Economists can’t agree on whether investors and markets are rational and efficient, as modern financial theory assumes, or irrational and inefficient, as behavioral economists believe. Drawing on psychology, evolutionary biology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and other fields, Prof. Lo cuts through the debate in this course with a new framework—the Adaptive Markets Hypothesis—in which rationality and irrationality coexist.
Topics:

Introduction and Financial Orthodoxy
Rejecting the Random Walk and Efficient Markets
Behavioral Biases and Psychology
The Neuroscience of Decision-Making
Evolution and the Origin of Behavior
The Adaptive Markets Hypothesis
Hedge Funds: The Galapagos Islands of Finance
Applications of Adaptive Markets
The Financial Crisis
Ethics and Adaptive Markets
The Finance of the Future and the Future of Finance

As part of the Open Learning Library (OLL), this course is free to use. You have the option to sign up and enroll if you want to track your progress, or you can view and use all the materials without enrolling. Resources on OLL allow learners to learn at their own pace while receiving immediate feedback through interactive content and exercises.

As inflation raises the overall price level in an economy, the purchasing power of the dollar decreases and both borrowing and lending costs increase. The January 2023 issue of Page One Economics® discusses how price indexes can be used to transform nominal wages and interest rates into real, or inflation-adjusted, values.

This half-semester course introduces and surveys a selection of cutting-edge topics in the field of real estate finance and investments. The course follows an informal “seminar” format to the maximum degree possible, with students expected to take considerable initiative. Lectures and discussions led by the instructors will be supplemented by several guest speakers from the real estate investment industry, who will present perspectives on current trends and important developments in the industry.

In analyzing fiscal issues, conventional public finance approaches focus mainly on taxation and public spending. Policymakers and practitioners rarely explore solutions by examining the fundamental problem: the failure of interested parties to act collectively to internalize the positive externalities generated by public goods. Public finance is merely one of many possible institutional arrangements for assigning the rights and responsibilities to public goods consumption. This system is currently under stress because of the financial crisis. The first part of the class will focus on collective action and its connection with local public finance. The second part will explore alternative institutional arrangements for mediating collective action problems associated with the provision of local public goods.
The objective of the seminar is to broaden the discussion of local public finance by incorporating collective action problems into the discourse. This inclusion aims at exploring alternative institutional arrangements for financing local public services in the face of severe economic downturn. Applications of emerging ideas to the provision of public health, education, and natural resource conservation will be discussed.

Consumers see or hear thousands of advertisements each day. The April 2017 issue of Page One Economics: Focus on Finance reviews advertising history and strategies ads use to create demand and influence consumer tastes and preferences.

This course covers the key quantitative methods of finance: financial econometrics and statistical inference for financial applications; dynamic optimization; Monte Carlo simulation; stochastic (Itô) calculus. These techniques, along with their computer implementation, are covered in depth. Application areas include portfolio management, risk management, derivatives, and proprietary trading.

Lecture notes on how to allocate different types of investment in a portfolio to manage risk

A higher minimum wage would provide higher income for low-wage workers but also likely reduce job opportunities. Some of the reduction in job opportunities would occur from employers automating job tasks to replace more expensive human labor. The November 2021 issue of Page One Economics® explains how a higher mandated wage may lead some firms to substitute capital for labor.

BSA 110 -- Personal FinanceWelcome to the wonderful world of Finance (and money)!! The course is a 8 weeks, you need to keep up with the Modules.  There are 8 Modules, so we will complete one module every week.Personal Finance refers to how you manage your money, including your income, expenses, and savings. When you put effort into managing your personal finances, you have a better grasp on where your money is going and what changes you can make to meet your future financial goals.  Your Personal Finances are crucial in almost all aspects of your life.  How you handle your credit, what is your purchasing power, and am I prepared for retirement?  What are my short- and long-term financial needs?We will be looking at many different topics: Investing, The Fed, Stocks, Mutual Funds, and Retirement, to name a few.

