[Vocabulary] "businesses", what do they mean here?

[michael147]

Forcing banks to subsidiarise makes lots of sense for regulators, particularly in the case of retail banks that are essentially local anyway.
For big capital-markets businesses, however, it may lead to higher funding costs, trapped pools of capital
and a loss of diversification benefits if banks cannot shift capital from healthy businesses to troubled ones.

"businesses", what do they mean here? companies or business activity?

Your help will be appreciated.

 

[charliedeut]

IMO, "businesses" here means "companies", "firms", or even "banks".

charliedeut

 

[Tdol]

I agree.

 

[Raymott]

"businesses", what does it mean here? companies or business activity?

"businesses" is a word, one word. It takes a singular verb. You're not asking about businesses, but about a word.
What do "businesses" mean?" - wrong.
What does "businesses" mean?" - right.

 

[charliedeut]

"businesses" is a word, one word. It takes a singular verb. You're not asking about businesses, but about a word.
What do "businesses" mean?" - wrong.
What does "businesses" mean?" - right.

Missed that