asset class
Asset Class
Different types of investments that behave similarly and are subject to most of the same market forces. Many analysts believe that there are three main assets classes: equity securities or stocks, fixed-income securities or bonds, and cash equivalents. Some analysts would also include commodities, real estate, and derivatives. Including a variety of asset classes is important to constructing or maintaining a diverse portfolio.
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asset class
A category of investments, such as cash, near money, common equities, fixed income, international equities, and so forth.
Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms for Today's Investor by David L. Scott. Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. All rights reserved.
Asset class.
Different categories of investments are described as asset classes. Stock, bonds, and cash -- including cash equivalents -- are major asset classes. So are real estate, derivative investments, such as options and futures contracts, and precious metals.
When you allocate the assets in your investment portfolio, you decide what proportion of its total value will be invested in each of the different asset classes you're including.
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