Interest

1. Financial markets.

Interest is an amount charged for borrowing money, or earned from a fixed income investment or from a floating interest rate investment.

In this context, interest rates are generally expressed at a percentage of the principal amount borrowed or invested.

2. Financial markets.

More generally, interest can be any difference between the terminal value and the present value of a borrowing or an investment, often expressed as a money amount (though it can also be expressed as a percentage).

3. Law.

An interest is also a right or expectation in relation to identified property, usually falling short of outright ownership.

For example, a minority interest in a business, or a security interest such as a lien.

4. Rights and expectations.

Interest can also refer to a broader class of rights or expectations, not necessarily attached to any particular property.

For example, the public interest.

See also

• Assets
• Capital
• Compound interest
• Conflict of interest
• Conventional year
• Dual currency bond
• Earnings
• Equity
• Financial asset
• Financial liability
• Floating rate
• Fixed income
• Gross interest
• Interest rate
• Interest rate differential
• Lien
• Minority interest
• Mortgage
• NII
• Non-performing loan
• Paying agent
• Periodic
• PIK notes
• Present value
• Principal
• Public interest
• Return
• Riba
• Security
• Self-financing loan
• Simple interest
• Time value of money
• Yield