The most important investment decision is putting money into something with the expectation of profit. More specifically, investment is the commitment of money or capital to the purchase of financial or other assets so as to gain profitable returns in the form of interest, income (dividends), or appreciation (capital gains) of the value of the instrument.
In the case of investment, rather than store the good produced or its money equivalent, the investor chooses to use that good either to create a durable consumer or producer good, or to lend the original saved good to another in exchange for either interest or a share of the profits. In the first case, the individual creates durable consumer goods, hoping the services from the good will make his life better. In the second, the individual becomes an entrepreneur using the resource to produce goods and services for others in the hope of a profitable sale. The third case describes a lender, and the fourth describes an investor in a share of the business. In each case, the consumer obtains a durable asset or investment, and accounts for that asset by recording an equivalent liability. As time passes, and both prices and interest rates change, the value of the asset and liability also change.
Business firms or organisations raise funds from investors in the form of equites,debts(collectively known as the capital structure)and further reinvest it into various investment schemes by carefully analysing the returns in order to meet out their obligations relating to purchase of assets which provides them long term benefits.
$22.87 (07/23/08)
