Stocks, bonds, and mutual funds are collectively referred to as what?

The term that best describes stocks, bonds, and mutual funds is "securities." Securities are financial instruments that hold some type of monetary value and can be traded. Stocks represent ownership in a company, bonds are loans made to a borrower, typically a corporation or government, and mutual funds pool money from multiple investors to purchase various securities. Each of these financial instruments is regulated and traded in financial markets, which is a defining characteristic of securities.

While assets, investments, and properties are all related concepts, they do not specifically capture the regulatory and tradable nature that categorizes stocks, bonds, and mutual funds as securities. Assets can include a wide range of valuable items, investments refer generally to anything bought with the expectation of future returns, and properties typically indicate real estate holdings. In contrast, the classification of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds as securities is precise and reflects their roles in financial markets.