INSTRUCTORS:
The course teaches specific skills as well as helps students develop a broader understanding of financial markets. Both areas are needed in professional investment portfolio management.
A broader understanding of financial markets is also needed in a changing world, where existing practical tools and modes of implementation do not always work. A successful investment professional needs to adapt to new situations and commit to lifelong learning. One must improve existing practices and sometimes create entirely new tools (e.g., measuring the performance of hedge funds). A systematic approach that is built on understanding the theory and empirical features of financial markets is needed in that task.
The objective of the course is to introduce the key theories and observations in financial markets. The course covers security markets and instruments, pricing of capital assets, and portfolio investment tools. It is not intended as the first finance course.
