Saturday, January 12, 2019

The spring semester at Marquette University begins on Monday, January 15th


Dr. David Krause, director of the Applied Investment Management (AIM) program, will be teaching three investments-related courses

This semester, Dr. David Krause, the director of the AIM program, will be completing his 25th year teaching in higher education (his 21st at Marquette University). He is excited for the new semester to begin – in part because of his newest course offering – FinTech Topics.

Courses Krause will be teaching this semester include:

FINA 4320 (Research and Financial Analysis). This second AIM course is about the analysis of financial information for making investment decisions. The primary focus is on equity valuation – with some attention given to credit analysis and fixed income valuation. The methods of fundamental analysis are examined in detail and applied to actual investment opportunities. The course does not assume that markets are perfectly efficient; rather it develops the techniques for identifying inappropriately priced investments.  Building on the concepts learned in the previous AIM course, students will apply their understanding of key investment concepts and tools – including quantitative research methods, economic relationships, and financial statement analysis and modeling. During this course students will analyze and manage three portfolios of domestic and international equities and fixed income securities.
 
FINA 4065 (Fixed Income Securities). This course focuses on securities (mainly bonds) that promise a fixed income stream and all related securities whose valuation are influenced by interest rates. This course is focused on the concepts and tools that are useful to managers and investors who want to use these securities, whether for investing, hedging, market-making, or speculating. While the cash flows of fixed income securities are contractually specified, which makes the payoffs relatively easy to quantify, the subtleties of interest rate movements and credit risk make the valuation of bonds particularly challenging. This course, which is mandatory for AIM students,  requires a moderate level of quantitative skill.

FINA 4931 (FinTech Topics). This new course covers a variety of topics are related to financial sector innovations that involve technology-enabled business models. FinTech is revolutionizing how existing firms create and deliver products and services – which in turn raises other issues related to individual privacy and regulatory challenges – and cyber risks. Entrepreneurial opportunities abound, while existing legacy financial firms are moving quickly to expand their products and services in order to meet consumer demands and to improve operational efficiency. Blockchain and data analytics, involving large unstructured data sets, are literally changing overnight the world of equity and credit research. Cybersecurity is also a key topic in the course.

In short, the new FinTech course is intended to introduce students to the breadth of current financial technology topics. Students will be exposed to the technical underpinnings of FinTech – including the use of R, R Studio, Power BI and Tableau. Students will be introduced to the basics of FinTech which will help them adapt to the changing landscape. The course topics include:

           An Industry Overview of the Latest FinTech Developments
           Changes in Markes, Payments, Lending and Wealth Management
           Robo Advisors and Algorithmic Trading Systems
           Blockchain and Digital Currencies
           Data Analytics Related to Credit Modeling and Research
           Risk Management, Compliance and Regulatory Issues
           Future Trends Related to Personal Finance and Payments
           Cybersecurity