COURSE NUMBER: BA232.1

COURSE TITLE: Financial Institutions and Markets

UNITS OF CREDIT: 3.0 units

INSTRUCTOR: Gregory Duffee

E-MAIL ADDRESS: duffee@haas

CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION (HTTP URL):

http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/~duffee/ba232/

MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Wednesday and Friday, 9:30-11:00 AM

PREREQUISITE(S): 203

CLASS FORMAT:

Mostly lectures, a few (probably 4) case studies in which students lead the discussion. However, student participation is actively
encouraged at all times.

REQUIRED READINGS:  A textbook and a course reader which will include a few cases.

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE:

15% class participation
40% midterm
45% final

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:

We learn how financial markets operate, with an emphasis on the ways in which both financial intermediaries and the design of financial instruments help to circumvent problems associated with asymmetric information. We also examine how financial instruments can be used to transfer risks among individuals and firms.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:

Greg Duffee is an assistant professor at Haas. Prior to joining Haas, he was a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, DC.  His research interests include asset pricing and the measurement and analysis of credit risk. Mr. Duffee received his PhD in economics from Harvard University.