Investment banking includes the business of raising money (capital) for companies by selling securities such as stocks and bonds. It is also the business of valuing companies and advising them on topics such as how to use their funding and what companies they should consider acquiring.

Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, Citigroup, Bank of America, UBS, Credit Suisse, and Barclays Capital are some of the many investment banks.

Refer to this presentation for its view on how to define an investment bank and for a preview on some of the topics that follow.