AØKK08396U Cancelled Financial Markets Microstructure (F)

Volume 2023/2024
Education

MSc programme in Economics – elective course
 

The PhD Programme in Economics at the Department of Economics:

  • The course is an elective course with research module. In order to register for the research module and to be able to write the research assignment, the PhD students must contact the study administration AND the lecturer.

 

The course is open to:

  • Exchange and Guest students from abroad
  • Credit students from Danish Universities
  • Open University students
Content

This course examines the financial markets from a Micro perspective. How does a “market” as we know it form from individual traders’ actions? How is the market price determined from individual trades and offers? How is the traders’ dispersed information incorporated into these prices? What determines the liquidity and depth of an asset market? What is the optimal behaviour for traders in financial markets? Why do bubbles and crashes arise? Do the institutional details of the exchange influence this price formation process? If so, how should exchanges and regulators ideally design the rules of trading? Is there a role for market making, should the market be fully transparent, should insider trading be permitted, should transactions be taxed, and is high-frequent trading good or bad for the market?

 

In this course we will address these and related questions. The course seeks to give a broad introduction to the field of Financial Markets Microstructure covering theory, evidence and policy. It also provides deeper insight on topics of current interest on the basis of selected current research papers.

 

The course partly gives participants a review of the facts on financial markets, partly presents the key theoretical models, and partly addresses how the models are applied to the important issues.

Learning Outcome

After completing the course the student is expected to be able to:

 

Knowledge

  • Define types of financial markets and their characteristics

  • Account for the standard theoretical models used to model financial markets

  • Discuss current issues in the financial markets literature

 

Skills

  • Set up financial market problems as game-theoretic models

  • Analyze price formation in different types of financial markets and derive results on measures such as liquidity and market depth

  • Analyze the pros and cons of different market structures seen from the perspectives of different market participants

 

Competencies

  • Explain and discuss key theoretical concepts from academic articles, as well as discuss their interpretation

  • Apply the most relevant theoretical apparatus to analyze case-based problems

Thierry Foucault, Marco Pagano and Ailsa Röell: “Market Liquidity: Theory Evidence and Policy,” Oxford University Press, 2013. 439 pages.

Various papers that will be announced later.

The course builds mainly on the knowledge of basic concepts in Finance (types of financial assets, discounting). Students are therefore encouraged to have taken a course in finance, such as "Corporate Finance and Incentives" or "Financial Decision Making" at the Study of Economics, University of Copenhagen.

We employ basic game theory, on the level presented in the Microeconomics III course (or equivalent) at the Study of Economics, University of Copenhagen. In particular, students are assumed to be familiar with concepts such as Bayes-Nash equilibrium and Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium.

The students are encouraged to have followed "Advanced Game Theory" at the Study of Economics, University of Copenhagen or to follow it in parallel.

Finally, the course assumes the students have confident grasp of probability theory, on the level presented in the course "Probability Theory and Statistics" at the Bachelor in Economics, University of Copenhagen. In particular, students are supposed to be familiar with conditional probabilities and the Bayes' rule, conditional mathematical expectations, and related topics.
Mostly lectures covering the syllabus with a view towards accomplishing the course goals. Supplemented by problem sets.
Schedule:
2 hours lectures one to two times a week from week 6 to 20.

The overall schema can be seen at KUnet:
MSc in Economics => "courses and teaching" => "Planning and overview" => "Your timetable"
KA i Økonomi => "Kurser og undervisning" => "Planlægning og overblik" => "Dit skema"

Timetable and venue:
To see the time and location of lectures please press the link under "Timetable"/​"Se skema" at the right side of this page (F means Spring).


Please be aware:
- The schedule of the lectures can change without the participants´ acceptance. If this occure, you can see the new schedule in your personal timetable at KUnet, in the app myUCPH and through the links in the right side of this course description and the link above.
- It is the students´s own responsibility continuously throughout the study to stay informed about their study, their teaching, their schedule, their exams etc. through the curriculum of the study programme, the study pages at KUnet, student messages, the course description, the Digital Exam portal, Absalon, the personal schema at KUnet and myUCPH app etc.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 42
  • Preparation
  • 152
  • Exam
  • 12
  • Total
  • 206
Oral
Collective

 

The lecturer gives collective oral feedback during lectures and individual oral feedback upon request.

Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment, 12 hours
Type of assessment details
Individual take-home exam.
The exam assignment is in English and must be answered in English.
It is not allowed to collaborate on the assignment with anyone.
Exam registration requirements

There are no requirements during the course that the student has to fulfill to be able to sit the exam.

Aid
All aids allowed

Use of AI tools, such as ChatGPT, is allowed for the written exam.

Information about allowed aids for the re-examination, please go to the section "Re-exam".

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
for the written exam.
An oral re-examination may be with external assessment.
Exam period

Exam information:

More information is available in Digital Exam from the middle of the semester. In special cases decided by the Department, the exam can change to another day and/or time than announced. 

More information about examination, rules, aids etc. at Master (UK) and Master (DK).

Re-exam

Same as the ordinary exam. 

 

Reexam information:

More information in Digital Exam in August. In special cases decided by the Department, the re-sit can change to another day, and/or time than announced

More info: Master(UK) and Master(DK)

Criteria for exam assesment

Students are assessed on the extent to which they master the learning outcome for the course.

 

In order to obtain the top grade “12”, the student must with no or only a few minor weaknesses be able to demonstrate an excellent performance displaying a high level of command of all aspects of the relevant material and can make use of the knowledge, skills and competencies listed in the learning outcomes.

 

In order to obtain the passing grade “02”, the student must in a satisfactory way be able to demonstrate a minimal acceptable level of  the knowledge, skills and competencies listed in the learning outcomes.