discount store: see store.

discount, in banking and investment, fee for lending money, which the banker deducts from the loan when it is given. Thus, with a $1,000 loan at a 6% discount, the borrower receives $940 and repays $1,000. Unlike a discount, interest is paid periodically. Central banks, as in the U.S. Federal Reserve System, charge a discount when lending notes to member banks. Such a fee is often called a rediscount. When bills of exchange are cashed in advance, a percentage is discounted from the price they would bring at maturity. When securities are sold at less than par, they are said to be sold at a discount. Trade discount is a deduction from the list price. Discounts from transportation rates are called rebates. Certain banks specializing in banks' and bankers' acceptances, U.S. Treasury certificates of indebtedness, U.S. bonds approaching maturity, U.S. Treasury bills, and other high-quality, short-term credit obligations call themselves discount corporations.

or bank rate

Interest rate charged by a central bank for loans of reserve funds to commercial banks and other financial intermediaries. The discount rate is one important indicator of the condition of monetary policy in an economy. Because raising or lowering the discount rate alters the rates that commercial banks charge on loans, adjustment of the discount rate is used as a tool to combat recession and inflation.

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Set of institutions, conventions, and practices whose aim is to facilitate the lending and borrowing of money on a short-term basis. The money market is, therefore, different from the capital market, which is concerned with medium- and long-term credit. The transactions that occur on the money market involve not only banknotes but assets that can be turned into cash at short notice, such as short-term government securities and bills of exchange. Though the details and mechanism of the money market vary greatly from country to country, in all cases its basic function is to enable those with surplus short-term funds to lend and those with the need for short-term credit to borrow. This function is accomplished through middlemen who provide their services for a profit. In most countries the government plays a major role in the money market, acting both as a lender and borrower and often using its position to influence the money supply and interest rates according to its monetary policy. The U.S. money market covers financial instruments ranging from bills of exchange and government securities to funds from clearinghouses and certificates of deposit. In addition, the Federal Reserve System provides considerable short-term credit directly to the banking system. The international money market facilitates the borrowing, lending, and exchange of currencies between countries.

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