EXC 3670 Financial Markets and Institutions

EXC 3670 Financial Markets and Institutions

Course code: 
EXC 3670
Department: 
Finance
Credits: 
7.5
Course coordinator: 
Barbara A. Bukhvalova
Course name in Norwegian: 
Financial Markets and Institutions
Product category: 
Bachelor
Portfolio: 
BBA - Specialisation in Finance
Semester: 
2017 Autumn
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Bachelor
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

Financial markets are instrumental to the workings of the economy. However, these markets do not exist in a vacuum, but evolve from the interactions of market participants within the boundaries of market institutions. The importance of financial markets have grown over time, if measured by volume traded or the share of the total output of the economy. This and the recent financial crisis have brought into light the importance how financial markets actually work.

The objective of this course is to provide an in-depth introduction into the workings of modern financial markets. There are many different “players” using these markets. On one hand, corporations, governments, and other institutions use the financial markets to raise funds (issue equity and debt) for capital investments. On the other hand, these funds are provided by private and institutional investors as well as intermediaries, banks, pension, mutual funds, etc.

More specifically, the course focuses on the mechanisms by which securities are issued and traded in modern financial markets and the implications for the efficiency and liquidity of markets. It covers all major asset classes (money markets, bonds, equities, FX, and derivatives), with a special emphaisis on interaction between financial analysis and institutional characteristics.

Learning outcomes - Knowledge

The students will acquire a good understanding of how different financial markets work. More specifically, the students will develop understanding with respect to the following topics:

  • Sources for demand and supply of capital to financial markets
  • Trading of financial assets
  • Participants in financial markets
  • Major financial assets and institutions relevant to all households
Learning outcomes - Skills
  • During the acquisition of the above mentioned knowledge the students will acquire skills that prepare them for work involving security trading, portfolio management or trade quality evaluation and for graduate work in this area.
Learning Outcome - Reflection
  • The acquired theoretical and practical knowledge provided by the course should enable the student to operate in actual financial markets, e.g. as a trader, a asset manager or an analyst.
Course content
  1. Introduction to financial markets
  2. The financial system
  3. Market participants: Governments, firms, funds, asset managers, banks, central banks, regulators, etc.
  4. Intertemporal consumption (Fisher model)
  5. Interest rates: Loanable funds equilibrium  and money markets
  6. Financial markets: Instruments, Primary vs. Secondary markets
  7. Generic market structures (secondary markets)
  8. Market liquidity
  9. Financial crises
  10. Pension and mutual funds
Learning process and requirements to students

The course's lecure hours will combine lectures and plenary tutorials where solutions to exercises will be explained and practical examples will be presented. 

Specific Information regarding any aspect of student evaluation will be provided in class. It is the student's responsibility to obtain this information. Please note that whilst attendance is not compulsory, it is the students responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on the course homepage/itslearning or in the text book. Homepages and/or itslearning are not designed for the purpose of students who choose not to attend class. At the same time, all students are expected to familiarize themselves with all information provided through itslearning in a timely manner.

Spreadsheets (Excel) will be used for certain practical applications and examples, in paricular, during the Bloomberg sessions. It is recommended that students become familiar with Excel. In class, it will be explained how to use Excel to access the data from the Bloomberg terminal and how to analyse financial data in Excel. 

This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam components) and one final exam code. Each exam component is graded by using points on a scale from 0-100. The components will be weighted together according to the information in the course description in order to calculate the final letter grade for the examination code (course). Students who fail to participate in one/some/all exam elements will get a lower grade or may fail the course. You will find detailed information about the point system and the cut off points with reference to the letter grades when the course start.

At re-sit all exam components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course.

Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Additional information

.

Required prerequisite knowledge

EXC 2910 Mathematics, EXC 2904 Statistics, EXC, 2110 Basic Financial Management, or equivalent.

Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
20
Grouping: 
Individual
Duration: 
1 Week(s)
Exam code: 
EXC36701
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
10
Grouping: 
Individual
Duration: 
1 Week(s)
Exam code: 
EXC36701
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Invigilation
Weight: 
70
Grouping: 
Individual
Support materials: 
  • BI-approved exam calculator
  • Simple calculator
  • Bilingual dictionary
  • Interest table
Duration: 
3 Hour(s)
Exam code: 
EXC36701
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam organisation: 
Continuous assessment
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Total weight: 
100
Student workload
ActivityDurationComment
Teaching
45 Hour(s)
Lectures included Bloomberg sessions.
Prepare for teaching
80 Hour(s)
Group work / Assignments
30 Hour(s)
Student's own work with learning resources
45 Hour(s)
Sum workload: 
200

A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 7,5 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 200 hours.