Topics include: Math concept review (functions, exponents, notation, weighted average, derivatives as applied to maximization/minimization); Measures of central location, variability, and association; Supply and demand curves, elasticity; Profit maximization; Markets: perfect competition, monopoly, oligopoly; Economic role of Government (monetary and fiscal policy, regulation, taxation); Basic financial statements (income statement, balance sheet, statement of cash flow, statement of changes in shareholders’ equity); Working capital, noncurrent liabilities and owners’ equity, investments and long-lived assets; Common size and ratio analysis; Principles in finance; Time value of money; Valuation (including bonds and stocks); Fixed income securities; Term structure of interest rates; Interest rate risk and duration; Capital markets, how securities trade, intermediaries; Capital market efficiency, arbitrage; Risk and return, portfolio math; Diversifiable vs. non-diversifiable risk; Asset Pricing Models (CAPM, beta, Fama-French); Capital structure; Capital budgeting; Cost of capital; Foreign exchange and global investing; Introduction to derivatives.

This course builds on the fundamentals of financial accounting and finance, and provides an in-depth exploration of investments and corporate finance. Topics such as capital structure, the cost of capital, advanced capital budgeting, security valuation, and portfolio theory are covered.

This course uses an interdisciplinary approach combining international and corporate finance to build knowledge of international investment and valuation. This course teaches global financial decision making through student collaboration and real-world applications.

This course explores decision-making theory to better understand why investors, money managers, and corporate managers make suboptimal economic and financial decisions. Specifically, the course focuses on the psychological, social, and cultural determinants of suboptimal investor and managerial behavior. A variety of behavioral “biases” are examined as well as the impact of those biases on security prices, corporate policies, and aggregate economic outcomes. In addition, the course investigates whether the mistakes generate market inefficiencies that can potentially be exploited.