Results for FINANCE

This course covers the foundations of finance with an emphasis on applications that are vital for corporate managers. We will discuss many of the major financial decisions made by corporate managers, both within the firm and in their interactions with investors. Essential in most of these decisions is the process of valuation, which will be an important emphasis of the course. Topics include criteria for making investment decisions, valuation of financial assets and liabilities, relationships between risk and return, capital structure choice, payout policy, the use and valuation of derivative securities, and risk management. This course is targeted to those students who are new to finance and for those with little quantitative background.

This course covers the foundations of finance with an emphasis on applications that are vital for corporate managers. We will discuss many of the major financial decisions made by corporate managers, both within the firm and in their interactions with investors. Essential in most of these decisions is the process of valuation, which will be an important emphasis of the course. Topics include criteria for making investment decisions, valuation of financial assets and liabilities, relationships between risk and return, capital structure choice, payout policy, the use and valuation of derivative securities, and risk management. This course is targeted to those students who are new to finance and for those with little quantitative background. No previous background in finance is required or expected for this course. Content will be comparable to F201, but the majority of course lecture material will be delivered online, with in-class sessions devoted to applications of key concepts. This "flipped classroom" version of the course is intended for self-motivated students with an interest in applications. Prerequisite material for the course will be posted online in the fall.

This course covers the foundations of finance with an emphasis on applications that are vital for corporate managers. We will consider many important financial decisions made by corporate managers, both within the firm and in their interactions with investors. Essential to most of these decisions are financial valuations, which will be an important emphasis of the course. Topics include criteria for making investment decisions, valuation of financial assets and liabilities, relationships between risk and return, and capital structure choice.

This course takes a look at institutional investing from the asset owner or limited partner's perspective (sovereign wealth funds, endowments, pension funds, life insurance companies, etc.) The course is co-taught by Ana Marshall, the CIO of the Hewlett Foundation, and Hanno Lustig, who was on the Allocation Advisory Board of the NBIM. We cover the tools of modern asset allocation and manager selection with a special focus on the challenges posed by alternative asset classes (hedge funds and private equity). To provide additional context, Ana Marshall will lecture on best practices in asset allocation and manager selection. Scott Gladstone, the developer of the Aladdin asset management tool at Blackrock, will introduce the class to this new tool. Students enrolled in the course will get access to Aladdin. The course material is founded on insights from modern finance and the economics of delegated asset management, complemented by industry perspectives. The target audience for this course includes all students who are interested in careers or already have careers in asset management. The course objective is to help you develop an understanding of the main challenges in the asset allocation and manager selection process, and hand you the tools to navigate these challenges.

The Investments course comprises an intensive overview of active fundamental investing in both the public and private equity markets. It is relevant for students who intend to pursue careers in private or public equity investing, as well as those who want to better understand investing from the perspective of an entrepreneur, senior executive or individual. The vast majority of sessions will feature outstanding investor guest lecturers. Previous guests included Andreas Halvorsen (Viking Global), Jim Coulter (TPG), Hadley Mullen (TSG Consumer Partners), Tim Bliss (Investment Group of Santa Barbara), Munib Islam (Third Point), Sarah Friar (Square and Nextdoor), , and Charles Phillips (Recognize), and this year's lineup will be substantially similar. Established and taught for 50 years by the legendary Professor Jack McDonald, the Investments course will be taught by John Hurley `93, founder and Chief Investment Officer of Cavalry Asset Management and Professor Steve Grenadier in Autumn 2023. The course enables students to learn a broad investing skillset and study the careers of outstanding investors. Throughout the quarter, students delve into specific topics in private equity, venture capital, hedge funds, mutual funds and principal investing. Case discussions and lecture discussions will be led by the teaching team and investors/principals who were involved.

This course will cover how to start and build a money management business. It will have three components: (1) Prescriptive - introduction to the money management sector and exposition of strategies that increase the likelihood of success, (2) Practical --- practitioners sharing their experience of starting and building a money management business, and (3) Experiential --- students will spend the quarter using the skills they learned to produce a business plan of a prospective money management business they would like to build. The course will be cotaught by GSB Professor Jonathan Berk and Fortress Investment Group Co-CEO, Pete Briger.

