ABSTRACT
This chapter considers one of the most important of the 'environmental components', the financial sector components of which are also colloquially referred to as 'financial services' or 'the banking sector'. A general understanding of how money systems and the financial sector operate therefore represents essential knowledge for property professionals in the contemporary environment. The financial sector is truly international and has always been on the leading edge of the globalisation trend. The successful implications of monetary policy across the organisation for economic cooperation and development over recent decades are testimony both to the pervasive nature of the financial sector and, secondly, to the power of central banks across those countries. The financial sector was, and continues to be, fundamental to wealth creation, rising affluence and to the effective and efficient use of resources. Dealing across so many markets within the financial sector provides traders and investors alike with the opportunity to spread risk and seek both long-term and opportunistic/speculative returns.
