Print Settings
 

FINANCE 306: International Finance and Macroeconomics

An introduction to the global economy. We will cover a number of important topics for firms, banks, and policy makers: global capital flows, international financial markets, the role of the U.S. and US dollar in the international monetary system, reserve currencies history and future (stable coins?), exchange rates (floating, fixed, and monetary unions), financial crises, international financial policy (capital controls, bank regulation, FX intervention), currency wars, tax havens and global wealth dynamics, global trade, and trade wars. Emphasis will be on data driven approaches, no prior knowledge is assumed. An MBA class designed for those looking to understand today's global economic issues.
Terms: Spr | Units: 3

FINANCE 341: Modeling for Investment Management

This course will combine practical and up-to-date investment theory with modeling applications. Understanding beautiful theory, without the ability to apply it, is essentially useless. Conversely, creating state-of-the-art spreadsheets that apply incorrect theory is a waste of time. Here, we try to explicitly combine theory and application. The course will be divided into 6 modules, or topics. The first day of each module will be a lecture on an investment topic. Also provided is a team modeling project on the topic. The second day of each module will be a lab. The lab day will begin with modeling concepts (tips) designed to help you use Excel to implement the module's investment topic. After the tips are provided, the remainder of the lab day is devoted to teams working on their modeling project and allowing for Q&A. On the third day of each module will be presentations and wrap-up.
Terms: Spr | Units: 3

FINANCE 350: Corporate Financial Modeling

This course will expose students to the fundamentals, best practices, and advanced techniques of corporate financial modeling. We begin with basic operating and integrated financial statement models, and ultimately develop financial models to analyze major corporate transactions, including venture capital funding, mergers and acquisitions, and leverage buyouts. We will integrate theories presented throughout the MBA core, particularly those from accounting and finance, and take a hands-on approach to understand how the theory is implemented in practice.The focus of the course will be on developing critical financial modeling skills, understanding best practices, and recognizing common pitfalls. Students will work on a series of cases and build models that can be used for earnings and pro-forma financial statement forecasts, valuation, the assessment of financing needs, merger analysis, and LBO evaluation.Students will also gain experience presenting financial models and critically assessing them. By the conclusion of the course, students will develop the skills to construct complex financial models and the logical frameworks to utilize them for various organizational applications.
Terms: Spr | Units: 4

FINANCE 351: Advanced Corporate Financial Modeling

Students will engage in the development of corporate financial modeling cases and solutions. Students will also develop materials to aid others in building financial models, and serve as case leaders during lab workshops. Extensive background in financial modeling and experience with Excel is required.
Terms: Spr | Units: 4

FINANCE 362: Financial Trading Strategies

The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the different types of trading strategies employed by hedge funds. Throughout the sessions, students will be challenged to understand and explore the application and implementation of these different strategies. Trading simulations employed on the Rotman Interactive Trader will be used extensively in this course as a way to learn and test different strategies. All classes will be held in the Real-time Analytics and Investment Lab (RAIL), located on the third floor of the Bass Building (B312). Students are expected to attend all sessions. Grades are based on in-class simulation results, class participation, and two written assignments.
Terms: Spr | Units: 3
Instructors: ; Mak, K. (PI); Shaker, S. (GP)

FINANCE 555: Private Wealth Management and Personal Investing

The Private Wealth Management and Personal Investing course will address issues that relate to the management of personal assets as opposed to institutional investing. Many investment courses at the GSB emphasize large institutional portfolios but this course is about portfolio decisions for individuals. It will cover the origins and growth of private wealth management as an industry, investment planning, risk management, inter-generational transfers of wealth, choice of wealth advisors and philanthropy. Special emphasis is on understanding how wealth managers may be evaluated, including potential conflicts of interest, and performance measurement. Classes will focus on case studies and various readings. Each class will include visits from professionals in the wealth management and personal investing business. Active class participation and a group project are required.
Terms: Spr | Units: 2

FINANCE 582: Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Leadership

In this course, you will learn the key principles of CFO leadership. Taught by experienced CFOs, the class will put students in the shoes of CFOs navigating complex, high-stakes situations. The teaching team will guide interactive classroom discussion and debate. Guest speakers in 2023 include the CFOs of AirBNB, Meta, Walmart and Zoom. Finance 582 is for future CFOs and everyone who will work with CFOs - CEOs, senior executives, venture and private equity investors, board members, bankers, auditors, and regulators, in other words, just about everyone now at the GSB. CFOs often determine a company's direction and strategy, and their leadership can set the stage either for growth or austerity. This class aims to inspire curiosity in the CFO role by highlighting the many ways CFOs can lead. This 2-unit course will have 9 class sessions in April & May 2023. Grading will be based on class participation (40%), a midterm project (30%), and a final CFO case study project (30%). 25 CFOs from leading companies including the CFOs of AT&T, DoorDash, General Mills, Qualcomm, Visa, and Wells Fargo have agreed to speak with student teams for the final case study project. The teaching team is led by Jeff Epstein, former CFO of Oracle and board member at Kaiser Permanente, Twilio, Okta, Couchbase and AvePoint, and Mitesh Dhruv, former CFO of RingCentral and board member at ZoomInfo, along with Elena Gomez, CFO of Toast and board member at PagerDuty, Smartsheet and the U.C. Berkeley Haas School of Business, and Khozema Shipchandler, COO and former CFO of Twilio.
Terms: Spr | Units: 2

