Module ECON47415: Empirical Topics in Finance

Department: Economics and Finance

ECON47415: Empirical Topics in Finance

Tied To

• L1K109: Economics and Finance (see Postgraduate Handbook 2012-2013 for details)
• L1K209: Accounting and Finance (see Postgraduate Handbook 2011-2012 for details)
• L1K309: Corporate and International Finance (see Postgraduate Handbook 2012-2013 for details)
• L1K509: International Banking and Finance (see Postgraduate Handbook 2012-2013 for details)
• L1K609: International Money, Finance and Investment (see Postgraduate Handbook 2011-2012 for details)
• L1K709: Finance (see Postgraduate Handbook 2011-2012 for details)
• L1K809: Finance and Investment (see Postgraduate Handbook 2011-2012 for details)
• N3K109: Finance
• N3K209: Finance (Accounting and Finance)
• N3K309: Finance (Corporate and International Finance)
• N3K409: Finance (Finance and Investment)
• N3K509: Finance (International Money, Finance and Investment)
• N3K609: Finance (International Banking and Finance)
• N3K709: Finance (Economics and Finance)

Pre-requisites

Corequisites

Excluded Combinations

Aims

• To enable students to:
• acquire and demonstrate a specialist knowledge and understanding of quantitative aspects of finance
• develop a critical understanding of empirical methods in different areas of finance
• investigate new areas of development of empirical finance

Content

• Empirical developments in portfolio selection.
• Empirical aspects of factor models and asset pricing.
• Portfolio performance measurement.
• Event studies.
• Short sales — price discovery, liquidity and volatility.
• Option returns and portfolios with options.
• Skewness and skewness persistence.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of this module students should have a specialist knowledge and critical understanding of:
• The ongoing quantitative research in finance
• The application of econometric and quantitative methods to finance

• By the end of this module students should be able to:
• Show underdstanding of differences in methodological approaches to address empirical research questions in finance
• Select appropriate quantitative methods for research questions in finance and be able to apply those

• written communication;
• planning, organising and time management;
• problem-solving and analytical skills;
• computer literacy
• summarizing and critically assessing professional reports, statements and academic articles.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• A combination of lectures, seminars and guided reading will contribute to achieving the aims and learning outcomes of this module.
• In-class presentations of journal papers and students’ projects will test students’ specialist knowledge and critical understanding of the current research.
• Formative assessment will test the students’ progress during the term and their understanding of the covered material.
• The summative assignment will test students' abilities to apply the methods and knowledge covered in the module to their own research project.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment

1000 word written assignment. Students will receive individual written feedback on the formative assignment.