The amount of money that consumers and firms wish to hold, or the function determining desired money holdings. In Keynesian economics the main motives for holding money rather than other forms of wealth are the transaction motive (to meet day-to-day needs); the speculative motive (in anticipation of a fall in the price of assets); and the precautionary motive (to meet unexpected future outlays). More generally, the main factors that affect the demand for money are prices, interest rates, income, availability of substitutes, and inflation expectations.