Coursera-Financial Markets-Feb-April 2014 – Yale University

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Coursera Financial Markets

About the Course

info: www.coursera.org/course/financialmarkets

Instructor: Robert Shiller, Yale University

Feb. 17th – April 16th 2014

Financial institutions are a pillar of civilized society, supporting people in their productive ventures and managing the economic risks they take on. The workings of these institutions are important to comprehend if we are to predict their actions today and their evolution in the coming information age. The course strives to offer understanding of the theory of finance and its relation to the history, strengths and imperfections of such institutions as banking, insurance, securities, futures, and other derivatives markets, and the future of these institutions over the next century.

Course Syllabus

Week 1 Topics – Basic Principles of Finance and Risk Management – February 17th 

• Introduction to Week 1 from Professor Shiller 
• Portfolio Diversification and Supporting Financial Institutions (Part 1 and 2) 
• Insurance, the Archetypal Risk Management Institutions: Its Opportunities and Vulnerabilities 
• Guest speaker: Maurice “Hank” Greenberg 

Week 2 Topics – Efficient Markets vs. Behavioral Finance – February 24th 

• Introduction to Week 2 from Professor Shiller 
• Efficient Markets 
• Behavioral Finance and the Role of the Psychology 
• Guest speaker: David Swensen 

Week 3 Topics – Debt versus Equity – March 3rd 

• Introduction to Week 3 from Professor Shiller 
• Theory of Debt, Its Proper Role, Leverage Cycles 
• Corporate Stocks 
• Guest Speaker: Laura Cha 

Week 4 Topics – Real Estate, Regulation, and Enterprise – March 10th 

• Introduction to Week 4 from Professor Shiller 
• Real Estate 
• Misbehavior, Crises, Regulation and Self Regulation 
• Guest Speaker: Carl Icahn 

Week 5 Topics – Forward Futures and Options Markets – March 17th 

• Introduction to Week 5 from Professor Shiller 
• Forward and Futures Markets 
• Options Markets 
• Guest Speaker: Andrew Redleaf 

Week 6 Topics – Monetary Policy – March 24th 

• Introduction to Week 6 from Professor Shiller 
• Banks 
• Monetary Policy 
• Guest Speaker: Larry Summers 

Week 7 Topics – Critical Elements of the Financial Infrastructure – March 31st 

• Introduction to Week 7 from Professor Shiller 
• Investment Banks 
• Professional Money Managers and Their Influence 
• Exchanges, Brokers, Dealers, Clearinghouses 
• Schwarzman Lecture 

Week 8 Topics – Finance and the Broader Public Purpose – April 7th 

• Introduction to Week 8 from Professor Shiller 
• Public and Non-Profit Finance 
• Finding your Purpose in the World of Financial Capitalism 
• Professor Shiller Conclusion