Results for FINANCE

This seminar is designed to provide some experience with research methods and topics in finance, and to assist undergraduates with career interests in financial research, whether academic or not, with preparation for those careers. The seminar meetings are weekly and discussion based, covering a range of issues and methods in financial economics. Students are expected to prepare a 30-minute research presentation once during the quarter.

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, the use and valuation of derivative securities (e.g., options and convertible securities), and risk management.nnNo previous background in finance is required or expected, but in comparison with Finance 201, less time will be spent in class on the steps involved in solving basic problems. Therefore, students choosing this course should be relatively comfortable with basic mathematical operations (e.g., expressions involving multiplication of multiple terms, summation of multiple terms, etc.), though familiarity with the underlying finance concepts is not expected. A good diagnostic is to skim Section 4.2 "Rules for Time Travel" (pp. 98-104) in the course textbook, Corporate Finance by Berk and DeMarzo. If you are comfortable with the level of basic mathematics involved (even if the concepts are new), 204 is a good choice. If not, you should consider Finance 201.

As entrepreneurs, global leaders, and change agents tasked with developing transformative solutions of tomorrow, you will need certain skills and tools to interact with and navigate the complex and ever-changing financial landscape. This course focuses on the development of these skills and tools through the analysis of concise real-world financial situations around the globe. Topics include valuation of cash flows and control; the capital structure, payout policy and governance of both mature and entrepreneurial firms; restructuring and managing financial distress; the use of public markets to obtain liquidity and multiple share classes to retain control; financing and governance in venture capital and private equity; the rise of activism; and social responsibility and debates about the objectives of the firms of the present and future. This course is taught jointly by Professors Rauh and Seru.

This course will develop and apply the basic tools and models of corporate finance to real-world corporate decisions. This course is designed to be the second course in the standard finance sequence; that is, it is designed to be the natural follow-up to the Winter Managerial Finance course. This course will develop and extend standard tools and techniques of financial analysis, valuation, and model-building, and apply these methods to a wide range of cases. Case topics will include mergers and acquisitions, private equity, corporate governance, capital structure, agency conflicts, and corporate restructuring. For all of these applications, this course will emphasize the central importance of financial analysis, valuation, and modeling to guiding optimal decision making.

This course will develop and apply the basic tools and models of corporate finance to real-world corporate decisions. This course is designed to be the second course in the standard finance sequence; that is, it is designed to be the natural follow-up to the Winter Managerial Finance course. This course will develop and extend standard tools and techniques of financial analysis, valuation, and model-building, and apply these methods to a wide range of cases. Case topics will include mergers and acquisitions, private equity, corporate governance, capital structure, agency conflicts, and corporate restructuring. For all of these applications, this course will emphasize the central importance of financial analysis, valuation, and modeling to guiding optimal decision making.

This course covers the foundations of corporate finance including the management of capital structure, financial forecasting, dividend policy, financial distress, cost of capital and capital budgeting. It discusses the major financial decisions made by corporate managers and the impact of those decisions on investors and the value of the firm. Topics include criteria for understanding the valuation of financial assets and liabilities, relationships between risk and return, market efficiency, and the role of derivative securities, including options. The course also provides coverage of the role of financial markets in the operations of the firm.

This course teaches recent advances in asset allocation and management. We focus on the practical implementation of asset allocation and management tools in allocating assets, selecting asset managers and managing risk. Students apply these tools to real-time data in the computer lab. Topics covered include Asset Allocation; Delegated Asset Management and Manager Selection applied to Mutual Funds, Hedge Funds and Private Equity Funds; Multi-factor models and Factor Investing. The class will be co-taught by Kevin Mak, the director of the Real-Time Investment and Analysis Lab at Stanford. Robert Wallace, the CEO of Stanford Management Company, will guest-lecture.

This is a new MBA elective exploring innovative ways start-ups are altering household participation in financial services, by overcoming financial frictions and/or changing behaviors. "Inclusion"€ will be viewed broadly to encompass individuals/households from all socioeconomic classes in all aspects of their financial lives. The focus will be predominantly on start-ups that are disrupting financial services within the US legal and regulatory environment, though we will frequently draw upon lessons learned from welfare-enhancing innovations in the international FinTech sphere.

This PE Investing seminar launched in 1993 focuses on private equity investing, including investments with control, buyouts, and minority investments at various stages in a company's life. Private equity investing activity has grown significantly over the past 2 decades. This seminar explores selected topics in private equity investing for those MBA students who take the co-requisite course FINANCE 321.01, Investment Management and Entrepreneurial Finance. Private equity includes both established and early stage companies. The course extends and deepens the entrepreneurial finance area for those with an interest in private equity, venture capital and principal investing, taking a global view. Utilization will be made of original case studies and lecture-discussions, building on the framework of FINANCE 321. The Seminar meets with many outstanding investors. All those registered in F321.01 will also be registered in F319. See yellow Term Sheet put in MBA Boxes in late April. Note: All those registered in F321.02 will also be registered in F329.

This course is intended for those who plan careers that may involve debt financing for their businesses or other investments, or involve trading or investing in debt instruments and their derivatives, including money-market instruments including central bank deposits, government bonds, repurchase agreements, interest-rate swaps, mortgage-backed securities (MBS), corporate bonds, structured credit products, and credit derivatives. We will emphasize institutional features of the markets, including trading, pricing, and hedging. There is a special focus on distressed debt. Most lectures will start with a cold-called student presentation of an un-graded short homework calculation. There will also be a series of graded homework, a take-home mid-term, and about six graded 'pop quizzes' of 10 minutes or less.

