What Is a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)? Metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) are delineated by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as having at least one urbanized area with a minimum population of 50,000. Key Takeaways Metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) are delineated by the U.S. OMB as having at least one urbanized area with
What Is MSCI? MSCI is an acronym for Morgan Stanley Capital International. It is an investment research firm that provides stock indexes, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and governance tools to institutional investors and hedge funds. MSCI is perhaps best known for its benchmark indexes—including the MSCI Emerging Market Index and MSCI Frontier Markets Index—which
What Is the MSCI ACWI Ex-U.S.? The Morgan Stanley Capital International All Country World Index Ex-U.S. (MSCI ACWI Ex-U.S.) is a market-capitalization-weighted index maintained by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI). It is designed to provide a broad measure of stock performance throughout the world, with the exception of U.S.-based companies. The MSCI ACWI Ex-U.S. includes
What Is a Matched Sale-Purchase Agreement (MSPA)? In a matched sale-purchase agreement (MSPA), the Federal Reserve sells government securities such as U.S. Treasury bonds to an institutional dealer or the central bank of another country with the contractual agreement to purchase the security back within a short period of time, usually less than two weeks.
What Are Mortgage Servicing Rights (MSR)? Mortgage servicing rights (MSR) refer to a contractual agreement in which the right to service an existing mortgage is sold by the original mortgage lender to another party that specializes in the various functions involved with servicing mortgages. Key Takeaways Mortgage servicing rights are sold by the originator of
What Is the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB)? The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, (MSRB), is a regulating body which creates rules and policies for investment firms and banks in the issuing and sale of municipal bonds, notes, and other municipal securities. States, cities and counties issue municipal securities for a variety of reasons. Activities, regulated
What Is the Monthly Treasury Average (MTA) Index? The Monthly Treasury Average (MTA) is an interest rate index derived from the 12-month moving average (MA) of one-year constant maturity Treasury bonds (one-year CMT). The MTA acts as the basis to set interest rates for some adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs). The MTA Index, also known as the 12-MAT, is a lagging
What Was Mt. Gox? Mt. Gox was a Tokyo-based cryptocurrency exchange that operated between 2010 and 2014. It was responsible for more than 70% of Bitcoin transactions at its peak. Although it is most commonly known as Mt. Gox, the exchange is sometimes referred to as MtGox or Mt Gox. The exchange declared bankruptcy in
What Is the Mubadala Development Company? The Mubadala Development Company is a sovereign wealth fund established in 2002 as a public joint-stock company by the government of Abu Dhabi, which remains its sole shareholder. Its mandate is economic diversification and creating sustainable financial returns for Abu Dhabi. It accomplishes this through local, direct international, and
What Is a Mortgage Banker? A mortgage banker is a company, individual, or institution that originates mortgages. Mortgage bankers use their own funds, or funds borrowed from a warehouse lender, to fund mortgages. After a mortgage is originated, a mortgage banker might retain the mortgage in a portfolio, or they might sell the mortgage to
