Financial Markets and Institutions is aimed at the first course in financial markets and institutions at both the undergraduate and MBA levels. While topics covered in this book are found in more advanced textbooks on financial markets and institutions, the explanations and illustrations are aimed at those with little or no practical or academic experience beyond the introductory-level finance courses. In most chapters, the main relationships are presented by figures, graphs, and simple examples. The more complicated details and technical problems related to in-chapter discussion are provided in appendixes to the chapters.

Since the author team's focus is on return and risk and the sources of that return and risk in domestic and foreign financial markets and institutions, this text relates ways in which a modern financial manager, saver, and investor can expand return with a managed level of risk to achieve the best, or most favorable, return–risk outcome.