<p>An <strong>institutional investor</strong> is a large entity that <strong>manages and invests money on behalf of clients</strong>. Examples include:</p><ul><li><strong>Pension Funds</strong> → Retirement funds for workers.</li><li><strong>Mutual Funds &amp; ETFs</strong> → Investment funds pooling retail investor money.</li><li><strong>Insurance Companies</strong> → Managing premium payments for future claims.</li></ul><p>Institutional investors control <strong>massive amounts of capital</strong>, allowing them to <strong>move markets</strong> more significantly than individual retail investors.&nbsp;</p><h4><strong>Retail vs. Institutional Investors:</strong></h4><figure class="table"><table><thead><tr><th>Feature</th><th>Retail Investor</th><th>Institutional Investor</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Capital</strong></td><td>Limited personal funds</td><td>Large-scale capital (millions/billions)</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Execution Speed</strong></td><td>Slower, limited tools</td><td>Faster, with direct market access</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Market Influence</strong></td><td>Less impact individually</td><td>Moves markets with large trades</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Investment Strategy</strong></td><td>Often emotional, speculative</td><td>Data-driven, algorithmic</td></tr></tbody></table></figure><p>See also: <a href="https://unusualwhales.com/information/retail-investor">Retail Investor</a></p>

A definition of what an institutional investor is, what they do, and how they differ from retail investors

Institutional Investor

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