Liquidity

Liquidity describes how easily an asset can be converted into cash without significantly affecting its price.

1 min read Learning to Invest

What it means

Liquidity describes how easily an asset can be converted into cash without significantly affecting its price. Some assets can be sold quickly, while others may take weeks or months.

Example

Listed shares are generally much more liquid than property.

Why it matters

Liquidity matters if you may need access to your money at short notice.

Less liquid investments sometimes offer higher potential returns in exchange for reduced flexibility.

Can something be valuable but illiquid?

Yes. An asset can be worth a lot but still take a long time to sell.

Related terms

This term comes up a lot when you're learning to invest.

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