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commercial paper

commercial paper

2 6.3
A short-term loan companies issue to raise money quickly
  • noun
  • /kəˈmɜrʃəl ˈpeɪpər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : papel comercial
  • If you put in your transaction tax, US companies will still need short-term loans (aka commercial paper).
  • commercial paper market
  • commercial paper - short-term
  • issuing commercial paper

Or we're invested in overnight commercial paper, all right, that's not as risky.

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Examples

  • Cash equivalents include commercial paper maturing within 90 days unless renewed.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Many corporations are turning to the commercial paper market to secure short-term funding for their operational needs.

  • Entered the commercial paper market.

    Blog text (15)
  • I'm putting it all in commercial paper like you said.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The latter was made up primarily of commercial paper.

    Blog text (15)
  • In China, developers often force their suppliers to accept commercial paper, a form of IOU, instead of cash payments.

  • They pay subcontractors and suppliers with commercial paper and receivables instead of cash.

  • The commercial paper issued by these companies is not backed by any collateral, making it a higher risk for investors.

  • During economic downturns, businesses often rely on commercial paper to manage cash flow and cover immediate expenses.

Synonyms

commercial instrument
vscommercial paper
  • Specialized
6.9

A legal document that businesses use to make or record payments

is a specific short term unsecured debt issued to meet immediate cash needs

How Long

to bond
  • Specialized
12 6.6
MTN
  • Specialized
8.8
commercial paper
  • Specialized
2 6.3
to overnight
5 3.2

Surface Forms

Morphology

commercial + paper

The parts 'commercial' (business-related) and 'paper' (document/written instrument) give a clear cue that the phrase refers to a business-related document, so a learner might infer a commercial/business document. However, the specific technical meaning — an unsecured short-term debt instrument — is specialized financial terminology that a B1 learner would not reliably derive from the constituents alone, so the expression is only partially predictable.

Etymology

Commercial paper comes from the old practice of merchants and companies writing a quick 'promise to pay' on a piece of paper. The word commercial means 'business' and paper means the written note, so today Commercial paper means a short 'business' loan in the form of a simple note, usually without a special guarantee.