One of the main differences between the money market and the stock market is that most money market securities trade in very high denominations. Furthermore, the money market is a dealer market, which means that firms buy and sell securities in their own accounts, at their own risk. This limits the access of the individual investor to the inventory held by their broker. Compare this to the stock market where a broker receives commission to acts as an agent, while the investor takes the risk of holding the stock.

The easiest way for us to gain access to the money market is through a broker or by using money market mutual funds. These funds pool together the assets of thousands of investors in order to buy the money market securities on their behalf. However, some money market instruments, like treasury bills, may be purchased directly.