market
Fidelity market research on rising inflation
Today's market update
Investment in golg
Investment or investing[1] is a term with several closely-related meanings in business management, finance and economics, related to saving or deferring consumption. An asset is usually purchased, or equivalently a deposit is made in a bank, in hopes of getting a future return or interest from it. The word originates in the Latin "vestis", meaning garment, and refers to the act of putting things (money or other claims to resources) into others' pockets. See Invest.[citation needed]. The basic meaning of the term being an asset held to have some recurring or capital gains. It is an asset that is expected to give returns without any work on the asset per se.
Types of investments
The term "investment" is used differently in economics and in finance. Economists refer to a real investment (such as a machine or a house), while financial economists refer to a financial asset, such as money that is put into a bank or the market, which may then be used to buy a real asset.
[edit] Business Management
The investment decision (also known as capital budgeting) is one of the fundamental decisions of business management: managers determine the assets that the business enterprise obtains. These assets may be physical (such as buildings or machinery), intangible (such as patents, software, goodwill), or financial (see below). The manager must assess whether the net present value of the investment to the enterprise is positive; the net present value is calculated using the enterprise's marginal cost of capital.
A business might invest with the goal of making profit. These are marketable securities or passive investment. It might also invest with the goal of controlling or influencing the operation of the second company, the investee. These are called intercorporate, long-term and strategic investments. Hence, a company can have none, some or total control over the investee's strategic, operating, investing and financing decisions. One can control a company by owning over 50% ownership, or have the ability to elect a majority of the Board of Directors.
[edit] Economics
In economics, investment is the production per unit time of goods which are not consumed but are to be used for future production. Examples include tangibles (such as building a railroad or factory) and intangibles (such as a year of schooling or on-the-job training). In measures of national income and output, gross investment I is also a component of Gross domestic product (GDP), given in the formula GDP = C + I + G + NX, where C is consumption, G is government spending, and NX is net exports. Thus investment is everything that remains of production after consumption, government spending, and exports are subtracted.
I is divided into non-residential investment (such as factories) and residential investment (new houses). Net investment deducts depreciation from gross investment. It is the value of the net increase in the capital stock per year.
Investment, as production over a period of time ("per year"), is not capital. The time dimension of investment makes it a flow. By contrast, capital is a stock, that is, an accumulation measurable at a point in time (say December 31st).
Investment is often modeled as a function of Income and Interest rates, given by the relation I = f(Y, r). An increase in income encourages higher investment, whereas a higher interest rate may discourage investment as it becomes more costly to borrow money. Even if a firm chooses to use its own funds in an investment, the interest rate represents an opportunity cost of investing those funds rather than loaning them out for interest.
[edit] Finance
In finance, investment=cost of capital, like buying securities or other monetary or paper (financial) assets in the money markets or capital markets, or in fairly liquid real assets, such as gold, real estate, or collectibles. Valuation is the method for assessing whether a potential investment is worth its price. Returns on investments will follow the risk-return spectrum.
Types of financial investments include shares, other equity investment, and bonds (including bonds denominated in foreign currencies). These financial assets are then expected to provide income or positive future cash flows, and may increase or decrease in value giving the investor capital gains or losses.
Trades in contingent claims or derivative securities do not necessarily have future positive expected cash flows, and so are not considered assets, or strictly speaking, securities or investments. Nevertheless, since their cash flows are closely related to (or derived from) those of specific securities, they are often studied as or treated as investments.
Investments are often made indirectly through intermediaries, such as banks, mutual funds, pension funds, insurance companies, collective investment schemes, and investment clubs. Though their legal and procedural details differ, an intermediary generally makes an investment using money from many individuals, each of whom receives a claim on the intermediary.
[edit] Personal finance
Within personal finance, money used to purchase shares, put in a collective investment scheme or used to buy any asset where there is an element of capital risk is deemed an investment. Saving within personal finance refers to money put aside, normally on a regular basis. This distinction is important, as investment risk can cause a capital loss when an investment is realized, unlike saving(s) where the more limited risk is cash devaluing due to inflation.
