Financial Markets and Institutions

Catalog description

This course presents an overview of the structure and function of the financial markets. The course attempts to provide a general working knowledge of the financial system by examining not only how various intermediaries and markets work, but also their evolution over time. The role of central banks, and their operations, is particularly emphasized, as is the nature of risk management both within the financial institution and more broadly for the financial system. Topics considered here include swaps, credit derivatives, value at risk models, and systemic risk. Just as intermediation has moved from institutions to markets, the course follows a similar evolution in the topics studied over the course of the semester. Market topics examined include securitization, the Blockchain, digital currencies and the impact of fin tech on intermediation. (MPA-TPA)