MARKET ECONOMY AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS
Instructional goals
Provide the basic knowledge of the mechanisms of financial intermediation and the functioning of financial markets;
Pass on skills relating to the management conditions of financial intermediaries, with particular reference to economic and risk aspects;
Learn the technical, legal, financial and operational characteristics of financial instruments traded by intermediaries
Intended learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding: the student will have acquired elementary knowledge of intermediation mechanisms, instruments, markets and financial intermediaries; will understand the meaning of financial instrument prices and the reasons for their variations; will be able to recognise the reasons for the central bank's monetary policy actions and predict the desired effects on financial and real markets; will possess the general framework for the regulation of markets and financial intermediaries.
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: the student will be able to assess financial instruments, calculate ex post and expected returns; will be able to capture the main risk factors associated with financial instruments and calculate the impact of these risks on expected returns; will be able to design simple investment and risk management structures.
Autonomy of judgement: the student will have developed the ability to critically assess the investment and financing opportunities offered by markets and financial intermediaries; will be able to assess the presence of possible mispricing situations on the markets; dynamically understand price trends; express personal opinions on the monetary policy choices of the central bank.
Communicative skills: the student will have developed the ability to understand the language, even slang, of operators and media that deal with finance; he will be able to talk to professionals in the sector to comment on market trends and will be able to explain to non-specialists the most relevant issues and market trends, for example, expressing opinions on the investment of savings and the acquisition of resources for a simple company.
Learning skills: the student will be able to keep constantly updated on the dynamics of financial markets, on the evolution of innovations and new techniques of intermediation of financial resources and will be able to continuously enrich his or her knowledge on the subject by consulting the appropriate sources of specialist information.
Learning skills: the student will be able to keep constantly updated on the dynamics of financial markets, on the evolution of innovations and new techniques of intermediation of financial resources and will be able to continuously enrich his or her knowledge on the subject by consulting the appropriate sources of specialist information.
Course Contents
Analysis of the characteristics and functioning of financial markets
Theory of intermediation and functions of financial intermediaries
Financial intermediaries: management, risks and regulation
Analysis of the characteristics of financial instruments traded on financial markets
Reference Books
Istituzioni e mercati Finanziari (9 edizione) Miskins Eakins Beccalli ed Pearson
Slides and exercises presented in class and signalled by the professor as part of the final exam
Teaching Methods
The teaching activity is articulated as follows:
Frontal lectures: aimed at providing basic knowledge, and discussing with students the program's topics.
Exercises: aimed at the improvement of application skills and problem solving.
Seminars: analysts, experts, representatives of the credit and financial intermediation sector are invited to enrich the course content by bringing their professional experience to the classroom.
Group project: students are involved in group project presentation activities to develop the skills of research, coordination, adoption of technical language and public speaking.
Individual study: students integrate the knowledge and skills acquired in the classroom with an individual study of the textbook and reading of in-depth documents indicated by the teacher to promote independent learning skills.
Assessment Method
For attending students the final grade is made up of :
1) Continuous assessments:
a) Group project (20%)
b) The first assessment (40%)
2) The final assessment (40%)
Attending students are those who systematically attend lectures. Continuously participating in a group project is essential for being considered an attending student.
The written test will consist of exercises carried out or assigned during classes, multiple-choice questions, and short open-ended questions. The subject of the test will be the chapters of the book indicated below:
2: Financial System
6 Banks: foundations of business and management
7 Banking sector: structure and competition
8 Banking and financial regulation
9 Mutual funds
10 Insurance companies and pension funds
11 Investment banks, brokers and dealers, venture capital firms
12 Interest rates and their role in the evaluation
13 Banking operations
14 The balance sheet and some management principles of banks
15 Risk management in financial institutions
16 Structure of central banks: The European Central Bank
17 Management of monetary policy: tools and objectives
18 Financial markets and interest rates
20 Money markets
21 Bond market
22 Stock market
23 Foreign exchange market
24 Derivatives market
Plus, any other distributed reference material during the year and indicated as "study material".
The assessment of group work will initially be the same for all members of the group and individuals insofar as the professor can ascertain the effective contribution of each member. To this end, the classroom presentations will not be entrusted to one or more "spokesmen", but the professor will invite some or all of the group members to present or discuss parts of the work.
The composition of the groups will be decided by the professor and communicated at the beginning of the course. Each person must confirm or not confirm their intention to participate in the working groups. Those who withdraw from the assigned group will be considered "non-attending students ".
For non-attending students:
Written exam (100%)
Non-attending students cannot systematically follow the course (regardless of the reason, i.e. participation in internships or completion of the Erasmus period does not allow attendance). Non-attenders are also those who do not participate or withdraw from group work.
One year after the end of the course, all students in debt are considered non-attending.
Non-attending students will only be assessed based on the final written exam, the structure of which will be the same, but the number of question exercises appropriate to the value of the test will be 100%.
The test will cover all the chapters of the textbook.
Mid-term test: there is no intermediate test for both attendants and non-attendants
Thesis assignment criteria
There are no formal barriers. The assignment of the final thesis is made by the professor after the approval of the topic, the bibliographic research, and a brief memo illustrating the thesis project.
Week 1
Why study financial institutions and markets?
Banks: foundations of business and management
Week 2
Money Markets
Bond Market
Week 3
Bond practical class
Basic Options
Week 4
Options practical class
Structured Bond
Bond Management
Week 5
Bond Portfolio practical class
Stock Market
Week 6
Spot and forward exchange rates
Financial Future
Sawap and F.R.A.
Week 7
Derivatives practical class
Bank: introduction
Banking sector: structure and competition
Week 8
Banking operations
Mutual funds
Insurance and Pension Fund
Week 9
The bank balance sheet
Financial statement analysis and banking business indicators
Week 10
Banking practical class
Investment banks, brokers and dealers, venture capital firms
Banking and financial regulation
Week 11
Basel III international regulatory framework for banks
The conventional theory of performance evaluation
Week 12
Central Bank and Monetary Policy
Risk Management