问题：
Please list some Capital Market Instruments.
答案：
The capital market is extremely important because it raises the funds needed by net borrowers to carry out their spending and investment plans. A smoothly functioning capital market influences how fast the economy grows. (A)Bonds Bonds are long-term debt obligations issued by corporations and government units. Proceeds from a bond issue are used to raise funds to support long-term operations of the issuer (e.g., for capital expenditure projects). In return for the investor’s funds bond issuers promise to pay a specified amount in the future on the maturity of the bond (the face value) plus coupon interest on the borrowed funds (the coupon rate times the face value of the bond). If the terms of the repayment are not met by the bond issuer, the bond holder (investor) has a claim on the assets of the bond issuer. Bond markets are markets in which bonds are issued and traded. They are used to assist in the transfer of funds from individuals, corporations, and government units with excess funds to corporations and government units in need of long-term debt funding. (B) Stocks Stocks are equity claims representing ownership of the net income and assets of a corporation. The income that stockholders receive for their ownership is called dividends. There are two types of stocks, common and preferred. A share of common stock in a firm represents an ownership interest in that firm. Preferred stock is a form of equity from a legal and tax standpoint. Preferred stock pays a fixed dividend, and in the event of bankruptcy of the corporation, the owners of preferred stock are entitled to be paid first before the corporation’s other creditors. Common stock pays a variable dividend, depending on the profits that are left over after preferred stockholders have been paid and retained earnings set aside. (C) Funds In a narrow sense, fund is a reserve of money set aside for some purpose. In general, fund means a financial institution that sells shares to individuals and invests in securities issued by other companies. As you probably know, mutual funds have become extremely popular over the last B0 years. What was once just another obscure financial instrument is now a part of our daily lives. More than H0 million people, or half of the households in America, invest in mutual funds. That means that, in the United States alone, trillions of dollars are invested in mutual funds. In fact, to many people, investing means buying mutual funds. After all, it’s common knowledge that investing in mutual funds is (or at least should be) better than simply letting your cash waste away in a savings account, but, for most people, that’s where the understanding of funds ends. It doesn’t help that mutual fund salespeople speak a strange language that is interspersed with jargon that many investors don’t understand. Originally, mutual funds were heralded as a way for the little guy to get a piece of the market. Instead of spending all your free time buried in the financial pages of the Wall Street Journal, all you had to do was buy a mutual fund and you’d be set on your way to financial freedom. As you might have guessed, it’s not that easy. Mutual funds are an excellent idea in theory, but, in reality, they haven’t always delivered. Not all mutual funds are created equal, and investing in mutuals isn’t as easy as throwing your money at the first salesperson who solicits your business.