Free US Law Dictionary

BETA

Investment Banker

Finance
Financial markets
Financial market participants
Corporate finance
Personal finance
Public finance
Banks and Banking
Financial regulation

Types of Bank
Central bank
Advising bank
Commercial bank
Community development bank
Custodian bank
Depository bank
Investment bank
Islamic banking
Merchant bank
Mutual bank
Mutual savings bank
National bank
Offshore bank
Private bank
Savings bank
Swiss bank

Banking terms
Anonymous banking
Automatic teller machine
Deposit
Deposit creation multiplier
Loan

List of banks
List of banks in Canada
List of banks in Hong Kong
List of banks in Singapore

Investment banks help companies and governments raise money by issuing and selling securities in the capital markets (both equity and debt), as well as providing advice on transactions such as mergers and acquisitions. Until the late 1980s, the United States and Canada maintained a separation between investment banking and commercial banks.

A majority of investment banks offer strategic advisory services for mergers, acquisitions, divestiture or other financial services for clients, such as the trading of derivatives, fixed income, foreign exchange, commodity, and equity securities.

Trading securities for cash or securities (i.e., facilitating transactions, market-making), or the promotion of securities (i.e., underwriting, research, etc.) is referred to as the "sell side."

Dealing with the pension funds, mutual funds, hedge funds, and the investing public who consume the products and services of the sell-side in order to maximize their return on investment constitutes the "buy side". Many firms have buy and sell side components

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