FM305      Half Unit
Advanced Financial Economics

This information is for the 2024/25 session.

Teacher responsible

Prof Dimitri Vayanos

Availability

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 does not permit auditing students.

Pre-requisites

 Students must have completed FM213 Principles of Finance.

Course content

This course will present modern theories of financial markets and asset valuation. The first part of the course will cover the principle of no arbitrage, state prices and the stochastic discount factor, utility functions and portfolio choice, and equilibrium pricing and risk-neutral pricing. The second part of the course will build on this material and develop additional tools to explore the effects of frictions in financial markets, such as asymmetric information, costs of search and market participation, leverage constraints and delegated portfolio management.

Teaching

33 hours of seminars in the AT.

This course is taught in the interactive lecturing format. There is no distinction between lectures and classes/seminars; there are “sessions” only, and the pedagogical approach in each session is interactive.

Indicative reading

Teaching notes will be provided. 

Assessment

Continuous assessment (100%) in the AT.

Key facts

Department: Finance

Total students 2023/24: 50

Average class size 2023/24: 50

Capped 2023/24: No

Value: Half Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Course selection videos

Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.

Personal development skills

  • Problem solving
  • Application of information skills
  • Application of numeracy skills
  • Commercial awareness