FINANCE 587: Private Equity - An Overview of the Industry

This 2-unit elective at the GSB is an "Overview" of the private equity industry including its reason for being, its growth and the various strategies for success that private equity firms employ. The course looks at all aspects of private equity partnerships and private equity investing. The course may be of particular interest to five groups of students: (i) students who aspire to be employed in private equity as a career; (ii) students who plan to be employed by companies that are owned by private equity firms; (iii) students who may invest in private equity partnerships as a limited partner; (iv) students who find private equity to be an interesting part of the financial services industry, and (v) students who expect to participate in corporate business development or mergers and acquisitions. The course will meet for nine classes. Each class will have at least one senior partner from a private equity firm to comment on the activities of his firm. In years past, some of the true leaders of the industry have participated. One class will be a mock investment review committee presentation as a final project.
Terms: Spr | Units: 2

FINANCE 624: Corporate Finance Theory

This course considers a wide range of topics in theoretical corporate finance (broadly interpreted). Topics include capital structure decisions, agency conflicts in the firm, dividend policy, security design, optimal financial contracting, the theory of the firm, the market for corporate control, and banking and financial intermediation, among others. The primary focus is on how asymmetric information, agency conflicts, strategic interactions, and incomplete contracting affect corporate financial decision-making. The course aims both to familiarize students with influential papers and current research, and to promote new research ideas in the area.
Terms: Spr | Units: 4

FINANCE 625: Empirical Asset Pricing

This course is an introduction to empirical research in asset pricing. The focus of the course is on the interplay between financial economic theory, econometric method, and that analysis of financial market data. Topics include tests of asset pricing models, return predictability in time-series and cross-section, empirical studies of asset market imperfections, and studies of individual and professional investor behavior. Class discussions will draw on textbooks/monographs and original articles and working papers.
Terms: Spr | Units: 3

FINANCE 626: Advanced Corporate Finance

This is a PhD-level course on advanced topics in corporate finance, mainly covering theoretical issues with empirical implications. With technical tools in continuous-time models, we will examine issues in dynamic optimal contracting and capital structure, capital market frictions and implications on corporate finance, financing and investment with macroeconomic implications, and recent development in banking and financial crisis. A requirement for this course is that students complete one project (either theoretical or empirical).
Terms: Spr | Units: 3
Instructors: ; He, Z. (PI); Molina, M. (GP)

FINANCE 632: International Finance and Macroeconomics

This is an advanced graduate-level course in international finance and macroeconomics. The course focuses on empirical methods, stylized facts, new advances in large-scale empirical work, and applied theory. This course is targeted to advanced second year PhD students. The course assumes familiarity with the basics of graduate-level macroeconomics and finance. Students without the necessary familiarity with these techniques are welcome to take the course, but should expect to have to fill the gaps on their own (and with the help of their classmates!). Given the target audience above, the course has three main objectives. 1) To introduce and investigate both classic and new economic issues at the frontier of current research in international finance and macroeconomics. The purely pedagogical part of the course aims to make students familiar with the questions, the current state of research, and the empirical tools currently being used. 2) To create a mental framework and intuitive understanding of important and active questions. What makes a question interesting? What makes a paper a good paper? How to develop a reasoned view of new (and perhaps yet un-studied) issues in international finance and macroeconomics? This objective is less direct and less formal, but aims to transition the students into full-time researchers. 3) To kick-start students on independent research. For those interested in applied work the course makes you familiar and tries to connect you with existing data at the frontier of the field, both public and proprietary. For those interested in theoretical work the course staff acts as a sounding board for early research ideas.
Terms: Spr | Units: 3

FINANCE 636: Finance Faculty Research Workshop

In this course, the finance faculty will present their recent research in financial economics. The course will focus not only on the research itself but also on the process. How did this research project get started? How did this research project evolve? The course is designed to help Ph.D. students understand the research process.
Terms: Spr | Units: 1

FINANCE 691: PhD Directed Reading (ACCT 691, GSBGEN 691, HRMGT 691, MGTECON 691, MKTG 691, OB 691, OIT 691, POLECON 691, STRAMGT 691)

This course is offered for students requiring specialized training in an area not covered by existing courses. To register, a student must obtain permission from the faculty member who is willing to supervise the reading.
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum | Units: 1-15 | Repeatable for credit

FINANCE 692: PhD Dissertation Research (ACCT 692, GSBGEN 692, HRMGT 692, MGTECON 692, MKTG 692, OB 692, OIT 692, POLECON 692, STRAMGT 692)

This course is elected as soon as a student is ready to begin research for the dissertation, usually shortly after admission to candidacy. To register, a student must obtain permission from the faculty member who is willing to supervise the research.
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum | Units: 1-15 | Repeatable for credit
© Stanford University | Terms of Use | Copyright Complaints