RE: Share drop16 Aug 2019 17:41
Market Maker
Market makers are typically large banks or financial institutions. They help to ensure there's enough liquidity in the markets, meaning there's enough volume of trading so trades can be done seamlessly. Without market makers, there would likely be little liquidity. In other words, investors who want to sell securities would be unable to unwind their positions due to a lack of buyers in the market.
Market makers help keep the market functioning, meaning if you want to sell a bond, they are there to buy it. Similarly, if you want to buy a stock, they're there to have that stock available to sell to you.
Market makers are useful because they are always ready to buy and sell as long as the investor is willing to pay a specific price. Market makers essentially act as wholesalers by buying and selling securities to satisfy the market—the prices they set reflect market supply and demand. When the demand for a security is low, and supply is high, the price of the security will be low. If the demand is high and supply is low, the price of the security will be high. Market makers are obligated to sell and buy at the price and size they have quoted.
Sometimes a market maker is also a broker, which can create an incentive for a broker to recommend securities for which the firm also makes a market. Investors should thus perform due diligence to make sure that there is a clear separation between a broker and a market maker.
Some examples of the bigger market makers in the industry include BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, and UBS.
How Market Makers Make Money
Market makers charge a spread on the buy and sell price, and transact on both sides of the market. Market makers establish quotes for the bid and ask prices, or buy and sell prices. Investors who want to sell a security would get the bid price, which would be slightly lower than the actual price. If an investor wanted to buy a security, they would get charged the ask price, which is set slightly higher than the market price. The spreads between the price investors receive and the market prices are the profits for the market makers. Market makers also earn commissions by providing liquidity to their clients' firms.
Brokers and market makers are two very important players in the market. Brokers are typically firms that facilitate the sale of an asset to a buyer or seller. Market makers are typically large investment firms or financial institutions that create liquidity in the market.
Sign In
Follow the stocks
