Course Syllabus
Economics 355: Financial Markets and Institutions -- Spring 2022
| Professor: Mahmoud A. El-Gamal | Textbook: Mishkin, Frederic S. with Stanley G. Eakins, |
| TA: Binyu Zhao |
Financial Markets and Institutions, 9th ed., Prentice Hall, 2018 https://www.vitalsource.com/referral?term=9780134448763 |
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Classes: MWF 10:00--10:50 KRF 125 |
Office Hours: M 12:30--1:30 KRF 429 |
This course covers most aspects of financial markets and institutions at a highly non-technical level (with very rare exceptions). Its objective is to allow students to read any major financial newspaper or website and understand most articles therein, with a deep understanding of the economic forces at work.
Students will read most of the textbook, and will be tested on the material therein through multiple choice assignments (which account for 10% of the grade). Similar multiple choice questions on textbook material will account for half the grades in three midterm and one optional substitute exam. Practice multiple choice questions for the assignments and exams are available under the Quizzes tab.
The other half of each exam's grade will be based on short answers to questions regarding current events, which will be covered in class, and summarized with links in lecture slides posted under the Files tab, as well as in-class experiments conducted using MobLab. Please create an account to access MobLab on your computer, and, if you prefer, install the mobile device app in preparation for class. Also, please follow the link here to create your free account to access Wall Street Journal using your Rice NetID.
There will be a review the week before each exam that covers the material for that exam. The overall grade will be calculated based on the best three out of four exams. All exams, as well as assignments, will be conducted online on Canvas.
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Mon | Wed | Fri |
(Tentative) Syllabus |
Textbook Readings |
| January |
10 |
12 | 14 | Introduction + Overview + Interest Rates | Chs 1-3 |
| 17 | 19 | 21 |
MLK Day + Interest rates Risk + Term Structure | Chs 4-5 | |
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24 | 26 | 28 | Efficient Markets + Financial Institutions+ Review | Chs 6-7 |
| Jan/Feb | 31 | 2 | 4 | Midterm I + Central Banking + Monetary Policy |
Chs 9-10 |
| 7 | 9 | 11 |
Money + Bond Markets + Spring Recess | Chs 11-12 | |
| 14 | 16 | 18 | Stock Markets + Mortgage Markets | Chs 13-14 | |
| 21 | 23 | 25 |
ForEx Markets + International System + Review |
Chs 15-16 | |
| Feb/March | 28 | 2 | 4 |
Midterm II + International System + Banking |
Chs 16-17 |
| 7 | 9 | 11 | Financial Regulation + Banking Industry | Chs 18-19 | |
| 14 |
16 | 18 | Spring Break | ||
| 21 | 23 | 25 | Mutual Funds + Insurance | Chs 20-21 | |
| March/April | 28 | 30 |
1 | Investment Banks + Review | Chs 22-23 |
| 4 | 6 | 8 | Risk Measurement + Midterm III + Hedging with Derivatives | Chapter 24 | |
| 11 | 13 | 15 | Derivatives + Commodities Markets + Review of for Substitute Exam | ||
| 18 | 20 |
22 |
Substitute Exam (optional) + Commodities & Energy Markets |
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Grading: |
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| Weekly Homeworks | 10 % |
| First Midterm | 30 % |
| Second Midterm | 30 % |
| Third Midterm | 30 % |
| Substitute for lowest Midterm (opt) |
30 % |
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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