Stock markets are represented by various participants, who differ in the functions they perform
and the size of their
capital. The biggest players in the stock market are institutional investors. So who are
institutional investors?
Institutional investors are large credit and financial companies that serve as intermediaries
between investors and
investment objects. Through the accumulation of investor money, institutional investors earn a
certain margin for
intermediation and act as brokers, managers, auditors, financial advisors, etc. They participate
directly in securities
trading and may be represented by banking and brokerage alliances, investment companies.
For a better understanding, Figure 1 shows the types of institutional investors.
Figure 1 – Institutional Investors
Let's take a look at each type of institutional investor.
The biggest players among institutional investors are investment companies. A prime example is the
Big Three - Vanguard
Group, BlackRock and StateStreet. These companies offer units of their investment funds (mutual
funds, ETFs, etc. -
diversified portfolios) and other financial services and financial instruments. Such companies have
the ability to have
a significant impact on the stock market because of the large trading volumes and the huge capital
under management.
Insurance companies are characterized by the fact that by accepting insurance premiums from
customers, they form
insurance funds, at the expense of which they compensate the financial losses of customers.
The next type is pension funds. Pension funds also play an important role in the financial market.
There are two options
of pension security. The first option is a "defined benefit pension fund" - when a person retires,
they receive a
predetermined and guaranteed amount. The second option is a "defined contribution plan", the person
receives a certain
amount based on the performance of the fund.
Endowment funds are investment funds that are designed for a specific purpose and need. Such funds
are usually used by
universities, hospitals, and other nonprofit organizations. The invested capital is used for
specific purposes, and the
donors of such funds can establish how the funds are used.
Banks are financial structures that carry out various operations. They attract capital from
individuals, companies by
offering a certain interest on a deposit, and banks can also issue their own securities (shares,
bonds). In addition,
banks can act as brokers in stock trading, accompany transactions and create depositories for
storing securities.
Hedge funds invest mostly in liquid assets. Hedge funds are unique in that they apply a more
aggressive investment
policy and are riskier, but the returns are also higher.
Institutional investors play a key role in the economy as a whole by redistributing financial
resources from one
industry to another. They manage very large assets and capital of various contributors, which allows
assets to be
redistributed to certain market segments, and large capital to be used for strategically important
tasks. In addition,
institutional investors also bring benefits to both companies and private investors. For companies,
institutional
investors are an important source of capital. As for the advantages for private investors, the
following can be said
here. Not all private investors have expert knowledge of how the stock market works, how to invest
effectively, how to
trade securities and manage risks, while institutional investors have this expertise, so for private
investors, trust
management is sometimes the best solution. Also, institutional investors do larger trading volumes,
which allows them to
have lower transaction costs and offer financial services to private investors at lower prices, so
private investors
ultimately benefit from this.