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EC988-15 Investment and the Financial System

Department
Economics
Level
Taught Postgraduate Level
Module leader
Zeynep Kurter
Credit value
15
Module duration
9 weeks
Assessment
100% exam
Study location
University of Warwick main campus, Coventry

Introductory description

EC988-15 Economics of Financial Markets

Module web page

Module aims

This module is designed to provide an overview of the financial markets. It will explain the integration of firms’ investment decisions with financial instruments. Key topics include investment related to the bond and stock market, capital asset pricing, consumption-based asset pricing models, and systemic risk.
Students will gain an understanding of the relationship between investment and financial markets. They will learn how the stock market affects investment decisions, how equity and derivative instruments work in financial markets, and why systemic risk is important in financial markets. They will also study models based on capital and consumption-based asset pricing.
Topics in this module include the interplay between the bond market and yield curves, stock market bubbles, and systemic risk in financial markets, firms' investment decisions, the microeconomic foundations of the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), and consumption-based asset pricing models.

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Topics:
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
The syllabus may cover, but is not limited to, the following topics:

  1. The Bond Market and Yield Curves
  2. Credit Ratings and Credit Default Swaps
  3. The Stock Market Investment
  4. Systemic Risk in Financial Markets
  5. Microeconomic Foundations for Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM)
  6. Consumption-Based Asset Pricing Models

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

  • Subject Knowledge and Understanding:...understand changes in financial markets & financial crises. The teaching and learning methods that enable students to achieve this learning outcome are: Lectures, independent study. The summative assessment methods that measure the achievement of this learning outcome are: Examination.
  • Subject Knowledge and Understanding:...understand debt and equity securities, firms’ investment decisions analysis. The teaching and learning methods that enable students to achieve this learning outcome are: Lectures, independent study. The summative assessment methods that measure the achievement of this learning outcome are: Examination.
  • Subject Knowledge and Understanding:...demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of recent advances in financial markets. The teaching and learning methods that enable students to achieve this learning outcome are: Lectures, independent study. The summative assessment methods that measure the achievement of this learning outcome are: Examination.
  • Cognitive skills:...critically evaluate selected empirical techniques which form the basis of recent approaches to understanding the behaviour of firms in financial markets. The teaching and learning methods that enable students to achieve this learning outcome are: Lectures, independent study The summative assessment methods that measure the achievement of this learning outcome are: Examination"
  • Subject Specific and Professional Skills:...appraise and synthesise the relevant literature explaining how theories have been tested and the results obtained. The teaching and learning methods that enable students to achieve this learning outcome are: Lectures, independent study. The summative assessment methods that measure the achievement of this learning outcome are: Examination.

Indicative reading list

Please see Talis Aspire link for most up to date list.

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Subject specific skills

Students will have the opportunity to develop skills in:
Analytical thinking and communication
Analytical reasoning
Critical thinking
Strategic thinking
Problem-solving
Abstraction
Analysis of incentives
Concepts of Simultaneity and Endogeneity
Analysis of optimisation
Understanding of Uncertainty and Incomplete Information

Transferable skills

Students will have the opportunity to develop:
Numeracy and quantitative skills
Written communication skills
Oral communication skills
Mathematical, statistical and data-based research skills

Study time

Type Required
Lectures 18 sessions of 1 hour (12%)
Other activity 3 hours (2%)
Private study 129 hours (86%)
Total 150 hours

Private study description

Private study will be required in order to prepare for seminars/classes, to review lecture notes, to prepare for forthcoming assessments, tests, and exams, and to undertake wider reading around the subject.

Other activity description

Additional classes

Costs

No further costs have been identified for this module.

You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.

Assessment group B2
Weighting Study time Eligible for self-certification
Assessment component
In-person Examination 100% No

A paper which examines the course content and ensures learning outcomes are achieved.


  • Answerbook provided by department
  • Students may use a calculator
Reassessment component is the same
Feedback on assessment

The Department of Economics is committed to providing high quality and timely feedback to students on their assessed work, to enable them to review and continuously improve their work. We are dedicated to ensuring feedback is returned to students within 20 University working days of their assessment deadline. Feedback for assignments is returned either on a standardised assessment feedback cover sheet which gives information both by tick boxes and by free comments or via free text comments on Tabula, together with the annotated assignment. For tests and problem sets, students receive solutions as an important form of feedback and their marked assignment, with a breakdown of marks and comments by question and sub-question. Students are informed how to access their feedback, either by collecting from the Department of Economics Postgraduate Office or via Tabula. Module leaders often provide generic feedback for the cohort outlining what was done well, less well, and what was expected on the assignment and any other common themes. This feedback also includes a cumulative distribution function with summary statistics so students can review their performance in relation to the cohort. This feedback is in addition to the individual-specific feedback on assessment performance.

Past exam papers for EC988

Pre-requisites

Basic knowledge of calculus and econometrics.

Courses

This module is Optional for:

  • Year 1 of TECA-L1P6 Postgraduate Taught Economics

This module is Option list A for:

  • Year 1 of TECA-L1P7 Postgraduate Taught Economics and International Financial Economics