OPEN MARKET: A market, not unlike that stock market, that trades the U.S. Treasury securities that comprises the federal debt. U.S. Treasury securities are low risk and extremely secure financial instruments that are held by all sorts of investors, especially commercial banks. The Federal Reserve System is also a major holder of U.S. Treasury securities and participant in the open market. In fact, the Federal Reserve System used buying and selling of U.S. Treasury securities through the open market as a means of controlling the money, through what is appropriately termed open market operations. See also | open market operations | Federal Reserve System | Federal Open Market Committee | U.S. Treasury security | money | money supply | bank reserves | excess reserves | monetary policy | tight money | easy money | discount rate | reserve requirements | government securities | banking | money creation | federal funds rate |
