Definition

Noun: * Large-scale and complex financial dealings: Refers to transactions, investments, or operations involving very large sums of money and sophisticated financial instruments, typically conducted by major institutions like banks, investment firms, or governments. The term often carries a critical connotation, suggesting these activities are conducted by a powerful, elite group and may be ethically questionable or detached from the realities of everyday economics.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The world of high finance can seem impenetrable to the average person.
  • The scandal revealed the corruption at the highest levels of high finance.
  • Decisions made in the boardrooms of high finance have a direct impact on global markets.

Advanced Usage

• The term is frequently used in a critical or journalistic context to discuss the power, opacity, or potential recklessness of major financial sectors.
  • The documentary examined how high finance contributed to the economic crisis.

Variants and Related Words

• Finance (n): The management of large amounts of money, especially by governments or large companies. (A broader, more neutral term than "high finance").
• High-finance (adj): Used attributively to describe things related to this sphere.
  • He is a high-finance executive.

Synonyms

• Big money: (Informal) Emphasizes the large amounts of capital involved.
• Corporate finance: A more specific, neutral term for the financial activities of corporations.
• The financial elite: Emphasizes the small group of powerful people involved.

Related Idioms

• To be a player in high finance: To be an influential participant in large-scale financial markets.
  • After the merger, the company became a major player in high finance.

Noun

1. large and complex financial transactions (often used with the implication that those individuals or institutions who engage in them are unethical)