In many instances the terms saving and investment are used interchangeably, which confuses this distinction. For example many deposit accounts are labeled as investment accounts by banks for marketing purposes. Whether an asset is a saving(s) or an investment depends on where the money is invested: if it is cash then it is savings, if its value can fluctuate then it is investment.
[edit] Real estate
In real estate, investment is money used to purchase property for the sole purpose of holding or leasing for income and where there is an element of capital risk. Unlike other economic or financial investment, real estate is purchased. The seller is also called a Vendor and normally the purchaser is called a Buyer.
[edit] Residential real estate
The most common form of real estate investment as it includes the property purchased as other people's houses. In many cases the Buyer does not have the full purchase price for a property and must engage a lender such as a Bank, Finance company or Private Lender. Herein the lender is the investor as only the lender stands to gain returns from it. Different countries have their individual normal lending levels, but usually they will fall into the range of 70-90% of the purchase price. Against other types of real estate, residential real estate is the least risky.
[edit] Commercial real estate
Commercial real estate is the owning of a small building or large warehouse a company rents from so that it can conduct its business. Due to the higher risk of Commercial real estate, lending rates of banks and other lenders are lower and often fall in the range of 50-70%.
[edit] See also
Appreciation
Capital (economics)
Capital accumulation
Diversifying investment
Divestment
Financial economics
Foreign direct investment
Gold as an investment
Investment-specific technological progress
Investor profile
Investor relations
List of accounting topics
List of economics topics
List of economists
List of finance topics
List of financial services companies (by country)
List of management topics
List of marketing topics
Market trends
Megaproject
Optimism bias
Over-investing
Palladium as an investment
Philatelic investment
Psychology of previous investment
Rate of return
Reference class forecasting
Regulation Fair Disclosure
Right-financing
Risk
Saving
Silver as an investment
Socially responsible investing
Speculation
Stock trader
Strategic misrepresentation
Value investing
[edit] Business Management
The investment decision (also known as capital budgeting) is one of the fundamental decisions of business management: managers determine the assets that the business enterprise obtains. These assets may be physical (such as buildings or machinery), intangible (such as patents, software, goodwill), or financial (see below). The manager must assess whether the net present value of the investment to the enterprise is positive; the net present value is calculated using the enterprise's marginal cost of capital.
A business might invest with the goal of making profit. These are marketable securities or passive investment. It might also invest with the goal of controlling or influencing the operation of the second company, the investee. These are called intercorporate, long-term and strategic investments. Hence, a company can have none, some or total control over the investee's strategic, operating, investing and financing decisions. One can control a company by owning over 50% ownership, or have the ability to elect a majority of the Board of Directors.
[edit] Economics
In economics, investment is the production per unit time of goods which are not consumed but are to be used for future production. Examples include tangibles (such as building a railroad or factory) and intangibles (such as a year of schooling or on-the-job training). In measures of national income and output, gross investment I is also a component of Gross domestic product (GDP), given in the formula GDP = C + I + G + NX, where C is consumption, G is government spending, and NX is net exports. Thus investment is everything that remains of production after consumption, government spending, and exports are subtracted.
I is divided into non-residential investment (such as factories) and residential investment (new houses). Net investment deducts depreciation from gross investment. It is the value of the net increase in the capital stock per year.
Investment, as production over a period of time ("per year"), is not capital. The time dimension of investment makes it a flow. By contrast, capital is a stock, that is, an accumulation measurable at a point in time (say December 31st).
Investment is often modeled as a function of Income and Interest rates, given by the relation I = f(Y, r). An increase in income encourages higher investment, whereas a higher interest rate may discourage investment as it becomes more costly to borrow money. Even if a firm chooses to use its own funds in an investment, the interest rate represents an opportunity cost of investing those funds rather than loaning them out for interest.
[edit] Finance
In finance, investment=cost of capital, like buying securities or other monetary or paper (financial) assets in the money markets or capital markets, or in fairly liquid real assets, such as gold, real estate, or collectibles. Valuation is the method for assessing whether a potential investment is worth its price. Returns on investments will follow the risk-return spectrum.