Our focus is fundamental value investing. Equity investment in companies, common stocks, early/growth stage ventures and private equity, deals, partnerships, hedge funds, or other entrepreneurial opportunities will be immediately or eventually important for most MBAs--either on the investing side or on the fund-raising financing side. This investment course discusses many practical and conceptual factors influencing the analysis and value of companies and deals, including publicly listed and private equity investments, and on success of investment approaches. The focus of this course is on quoted and private equity investments and on entrepreneurial finance. The format of the class is primarily case discussions and lecture discussions led by the professor and investors/principals who were involved in the case. This course enables MBA students to learn a broad investing skill-set and to study outstanding investors. See yellow Term Sheet put in MBA Boxes in late April.

F329 - Investment Seminar: "Global Principal Investing/Hedge Funds" is a seminar focused on selected topics in masterful investing in publicly traded with some private equity capital investments, with emphasis on the principal's point of view. We study hedge funds and mutual funds and meet with outstanding investors. The scope and context is global including emerging markets. The Seminar is taught by a founding director of one of the largest international investment funds. See yellow Term Sheet put in MBA Boxes in late April. All those registered in F321.02 will also be registered in F329. nnNote: All those registered in F321.01 will also be registered in F319.

This interdisciplinary course explores how market and non-market forces shape the financial system and, through this system, affect the broad economy and society. You will gain an in-depth understanding of the interactions between individuals, corporations in the financial and non-financial sector, and governments around the globe, in an environment that is rife with conflicts of interests and differences in information and control. Topics include the structure and role of various financial institutions and the financial system, housing, credit and securities markets, central banks, regulation, global cooperation and competition, governance and accountability, and the role of the media.

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.

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? 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 and importance of banks. Topics will include the role of the Federal Reserve as a lender of last resort during the recent, and prior, financial crises, unconventional monetary policy tools such as quantitative easing and forward guidance. We discuss new developments in payment and clearing including cryptocurrencies. We will often begin class with a discussion of current macro-financial market events in the context of our course coverage. The course is appropriate for anyone trying to gain a macroeconomic perspective on capital markets, from investors to bankers, or those simply interested in the linkages between interest rates, banks and the economy.

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.nnThe 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.nnStudents 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.

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.

The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the different types of trading strategies employed by various money management institutions. These financial trading strategies are used to manage the risk and return profiles of specific portfolios. 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 and Rotman Portfolio Manager (using real market data and computer generated data) will be used extensively in this course as a way to learn and test different strategies. All classes will be held in the new 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.

This is a course about the financial decision-making process largely from the point of view of the CEO of an entrepreneurial venture, ranging from very early to very late stages. The course takes a two-pronged approach: First, we develop tools and concepts of corporate finance related to modeling, valuation, control, and investment decisions within an entrepreneurial context. Second, we use cases with firms at different stages of their life cycles from initial angel or venture capital investments through exit decisions, in order to see the issues that arise when these principles are applied in practice. In some cases we show the viewpoint of the entrepreneur and in others the perspective of the investor. After all, as an entrepreneur, one cannot negotiate effectively without understanding an investor's motivations. Conversely, an investor cannot evaluate a potential investment opportunity without appreciating the entrepreneur's perspective and incentives. Finally, we explore new developments in entrepreneurial finance such as crowdfunding and early liquidity provisions.

This course is a survey of China's financial system, including its banking industry, monetary policy structure, and financial markets (bonds, derivatives, equities, foreign exchange, alternative asset management, and related markets). The goal is an integrated view of how capital, risk, and liquidity are intermediated within China and cross-border. Current trends (including liberalization of markets) will be emphasized. Coverage will be through lectures, reading of both primary source documents and secondary (journalistic and analyst) commentary, as well as a range of subject-matter-expert speakers. Using our special High Immersion Classrooms at Stanford and at the Stanford Center at PKU, this course meets jointly with a parallel course offered at Beijing University. Students will participate actively in class discussion, make a 5-minute topical presentation, and submit a short (10-page) paper.

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.

The Private Wealth Management and Personal Investing course will address issues that relate to the management of personal assets as opposed to institutional investing. It will cover the origins and growth of private wealth management as an industry, investment planning, risk management, inter-generational transfers of wealth, philanthropy and tax planning. Special emphasis is on issues surrounding the selection of a wealth manager, how managers may be evaluated, including potential conflicts of interest, and performance measurement. Classes will focus on case studies and various readings. Two instructors will lead the class, one from the GSB and one from the private wealth management industry. Most classes will be augmented by visits from professionals in the wealth management and private banking business. Active class participation and a group project are required.

This 2-unit elective at the GSB is an overview of the private equity industry including its reason for being and its growth. 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.

This course is an introductory PhD level course in financial economics. We begin with individual choice under uncertainty, then move on to equilibrium models, the stochastic discount factor methodology, and no-arbitrage pricing. We will also address some empirical puzzles relating to asset markets, and explore the models that have been developed to try to explain them.

This course continues F620 and covers a number of main concepts in market microstructure. Among the topics that are covered are (i) Rational Expectations models and their foundations (ii) strategic trading models (iii) models of market and funding liquidity. In addition to the discussion of theoretic models time will be allotted to empirical applications.

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 general-equilibrium and over-the-counter asset pricing models. Students should have had some previous 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 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.

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.

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 class is devoted to recent developments in the empirical corporate finance literature. Topics include: financial contracting, liquidation and renegotiation, taxation and capital structure, the role of labor markets, leveraged buyouts, executive compensation, the causes and consequences of the financial crisis, and implications of finance for the public sector. The class is very interactive. Many of the sessions will consist of student presentations about the papers from the reading list. We will also further explore empirical methods relevant for applied research in corporate finance, with a focus on identification and panel data issues.

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