Financial Institutions and Markets (N1634)
15 credits, Level 4
Spring teaching
On this module, you'll explore the role of financial institutions in society, including banks, insurance companies and investment managers. You’ll gain an understanding of major financial markets and products, examining how they connect with the institutions covered earlier in the module. You'll also discuss the behaviour of financial institutions and ethical principles of finance.
Topics include:
- introduction to finance, its purpose, and origins
- commercial banks: risks, capital adequacy, regulation, deposit insurance and Islamic finance
- investment banks: market roles, divisional analysis, shadow finance and leasing
- insurance: life and health, principal-agent problems, regulations and market crises
- investment managers: mutual funds, hedge funds, private equity,and venture capital
- debt markets: term structures, leverage cycles, rating agencies and consumer protection
- equity markets: stock exchanges, corporations and capital raising
- real estate: REITs, mortgages, securitisation, and boom-bust cycles
- securitisation
- financial crises and regulation: historical and recent crises, and regulatory reforms.