Types of financial investments include shares, other equity investment, and bonds (including bonds denominated in foreign currencies). These financial assets are then expected to provide income or positive future cash flows, and may increase or decrease in value giving the investor capital gains or losses.
Trades in contingent claims or derivative securities do not necessarily have future positive expected cash flows, and so are not considered assets, or strictly speaking, securities or investments. Nevertheless, since their cash flows are closely related to (or derived from) those of specific securities, they are often studied as or treated as investments.
Investments are often made indirectly through intermediaries, such as banks, mutual funds, pension funds, insurance companies, collective investment schemes, and investment clubs. Though their legal and procedural details differ, an intermediary generally makes an investment using money from many individuals, each of whom receives a claim on the intermediary.
[edit] Personal finance
Within personal finance, money used to purchase shares, put in a collective investment scheme or used to buy any asset where there is an element of capital risk is deemed an investment. Saving within personal finance refers to money put aside, normally on a regular basis. This distinction is important, as investment risk can cause a capital loss when an investment is realized, unlike saving(s) where the more limited risk is cash devaluing due to inflation.
In many instances the terms saving and investment are used interchangeably, which confuses this distinction. For example many deposit accounts are labeled as investment accounts by banks for marketing purposes. Whether an asset is a saving(s) or an investment depends on where the money is invested: if it is cash then it is savings, if its value can fluctuate then it is investment.
[edit] Real estate
In real estate, investment is money used to purchase property for the sole purpose of holding or leasing for income and where there is an element of capital risk. Unlike other economic or financial investment, real estate is purchased. The seller is also called a Vendor and normally the purchaser is called a Buyer.
[edit] Residential real estate
The most common form of real estate investment as it includes the property purchased as other people's houses. In many cases the Buyer does not have the full purchase price for a property and must engage a lender such as a Bank, Finance company or Private Lender. Herein the lender is the investor as only the lender stands to gain returns from it. Different countries have their individual normal lending levels, but usually they will fall into the range of 70-90% of the purchase price. Against other types of real estate, residential real estate is the least risky.
[edit] Commercial real estate
Commercial real estate is the owning of a small building or large warehouse a company rents from so that it can conduct its business. Due to the higher risk of Commercial real estate, lending rates of banks and other lenders are lower and often fall in the range of 50-70%.
[edit] See also
Appreciation
Capital (economics)
Capital accumulation
Diversifying investment
Divestment
Financial economics
Foreign direct investment
Gold as an investment
Investment-specific technological progress
Investor profile
Investor relations
List of accounting topics
List of economics topics
List of economists
List of finance topics
List of financial services companies (by country)
List of management topics
List of marketing topics
Market trends
Megaproject
Optimism bias
Over-investing
Palladium as an investment
Philatelic investment
Psychology of previous investment
Rate of return
Reference class forecasting
Regulation Fair Disclosure
Right-financing
Risk
Saving
Silver as an investment
Socially responsible investing
Speculation
Stock trader
Strategic misrepresentation
Value investing
investment
Definition 1
In finance, the purchase of a financial product or other item of value with an expectation of favorable future returns. In general terms, investment means the use money in the hope of making more money.
Definition 2
In business, the purchase by a producer of a physical good, such as durable equipment or inventory, in the hope of improving future business.
Related Terms
advisor, aggressive, conservative, annual return, approved list, nonlegal, asset allocation, asset class, automatic investment plan, automatic reinvestment plan, balanced investment strategy, capital investment, compounding, cost of capital, cutoff point, defensive investment strategy, disinvestment, diversification, DRIP, expected return, ground floor, hedge, leveraged investment company, gain, loss, minority ownership, net investment, net present value, net yield, non-investment property, play, portfolio, prospectus, rate of return, reinvestment, Rule of 72, screening, security, seed capital, statutory investment, yield
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Saving
Have extra money lying around? This article tells you why you should save and how much you should save, with specific emphasis on creating an emergency fund, and when to invest in high-risk, high-return ventures.
Goals and Progress
Continuing the discussion of our simple 7 step budgeting process, this article includes information on how to set goals, and consequently how to achieve them.
Income and Expenses
Information on necessary steps in any budgeting process. Topics include determining your income, determining your expenses (whether they are fixed committed expenses, variable committed expenses, or discretionary expenses), and comparing the two.
