agency

n. franchise; bureau; office; means of action, method

Agency may refer to any of the following:Agency (country subdivision)Agency (law), the status of a person who acts for another person.Agency (Mormonism)Agency (philosophy), the capacity to make choicesEmployment agency, a business that serves as a representative, acting on behalf of anotherFree agency, availability status of a rostered player on a team or franchise.Government agency, a department of a local or national government responsible for the oversight and administration of a specific functionInternational agency, an inter-governmental bodyNews agencyMoral agency, capacity for making moral judgments.Structure and agency, ability of an actor to organize future situations and resource distribution.
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(n.)
The place of business of am agent.
  

(n.)
The office of an agent, or factor; the relation between a principal and his agent; business of one intrusted with the concerns of another.
  

(n.)
The faculty of acting or of exerting power; the state of being in action; action; instrumentality.
  

noun
(a) action of causing something to happen; the disease develops through the agency of certain bacteria present in the bloodstream
(b) office, organization which provides nurses for temporary work in hospitals, clinics, in private houses
QUOTE:the cost of employing agency nurses should be no higher than the equivalent full-time staff Nursing Times
QUOTE:growing numbers of nurses are choosing agency careers, which pay more and provide more flexible schedules than hospitals American Journal of Nursing

In context of general equities, buying or selling for the account and risk of a customer. Generally, an agent, or broker, acts as intermediary between buyer and seller, taking no financial risk personally or as a firm, and charging a commission for the service. The broker represents a customer buyer/seller to a customer seller/buyer and does not act as principal for the firm's own trading account. Antithesis of principal. See: Dealer.