commercial paper

Definition

An unsecured obligation issued by a corporation or bank to finance its short-term credit needs, such as accounts receivable and inventory. Maturities typically range from 2 to 270 days. Commercial paper is available in a wide range of denominations, can be either discounted or interest-bearing, and usually have a limited or nonexistent secondary market. Commercial paper is usually issued by companies with high credit ratings, meaning that the investment is almost always relatively low risk.

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Related Terms

paper, collateral surety, debt instrument, Eurocommercial paper, paper dealer, prime paper

'commercial paper ' appears in the definitions of these terms on BusinessDictionary.com
 



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