In preparing this sixth edition we were influenced primarily by the sweeping changes that have occurred in our monetary and financial system during the fifteen years since Principles of Money, Banking, and Financial Markets was first published. Although each of our previous five editions has kept pace with current developments, this sixth edition represents by far the most substantial overhaul of all. Improvements have been made in institutional and theoretical coverage as well as in pedagogical techniques; however, we still maintain the casual conversational style that has highlighted earlier editions.