Content and teaching | Assessment | Availability

Module content and teaching

Principal aims

The modules aims to: introduce you to the workings of the financial markets; equip you with the knowledge to use quantitative tools for pricing stocks, bonds and derivatives, and for measuring risk and return; develop a sound understanding of the main theories and models for valuing financial market instruments; make you aware of key empirical tests of asset valuation models, and their implications; provide you with structured opportunities to practise using the key tools and techniques of Financial Markets theory; prepare you for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Finance.

Principal learning outcomes

By the end of the module you should be able to: describe how equity, bond and derivatives markets function, and their importance to both individual investors and corporate decision-makers; explain how these markets determine the prices of stocks, bonds and derivatives; define the different forms of market efficiency, and discuss the findings of empirical tests of the Efficient Markets Hypothesis; assess both theoretical and empirical relationships between risk and return; formulate different hypotheses for the term structure of interest rates; solve structured numerical problems; write informed critiques of key issues in asset valuation; analyse case studies and construct arguments to support a particular solution; construct spreadsheets to (a) determine the risk-return characteristics of portfolios of risky assets; and (b) price stocks, bonds and options; calculate the forward price of a traded asset using the no-arbitrage principle; price option contracts using the one-period binomial model; calculate spot and forward rates of interest, and use these to price bonds; explain key theoretical models and the assumptions that underpin them; interpret empirical evidence; solve numerical problems and analyse case-study information; communicate complex ideas effectively, both verbally and in writing; discuss topical issues about the theory and practice of financial markets; construct spreadsheets to value financial instruments and test the robustness of those values to changes in key inputs; explain and interpret financial market information and data from the financial press; use web-based resources to find and retrieve financial market data, and spreadsheets to process that data.

Timetabled teaching activities

2 x 1 hour lecture per week, 1 x 1 hour seminar per week

Departmental link

http://www.wbs.ac.uk/students/undergraduate/

Module assessment

Assessment group	Assessment name	Percentage
12 CATS (Module code: IB235-12)
D (Assessed/examined work)	Class Test	20%
	Fin1 Exam (Summer)	80%
D1 (Assessed/examined work)	Class Test (Overflow paper)	20%
	Fin1 Exam (Summer) (Overflow paper)	80%

Module availability

This module is available on the following courses:

Core

• Undergraduate Accounting and Finance (with Foundation Year) (N4N4) - Year 3
• Undergraduate Accounting and Finance (NN35) - Year 2
• Undergraduate Accounting and Finance (with Intercalated Year/Undergraduate Partnership Programme) (NN36) - Year 2
• Undergraduate Accounting and Finance (with Intercalated Year/Undergraduate Partnership Programme) (NN37) - Year 2

Optional Core

N/A

Optional

• Undergraduate Law and Business Studies (MN31) - Year 2
• Undergraduate Law and Business Studies (MN31) - Year 3
• Undergraduate Law and Business Studies (MN32) - Year 2
• Undergraduate Law and Business Studies (MN32) - Year 3
• Undergraduate Law and Business Studies (MN32) - Year 4
• Law and Business Four Year (Qualifying Degree) (MN34) - Year 2
• Law and Business Four Year (Qualifying Degree) (MN34) - Year 3
• Law and Business Four Year (Qualifying Degree) (MN34) - Year 4
• Undergraduate Law and Business Studies with Intercalated Year (3+1) (MN35) - Year 2
• Undergraduate Law and Business Studies with Intercalated Year (3+1) (MN35) - Year 3
• Undergraduate Law and Business Studies with Intercalated Year (3+1) (MN35) - Year 4
• Undergraduate Law and Business Studies with Intercalated Year (4+1) (MN36) - Year 2
• Undergraduate Law and Business Studies with Intercalated Year (4+1) (MN36) - Year 4
• Undergraduate Law and Business Studies with Intercalated Year (4+1) (MN36) - Year 5
• Undergraduate Law and Business Studies (Qualifying Degree) with Intercalated Year (MN37) - Year 2
• Undergraduate Law and Business Studies (Qualifying Degree) with Intercalated Year (MN37) - Year 4
• Undergraduate Law and Business Studies (Qualifying Degree) with Intercalated Year (MN37) - Year 5
• Undergraduate International Business (N140) - Year 2
• Undergraduate International Business (N140) - Year 4
• Undergraduate International Business with French (N1R1) - Year 2
• Undergraduate International Business with French (N1R1) - Year 4
• Undergraduate International Business with German (N1R2) - Year 2
• Undergraduate International Business with German (N1R2) - Year 4
• Undergraduate International Business with Italian (N1R3) - Year 2
• Undergraduate International Business with Italian (N1R3) - Year 4
• Undergraduate International Business with Spanish (N1R4) - Year 2
• Undergraduate International Business with Spanish (N1R4) - Year 4
• BSc in Management (N201) - Year 2
• BSc in Management (N201) - Year 3
• BSc in Management (with Intercalated Year/UPP) (N202) - Year 2
• BSc in Management (with Intercalated Year/UPP) (N202) - Year 4
• BSc in International Management (N203) - Year 2
• BSc in International Management (N203) - Year 4
• Undergraduate Management (with Foundation Year) (N20A) - Year 3
• BSc in Management (with Intercalated Year/UPP) (N210) - Year 2
• BSc in Management (with Intercalated Year/UPP) (N210) - Year 4
• Undergraduate Information Systems Management and Innovation (N211) - Year 3
• Undergraduate Information Systems Management and Innovation (with Intercalated Year) (N214) - Year 4
• BSc in Management (N230) - Year 2