Foundations of Modern Finance II (edX)

We build on the core set of basic principles taught in the first part, and continue to develop a powerful and general framework for making financial decisions in business and in personal financial planning. We introduce financial derivative securities, and their valuation models, discuss the capital structure decision of firms, and explore the interaction between investing and financing.
At the center of financial decision making is the valuation problem. How much value does a business investment create? What is a fair price to pay for a financial asset? We develop models and analytics for measuring risk and for valuing financial assets. We apply valuation models to financial securities, including stocks and bonds, and to project valuation and capital budgeting.
The course is excellent preparation for anyone planning to take the CFA exams.
This course is part of the Finance Micromasters Program.

What you'll learn

• Valuation of futures, forward, and options
• Portfolio optimization and the capital asset pricing model (CAPM)
• Capital structure decisions within the firm
• The interaction between investing and financing

Syllabus

• Forwards and Futures
• Options
• Portfolio Theory
• Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM)
• Capital Budgeting and Real Options
• Financing/Capital Structure
• Interaction between Investing and Financing
• Payout and Risk Management

Prerequisites

• 15.415.1x Foundations of Modern Finance I
• Probability and Statistics (undergraduate)
• Calculus (undergraduate)
• Linear algebra (undergraduate)