Prof Daniel Ferreira

This course is compulsory on the BSc in Finance. This course is not available as an outside option nor to General Course students.

This course will provide a non-technical introduction to Finance and an overview of the Finance discipline. The aim of the course is to explain the importance of finance to individuals, firms, governments, and society in general. Topics will be organised into two main themes: Equity markets and debt markets. We will study such markets from the perspectives of investors, companies, and financial intermediaries. Topics will include financial returns, discounting and present value, the cost of capital, stock markets, stock trading, mutual and hedge funds, derivatives, banks, bond markets, peer-to-peer lending, entrepreneurial finance, venture capital, private equity, corporate governance and strategy, and capital structure.

30 hours of learning sessions in the LT.

Feedback will be given on homework assignments.

Detailed course programmes and reading lists are distributed at the start of the course. Illustrative texts include: Grinblatt & Titman, Financial Markets and Corporate Strategy (Irwin, McGraw-Hill) or Brealey, Myers and Allen, Corporate Finance (McGraw-Hill).

Exam (60%, duration: 2 hours) in the main exam period.
Coursework (40%) in the LT.

The coursework will consist of homework assignments throughout the LT.