Investment or investing is a term with several closely-related meanings in 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. Literally, the word means the "action of putting something in to somewhere else" (perhaps originally related to a person's garment or 'vestment').

Types of investment

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The major difference in the use of the term investment in economics and finance is that economists are usually referring to a real investment - such as a machine or a house - but financial economists usually refer to a financial asset - money that is put into a bank or the market - which may then be used to buy a real asset.

Economics

More on [ Investment ]

Forbes.com: Most popular stories

The World's Billionaires
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How Apple And IPhone Blew It In China
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Latest financial news - CNNMoney.com

Five more banks fail - 120 for the year
Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:43:45 -0500
Five banks failed late Friday, bringing the 2009 tally to 120.
Art auction lifts hope for industry rebound
Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:52:06 -0500
A recent sale of Impressionist and modern art at Sotheby's auction house exceeded sales estimates and raised the hopes of industry insiders that a rebound is under way.
Berkshire Hathaway for $68? Sweet!
Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:32:45 -0500
I don't know about you, but I don't have a spare $101,900 stuffed under my couch cushions to buy an "A" share of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. I probably could scrounge together $3,395 for one "B" share, but I would rather not.

Standard Newswire: Financial

House Republican Leaders to Discuss Jobs and Health Care at Press Conference TODAY
Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:02:33 -0700
Contact: Michael Steel, Kevin Smith, Antonia Ferrier, 202-225-4000; Office of the House Republican Leader  WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 /Standard Newswire/ -- House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH), Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-IN) and other GOP Leaders will discuss jobs and health care at a press conference Today, November 6th, at 9:15am in the Capitol Visitor Center HVC Studio A, located in HVC 114.  For questions regarding location or directions to the stu Source: Republican Leader Press Office
Rep. Pence to Speak at Health Care 'House Call' Press Conference
Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:04:39 -0700
Contact: Matt Lloyd or Mary Vought; 202-226-9000 WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 /Standard Newswire/ -- U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, chairman of the House Republican Conference, will join his Republican colleagues for a "House Call" on Washington, D.C. on Thursday, November 5, 2009, at 12 :00 p.m. on the West Front of the Capitol.  Who:                House Republican Conference Chairman, Mike Pence Ad Source: House Republican Conference Press Office
Boehner: 'The Trillion-Dollar 'Stimulus' Isn't Working, and No Amount of Phony Statistics Can Change That
Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:24:44 -0600
GOP Leader: "While Washington keeps spending and piling more debt on the backs of our children and grandchildren, out-of-work families keep asking, 'where are the jobs?'" Contact: Michael Steel, Antonia Ferrier, Kevin Smith, 202-225-4000; Office of the House Republican Leader  WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 /Standard Newswire/ -- House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement today in response to news reports that the White House will issue a r Source: Republican Leader Press Office

SmartMoney.com

Post-Apocalypse Hedge-Fund Strategies
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How three newbie money managers are navigating this trading landscape.
5 Smart DVDs: Darwinian Developments (Consumer Action)
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New releases that will stand the test of evolving tastes.
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New sales data that suggest life in Detroit. Is the market still friendly?

Fool.co.uk - Headlines

A Diversification Trap To Avoid
Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0000
Many investors mistakenly believe their portfolio is properly diversified.
Sharing Assets With Your Family
Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0000
What are the tax considerations if you shuffle assets within your family?

The Financial Page

James Surowiecki: Priced to Go
James Surowiecki Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:00:00 -0000
In the spring of 1992, the airline industry was in dismal shape, debilitated by the recently ended recession and an overreliance on discounting. So American Airlines announced a new “value pricing” plan, which entailed cutting fares while replacing complex discounts with a simple, four-tier price system. It . . .
James Surowiecki: Why Banks Stay Big
James Surowiecki Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0000
Before the financial crisis, the banking industry was too concentrated and clubby. And now? It’s even more so. In the midst of the crisis, the country’s four biggest banks—Citigroup, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo—actually got bigger. Thanks primarily to . . .
James Surowiecki: Exit Through Lobby
James Surowiecki Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:00:00 -0000
Resigning in protest is not in the American grain. Robert McNamara stuck around as Secretary of Defense even after he decided that the Vietnam War was a disaster; Colin Powell did the same during the Bush Administration’s push for war with Iraq; and in the lead-up to . . .

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