Any possession that has value in an exchange. The New York Times Financial Glossary
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asset as‧set [ˈæset] noun [countable]
ACCOUNTING FINANCE something belonging to an individual or a business that has value or the power to earn money:
• The company has a tremendous asset - 50 hectares of real estate right next to an international airport.
1. something such as land, buildings, or machinery used by a business to produce its goods or services;
= FIXED ASSET:
• the company's investment in capital assets
money that a business has or is owed, or something that could easily be turned into money, for example raw materials and goods that have been produced but not sold:
• Investment properties are now shown as current assets.
something that a business owns and that it uses in order to produce goods, for example a piece of land, a building, or a piece of machinery:
• Virtually all of their money is tied up in fixed assets.
something that a business owns, for example money, property, or machinery, that cannot be sold because it has been put under outside control, for example by a court:
• Thousands of legal claims are being made by individuals attempting to get their frozen assets returned.
something that a business has and can make money from, but that is not something physical and so cannot easily be valued, for example a name of a product, technical knowledge, loyalty from customers etc:
• Intangible assets such as information, image, and people are the main drivers of business today.
anything that a business has that is either cash or something that can be easily turned into cash, such as money owed by customers and shares that can be easily sold:
• The Swiss company has been under pressure to invest some of its liquid assets.
the overall value of a business, the difference between its assets and its liabilities:
• He recommended that the company be dissolved and its net assets distributed to shareholders.
assets that are used in the production activities of a company:
• It plans to sell the operating assets of its consumer tapes business for about £2 million.
an asset that is physical and can be valued easily, rather than an intangible asset that is difficult to value:
• Investors fled financial markets, putting their money into gold, collectibles and other tangible assets.
assets in relation to the
Securities that are based on them:
• The stocks are trading at about 2.7 times the value of underlying assets, while the average for the last 50 years is 1.5 times.
an asset, such as property or a business, that is losing money over time:
• It's been quite clear for some time that the airline is a wasting asset.
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asset UK US /ˈæset/ noun [C, usually plural]
► ACCOUNTING,
FINANCE »
The company reported total assets worth $1.9 million.
have/hold/own assets »
You can hold assets offshore, such as bank accounts or property.
acquire/buy/increase assets »
The parties will decide whether to buy assets or shares.
dispose of/reduce/sell assets »
The company's board could dispose of assets once they decide to sell the company.
freeze/release/unfreeze assets »
The courts can order a financial institution to freeze assets.
record/show sth as an asset »
This figure will need to be shown in the accounts as an asset.
»
the sale/disposal/transfer of assets
► be an asset to sb/sth »
Thank you for your contribution - you are an asset to the company.
great/important/valuable asset »
Our customer service team is our most important asset.
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See also CAPITAL ASSET(
Cf. ↑
capital asset),
CHARGEABLE ASSET(
Cf. ↑
chargeable asset),
CHARGE ON ASSETS(
Cf. ↑
charge on assets),
CIRCULATING ASSET(
Cf. ↑
circulating asset),
CURRENT ASSET(
Cf. ↑
current asset),
FINANCIAL ASSET(
Cf. ↑
financial asset),
FROZEN ASSET(
Cf. ↑
frozen asset),
HARD ASSET(
Cf. ↑
hard asset),
INTANGIBLE ASSET(
Cf. ↑
intangible asset),
INTELLECTUAL ASSET(
Cf. ↑
intellectual asset),
KNOWLEDGE ASSET(
Cf. ↑
knowledge asset),
LIQUID ASSET(
Cf. ↑
liquid asset),
NET ASSETS(
Cf. ↑
net assets),
NET CURRENT ASSETS(
Cf. ↑
net current assets),
OPERATING ASSETS(
Cf. ↑
operating assets),
RETURN ON ASSETS(
Cf. ↑
return on assets),
TANGIBLE ASSET(
Cf. ↑
tangible asset),
UNDERLYING ASSETS(
Cf. ↑
underlying assets),
VERIFICATION OF ASSETS(
Cf. ↑
verification of assets),
WASTING ASSET(
Cf. ↑
wasting asset)