Trading Assets: Meaning, Examples and Use Cases (2024)

What Are Trading Assets?

Trading assets are a collection of securities held by a firm for the purpose of reselling for a profit. They are recorded as a separate account from the investment portfolio and may include U.S. Treasury securities, mortgage-backed securities, foreign exchange rate contracts, and interest rate contracts.

Trading assets include those positions acquired by the firm with the purpose of reselling in the near term in order to profit from short-term price movements. As such, they are also known as held-for-trading securities.

Understanding Trading Assets

Companies acquire trading assets with the purpose of trading them for a profit. When a company buys and sells a trading asset, it is marked at the fair value of the asset. When trading assets are held by banks for other banks, they are valued at mark-to-market. Certain banks are required to file reports with the government and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) when engaging in this activity.

Trading assets are found on the balance sheet and are considered current assets because they are meant to be bought and sold quickly for a profit. While in the firm's possession, trading assets should be valued at market value and the value should be updated on the balance sheet every reporting period. If the value of trading assets decreases or increases in the market, not only is the value of the assets adjusted on the balance sheet but this loss or gain, even if only on paper, needs to be recorded on the income statement.

Example

For example, if a company purchases shares of ABC company for $2 million, and ABC's shares drop in value by 30%, the company would adjust the value of the trading assets to $1.4 million on the balance sheet and record a net loss of $600,000 on the income statement.

Trading Assets vs. the Investment Portfolio

Bank XYZ will likely have an investment portfolio with various bonds, cash instruments, and other securities that contribute to the long-term value of the bank as a business entity. The securities in the investment portfolio might be used to purchase other businesses, assets, or put toward other long-term goals of the bank.

Bank XYZ would hold its trading assets in an account separate from the long-term investment portfolio, hold them for a short period of time, and trade them as appropriate in the marketplace to make a profit for the bank. The key point to note is that trading assets are for the short term where the investment portfolio is typically geared toward the long term.