Settlement (finance)
Settlement of securities is a business process whereby securities or interests in securities are delivered, usually against (in simultaneous exchange for) payment of money, to fulfill contractual obligations, such as those arising under securities trades.
In the U.S., the settlement date for marketable stocks is usually 3 business days after the trade is executed, and for listed options and government securities it is usually 1 day after the execution.
As part of performance on the delivery obligations entailed by the trade, settlement involves the delivery of securities and the corresponding payment.
A number of risks arise for the parties during the settlement interval, which are managed by the process of clearing, which follows trading and precedes settlement. Clearing involves modifying those contractual obligations so as to facilitate settlement, often by netting and novation.
Read more about Settlement (finance): Nature of Settlement, Legal Significance, Immobilisation and Dematerialisation, Direct and Indirect Holding Systems, Regular Business Days From Trade Date; Dates/terms To Settle Instruments
Famous quotes containing the word settlement:
“Free from public debt, at peace with all the world, and with no complicated interests to consult in our intercourse with foreign powers, the present may be hailed as the epoch in our history the most favorable for the settlement of those principles in our domestic policy which shall be best calculated to give stability to our Republic and secure the blessings of freedom to our citizens.”
—Andrew Jackson (1767–1845)