The fundamental goal of this course is to provide students with a comprehensive knowledge of the capital markets from an investor’s point of view in the context of current market developments. In particular, the course content is developed based on indispensable components underlying our modern day financial institutions, i.e. securities and derivatives. In this course, students will have an opportunity to understand the characteristics of underlying financial instruments, as well as the quantitative aspects designed to engineer them. Real-life examples and impacts will be stressed. No prior knowledge of or experience with finance/financial engineering is required. Strongly recommend completion of or concurrent enrollment in Introduction to Finance (UGBA 103) or Investments (UGBA 133).