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What Is Print?
“Print” can refer to increasing the money supply or any financial information transcribed into a hard copy that is either printed or formatted for printing. It can also refer to how the price of a securities trade is timestamped by an exchange or used by technical traders to indicate the drawing of a candlestick pattern on a chart.
Key Takeaways
- The word “print” may refer to several financial concepts.
- When governments issue new currency or increase the money supply, it is said to print money.
- Print refers to the physical or digital records of prices, transactions, or other data.
- For technical analysis, print relates to the drawing of candlestick charts.
Currency
The U.S. government prints money through the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP). BEP is a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury with locations in Washington, D.C., and Fort Worth, TX. The Federal Reserve works closely with the Department of the Treasury and serves as its bank. Together, the two entities facilitate the printing of money.
Printing physical currency and copies of financial information is central to the infrastructure procedures the U.S. financial market is built upon. Physical currency is used in cash transactions and managed by the Federal Reserve primarily through reserve requirements for banks, which require banks to hold a specified amount of print currency in their vaults.
The word ‘print’ comes from the Old French preinte, which means “pressed”.
Investment Transactions
The term “print” has been associated with the ticker tape, where trades were printed as executed. In financial markets, trade executions may lead to the generation of a print copy, but “print” is also used to denote digital records.
All trade confirmations, tickets, and settlement documents are generated when a transaction occurs. Print confirmations list the details of a particular trade, including the transaction price, number of shares, and time of execution. The confirmation documents will typically be formatted for physical printing but may be stored digitally for recordkeeping purposes.
Institutional investors typically generate print confirmations, managed through operational procedures and usually stored digitally for recordkeeping. Marketing teams and journalists generate print investment communications that can be available to investors. Individual funds are required to register and provide comprehensive print documentation for investors.
Technical Analysis
In some situations, “print” can refer to the real-time posting of price data on a technical analysis chart. In technical analysis, print can refer to the drawing of a candlestick pattern on a technical analysis chart. These charts can be time-based, as with a five-minute chart, or activity-based, such as a 144-tick chart. Regardless of the data interval, each bar prints as it forms and becomes printed at the end of the selected date interval.
In this case, print can refer to the execution of a trade or the drawing of a price bar on a candlestick diagram. Technical traders may use the “print” to establish a position as soon as a price is printed at a specified level.
How Often is New Currency Printed in the United States?
The Federal Reserve Board places an annual print order with the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing to produce new banknotes. The FRB estimates the demand for currency and how much will be destroyed. More than 70% of the notes in the print order will replace notes considered unfit and removed from circulation.
Are Financial Institutions Required to Provide Printed Statements to Investors?
Banks and credit unions must send a monthly statement if a customer has made at least one electronic fund transfer that month. Electronic fund transfers include ATM or debit card transactions, payments made through online bill payment, and direct deposits. Many institutions offer the option for electronic statements.
What Is Technical Analysis?
Technical analysis is a discipline employed by traders to evaluate investments and identify opportunities by analyzing statistical trends gathered from trading activity, such as price movement and volume.
The Bottom Line
The term “print” is used to refer to financial concepts such as the printing of banknotes or currency. Financial statements, paper or digital, are considered print when provided to investors. Less commonly, “print” refers to the real-time posting of price data on a technical analysis chart.