The document discusses international capital markets and the gains from trade they provide. It describes the three types of international transactions - trade of goods for goods, goods for assets, and assets for assets. International capital markets allow participants like banks, firms, and governments to issue and trade different types of assets, including bonds, stocks, and currency. This increases gains from trade by improving specialization through comparative advantage and facilitating intertemporal trade of assets. It also allows risk to be reduced through international portfolio diversification.