In finance, the purchase of a financial product or other item of value with an expectation of favorable future returns. In general terms, investment means the use money in the hope of making more money.
Definition 2
In business, the purchase by a producer of a physical good, such as durable equipment or inventory, in the hope of improving future business.
Related Terms
advisor, aggressive, conservative, annual return, approved list, nonlegal, asset allocation, asset class, automatic investment plan, automatic reinvestment plan, balanced investment strategy, capital investment, compounding, cost of capital, cutoff point, defensive investment strategy, disinvestment, diversification, DRIP, expected return, ground floor, hedge, leveraged investment company, gain, loss, minority ownership, net investment, net present value, net yield, non-investment property, play, portfolio, prospectus, rate of return, reinvestment, Rule of 72, screening, security, seed capital, statutory investment, yield
Related Research Articles from the InvestorGuide.com University
Saving
Have extra money lying around? This article tells you why you should save and how much you should save, with specific emphasis on creating an emergency fund, and when to invest in high-risk, high-return ventures.
Goals and Progress
Continuing the discussion of our simple 7 step budgeting process, this article includes information on how to set goals, and consequently how to achieve them.
Income and Expenses
Information on necessary steps in any budgeting process. Topics include determining your income, determining your expenses (whether they are fixed committed expenses, variable committed expenses, or discretionary expenses), and comparing the two.
investment
Definition 1
In finance, the purchase of a financial product or other item of value with an expectation of favorable future returns. In general terms, investment means the use money in the hope of making more money.
Definition 2
In business, the purchase by a producer of a physical good, such as durable equipment or inventory, in the hope of improving future business.
Related Terms
advisor, aggressive, conservative, annual return, approved list, nonlegal, asset allocation, asset class, automatic investment plan, automatic reinvestment plan, balanced investment strategy, capital investment, compounding, cost of capital, cutoff point, defensive investment strategy, disinvestment, diversification, DRIP, expected return, ground floor, hedge, leveraged investment company, gain, loss, minority ownership, net investment, net present value, net yield, non-investment property, play, portfolio, prospectus, rate of return, reinvestment, Rule of 72, screening, security, seed capital, statutory investment, yield
Related Research Articles from the InvestorGuide.com University
Saving
Have extra money lying around? This article tells you why you should save and how much you should save, with specific emphasis on creating an emergency fund, and when to invest in high-risk, high-return ventures.
Goals and Progress
Continuing the discussion of our simple 7 step budgeting process, this article includes information on how to set goals, and consequently how to achieve them.
Income and Expenses
Information on necessary steps in any budgeting process. Topics include determining your income, determining your expenses (whether they are fixed committed expenses, variable committed expenses, or discretionary expenses), and comparing the two.
In finance, the purchase of a financial product or other item of value with an expectation of favorable future returns. In general terms, investment means the use money in the hope of making more money.
Definition 2
In business, the purchase by a producer of a physical good, such as durable equipment or inventory, in the hope of improving future business.
Related Terms
advisor, aggressive, conservative, annual return, approved list, nonlegal, asset allocation, asset class, automatic investment plan, automatic reinvestment plan, balanced investment strategy, capital investment, compounding, cost of capital, cutoff point, defensive investment strategy, disinvestment, diversification, DRIP, expected return, ground floor, hedge, leveraged investment company, gain, loss, minority ownership, net investment, net present value, net yield, non-investment property, play, portfolio, prospectus, rate of return, reinvestment, Rule of 72, screening, security, seed capital, statutory investment, yield
Related Research Articles from the InvestorGuide.com University
Saving
Have extra money lying around? This article tells you why you should save and how much you should save, with specific emphasis on creating an emergency fund, and when to invest in high-risk, high-return ventures.
Goals and Progress
Continuing the discussion of our simple 7 step budgeting process, this article includes information on how to set goals, and consequently how to achieve them.
Income and Expenses
Information on necessary steps in any budgeting process. Topics include determining your income, determining your expenses (whether they are fixed committed expenses, variable committed expenses, or discretionary expenses), and comparing the two.
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