Rice University Banner Image

Economics 355: Financial Markets and Institutions -- Fall 2017

Professor:     Mahmoud A. El-Gamal Textbook: Mishkin, Frederic S. with Stanley G. Eakins,
TA: Van T Ngo
Financial Markets and Institutions, 9th ed., Prentice Hall, 2018
https://www.vitalsource.com/referral?term=9780134448763
Classes: MWF 9:00--9:50, KWG 100

Office Hours: MW 1-2 or by appt, BKH 240

This course covers most aspects of financial markets and institutions at a highly non-technical level (with very rare exceptions). Its objective is to allow students to read any major financial newspaper or website and understand most articles therein, with a deep understanding of the economic forces at work.

Students will read most of the textbook, and will be tested on the material therein through multiple choice assignments (which account for 10% of the grade). Similar multiple choice questions on textbook material will account for half the grades in three midterm and one final exams. Practice multiple choice questions for the assignments and exams are available under the Quizzes tab.

The other half of each exam's grade will be based on short answers to questions regarding current events, which will be covered in class, and summarized with links in lecture slides posted under the Files tab, as well as in-class experiments conducted using Moblab

The final exam is comprehensive and optional. The overall grade will be calculated based on the best three out of four exams. All exams, as well as assignments, will be conducted online on Canvas

 

Mon Wed  Fri 

(Tentative) Syllabus    

Textbook Readings

August

21

23 25 Introduction + overview + interest rates Chs 1-3
Aug/September 28 30 1
Interest rates + their risk + their term structure Chs 4-5

4 6 8
Labor Day + efficient markets + financial institutions
Chs 6-7

11 13 15
Central Banking + Monetary Policy Chs 9-10

18 20
22 Review of Chapters 1-10 + Midterm I
Chs 1-10

25 27 29
Money + Bond + Stock Markets Chs 11-13
October 2 4 6
Mortgage + ForEx Markets Chs 14-15

9 11
13

Midterm Recess + Review of Chapters 11-15 + Midterm II

Chs 11-15

16 18 20

International System + Banking

Chs 16-17

23
25
27
  Financial Regulation + Banking Industry
Chs 18-19
Oct/November 30 1
3 Review of     Chapters 16-19 + Midterm III
Chs 16-19
               6 8
10
Mutual Funds + Insurance Chs 20-21

13 15 17
Investment Banks + Risk Management Chs 22-23

20 22
24
Review of Chapters 20-23 + Thanksgiving Break
Chs 20-23
Nov/December 27 29
1
  Derivatives + Final Review
Chs 1-24

Final   Examination (optional), December 6--13 (registrar scheduled)


 

Grading:

Weekly Homeworks 10 %
First Midterm 30 %
Second Midterm 30 %
Third Midterm 30 %
Final Exam (optional, comprehensive)
30 % (sub)