This course covers the in depth the private equity (PE) industry, including venture funds, buyouts, funds of funds, and other investments vehicles investing in private assets. Our viewpoint is that of an investor, whether a general partner of a management firm partnership or the limited partner investing in these funds. We concentrate on the financial and economic aspects and will take a practical yet rigorous view. Examples of issues that we will cover: How to select fund managers? How are PE funds raised? Can we predict returns of PE asset class? Is there a persistence in returns? What are the most important provisions of a limited partnership agreement? How to negotiate fund terms? What is the lifetime income of general partners? What are optimal investment strategies for PE asset allocation? How to value PE assets and funds? The course is very applied, with a lot of real-life and live cases. The course features guest speakers: VC, buyout fund, fund of funds managers, limited partners. No prior knowledge of the PE industry is needed.

This course is designed to help students understand the connections between money (the Federal Reserve), financial markets, and the macroeconomy. How are interest rates determined, and how does the Federal Reserve conduct monetary policy? How do Federal Reserve actions impact the US as well as other economies? What economic factors drive the yield curves in different bond markets? We will pay particular attention to the banking system, with an eye toward understanding the function, valuation, and regulation of banks. We touch on a number of topics including the role of the Federal Reserve as a lender of last resort during financial crises, unconventional monetary policy tools such as quantitative easing and forward guidance, cryptocurrency, and emerging market financial crises. We will often begin class with a discussion of current macro-financial market events in the context of our course coverage.

This course covers all the stages of funding for early stage high-growth companies, from seed funding to venture capital rounds to a successful exit. We will concentrate on how entrepreneurs and investors make and should make important decisions. Examples of issues that we will cover are: How can entrepreneurs raise funding successfully? What are typical mistakes entrepreneurs make in raising capital and negotiating with investors? How to choose your investor? How to pitch to an investor? How do angels and VCs generate and process their deal flow and select companies? How are VCs involved in business decisions such as recruiting talent and replacing CEOs? What are the important provisions of financial contracts between VCs and founders? How to value early-stage companies? The course is very applied and mostly case-based. We will discuss a lot of nitty-gritty details that is a must for founders and investors. Case protagonists, founders, angels, and VCs will be among guest speakers. No prior knowledge of the VC industry is needed.

This course is an introduction to multiperiod models in finance, mainly pertaining to optimal portfolio choice and asset pricing. The course begins with discrete-time models for portfolio choice and security prices, and then moves to a continuous-time setting. The topics then covered include advanced derivative pricing models, models of the term structure of interest rates, the valuation of corporate securities, portfolio choice in continuous-time settings, and finally finally market design. Students should have had some previous doctoral-level exposure to general equilibrium theory and some basic courses in investments. Strong backgrounds in calculus, linear algebra, and probability theory are recommended. Problem assignments are frequent and, for most students, demanding. Prerequisite: F620 and MGTECON600 (or equivalent), or permission of instructor.

This course provides an introduction to empirical research in corporate finance, with an emphasis on the application of cross-sectional and panel data econometric techniques for causal inference. Topics include investment policy, entrepreneurship and innovation, financing decisions, firm ownership, corporate governance, managerial incentives, financial contracting, and the structure and internal organization of firms. The course assumes knowledge of econometrics at the level of MGTECON 603.

This PhD course will cover research topics at the boundary between macroeconomics and finance. Topics will include the study of macroeconomic models with financial frictions, the term structure of interest rates, conventional and unconventional monetary policy, sovereign debt crises, search frictions and segmentation in housing markets, (over)leveraging by households, heterogeneous expectations, excess volatility, financial bubbles and crises. Student presentations and course paper requirement. Designed for second year PhD students in economics or finance.

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.

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.

Doctoral Practicum in Teaching

Doctoral Practicum in Research