This video lecture presents the basic definitions of assets, liabilities and equity with simple examples. It also explains the concept of accounting equation with examples.

These short videos explain bankruptcy a legal process that provides relief to many individuals who can no longer pay all of their debts.

Many people find themselves in financial trouble, but it is good to know there are options available should you need serious financial help. The April 2018 bonus edition of Page One Economics: Focus on Finance discusses earning income, budgeting, late payments, and collections. It introduces the basics of legal protection offered in the form of bankruptcy and describes some potential consequences of filing a bankruptcy case.

Inflation numbers are important economic indicators. But thinking beyond the numbers reveals a deeper reality. For example, how do businesses respond to inflation? Some resort to shrinkflation and skimpflation. Learn about these practices and their effects on consumers in the December 2022 issue of Page One Economics®: Focus on Finance.

Crypto assets have increasingly occupied news headlines and the minds of many consumers. While initially introduced as a payment system, crypto assets are seen by many as an enticing investment opportunity. This issue of Page One Economics® introduces crypto assets, blockchain technology, and the emerging crypto universe.

While many people have heard of Bitcoin, far fewer understand it. In short, Bitcoin is a digital currency that allows transactions independent of the banking system. Lately, many people are buying Bitcoin purely as a financial investment, hoping it will appreciate. So which is it—currency or financial asset? Read more about it in the March 2018 issue of Page One Economics.

“Bitcoin for Beginners – Comprehensive Guide 2024” is an in-depth online course designed from Investorempires.com for individuals looking to understand the fundamentals of Bitcoin. Whether you are new to the world of cryptocurrencies or wish to deepen your knowledge, this course provides a systematic approach covering essential concepts, practical aspects, and the significance of Bitcoin in the financial landscape.

Course Duration:
- No Time Limited (Self-paced learning)

Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, participants will:

Grasp Bitcoin Basics:
Understand the fundamentals of Bitcoin, its origin, and the underlying blockchain technology.

Navigate the Bitcoin Ecosystem:
Gain insights into Bitcoin mining, wallets, and transactions.

Secure and Manage Bitcoin:
Learn how to secure and manage Bitcoin through wallets and best practices.

Conduct Bitcoin Transactions:
Understand the process of buying, selling, and transferring Bitcoin.

Explore Bitcoin Investment:
Explore the investment potential of Bitcoin and understand its role in the broader financial market.

Analyze Bitcoin Trends:
Develop skills in reading Bitcoin price charts and understanding market trends.

Understand Bitcoin’s Impact:
Comprehend the societal and economic impact of Bitcoin.

Target Audience:
-Beginners with little to no knowledge of Bitcoin.
-Individuals interested in understanding the foundational concepts of Bitcoin and its practical applications.

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin rely on blockchain technology and crypto mining, which consume massive amounts of electricity and have significant carbon footprints. The lack of transparency and regulation in the industry raises concerns about the economic, social, and environmental costs associated with crypto mines.

This course is for students wishing to explore blockchain technology’s potential use—by entrepreneurs and incumbents—to change the world of money and finance. The course begins with a review of Bitcoin and an understanding of the commercial, technical, and public policy fundamentals of blockchain technology, distributed ledgers, and smart contracts. The class then continues on to current and potential blockchain applications in the financial sector.

This lecture is about bonds. A bond is a debt investment in which an investor loans money to an entity (typically corporate or governmental) which borrows the funds for a defined period of time at a variable or fixed interest rate. It discusses the bond terminology, how to compute the price and yield of the different types of bonds. Additionally, it describes why bond prices change over time and how credit risk affects a corporate bond.

The purpose of this class is to advance your understanding of how to use financial information to value and analyze firms. We will apply your economics/accounting/finance skills to problems from today’s business news to help us understand what is contained in financial reports, why firms report certain information, and how to be a sophisticated user of this information.