Introduction to Capital Markets from Coursera

This Introduction to Capital Markets course offers a comprehensive overview of the industry, and key career opportunities. You will learn about the sell-side, buy-side, and the most popular and sought-after career paths in each of those respective groups. You will gain practical and deliberate knowledge, as this course takes you through typical day-in-the-life scenarios, allowing you to gain an understanding of the core competencies and personality traits that would drive success. Lastly, the course empowers you with the information you need to ensure that your career research is focused and that you use your most limited resource – time – wisely. After completing this course, you will have a better understanding of how the capital markets industry is structured, how each constituent contributes to maintaining smooth, functioning financial markets, and a keen idea of what field you may be best suited to pursue opportunities in.

Topics Explored:

• Defining Capital Markets

• Sell-Side: Origination, Sales & Trading, Primary & Secondary Markets

• Buy-Side: Traditional and Non-Traditional (i.e., Hedge Funds)

After completing this course, you will be able to:

• Define primary and secondary markets, including the stakeholders involved in each and how they interact with each other

• Describe the sell-side and buy-side of finance, the activities conducted on each side, and the capital markets careers available

• Describe how sell-side and buy-side institutions not only work together but need each other to maintain smooth, functioning financial markets

• Understand what a typical day-in-the-life looks like for each career path discussed, as well as the core skillsets that successful professionals would have

• Determine what capital markets career path may be best suited for your passion, skillset, and personality

This Introduction to Capital Markets course is perfect for anyone and everyone interested in pursuing a career in finance. Whether you are about to undergo your first job search as a new graduate of an academic institution, or you are ready to transition career paths after gaining professional work experience in a related or unrelated field, this course will help you get a comprehensive lay of the land so that you have a roadmap for your career pursuits.

What's inside

Syllabus

Getting Started

This course offers a comprehensive overview of the industry, and key career opportunities. We will learn about the sell-side, buy-side, and the most popular and sought-after career paths in each of those respective groups. The course empowers you with the information you need to ensure that your career research is focused and that you use your most limited resource – time – wisely. After completing this course, we will have a better understanding of how the capital markets industry is structured, how each constituent contributes to maintaining smooth, functioning financial markets, and a keen idea of what field you may be best suited to pursue opportunities in.

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Provides insights into the daily routines of various capital markets roles, which helps learners understand the practical aspects of different career paths

Explores both the sell-side and buy-side of finance, offering a balanced perspective on the different types of institutions and their functions

Presented by Corporate Finance Institute, which is known for its training and certification programs for finance and investment professionals

Examines the interaction between sell-side and buy-side institutions, highlighting their interdependence in maintaining efficient financial markets

Focuses on primary and secondary markets, which are fundamental concepts for understanding how capital is raised and traded

Covers both traditional and non-traditional buy-side roles, including hedge funds, which broadens the understanding of investment strategies

Reviews summary

Comprehensive introduction to capital markets careers

According to learners, this course provides a largely positive overview of the capital markets industry. Students found the content well-structured and the explanations clear, particularly for the distinction between the sell-side and buy-side. The course is seen as a solid starting point for those new to finance and is highly recommended for career exploration, with many appreciating the insights into different career paths and day-in-the-life scenarios. Some reviewers noted it is quite high-level and may lack depth for those with prior knowledge or seeking practical job application advice.

Good for beginners, high-level for others.

"Highly recommend for anyone exploring finance careers."

"Could perhaps go a little deeper into some topics, but for an introduction, it's great."

"Was hoping for more depth. It's very high-level. If you already know a little about finance, this might be too basic."

"Good starting point before diving into more specific areas."

Provides a solid and clear overview.

"Excellent introduction! Covered the basics of capital markets, sell-side, buy-side clearly."

"The content was well-structured and easy to follow. It provided a solid foundation on market structure and roles."

"Fantastic course! Explained complex concepts simply. The module on buy-side vs. sell-side was incredibly clear."

"Solid introductory material. It provides a good map of the capital markets landscape and different career options. The explanations were mostly clear."

Helps understand paths and daily roles.

"The 'day in the life' segments were particularly helpful for understanding potential career paths. Highly recommend for anyone exploring finance careers."

"Useful for career exploration."

"I feel much more confident about exploring different finance roles after taking this. The career focus is exactly what I needed."

"Great for someone totally new to finance looking to understand the industry and career paths."

Less focus on job application tactics.

"While it talks about careers, it doesn't give much practical advice on how to break in, which was disappointing."

"Not sure how much this will help with job applications directly."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Introduction to Capital Markets with these activities:

Review Basic Accounting Principles

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Reinforce your understanding of fundamental accounting concepts. A solid grasp of accounting is crucial for understanding financial statements and how capital markets function.

Browse courses on Financial Accounting

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Review key accounting equations and principles.
Practice analyzing basic financial statements.

Read 'The Intelligent Investor'

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Gain insights into value investing strategies. This book is a cornerstone for understanding investment principles and market analysis.

View Melania on Amazon

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Read the book and take notes on key concepts.
Reflect on how these concepts apply to capital markets.

Read 'Liar's Poker'

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Gain a cultural understanding of Wall Street. This book provides context for the industry's history and evolution.

View Who is Government? on Amazon

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Read the book and reflect on the culture described.
Consider how the industry has changed since the 1980s.

Three other activities

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Create a Presentation on a Capital Markets Career

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Solidify your understanding of different career paths. Creating a presentation will force you to research and synthesize information.

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Choose a specific capital markets career path.
Research the day-to-day responsibilities and required skills.
Create a presentation outlining your findings.

Analyze a Company's Financials

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Apply your knowledge by analyzing a real company. This project will help you understand how sell-side and buy-side firms use financial data.

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Choose a publicly traded company to analyze.
Gather the company's financial statements.
Analyze key ratios and trends.
Write a report summarizing your findings.

Attend Finance Networking Events

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Connect with professionals in the field. Networking can provide valuable insights and career opportunities.

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Identify local finance networking events.
Prepare a brief introduction about yourself.
Attend the event and network with professionals.

Career center

Learners who complete Introduction to Capital Markets will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Investment Banking Analyst

An Investment Banking Analyst performs financial analysis and creates presentations to help companies raise capital. This course introduces the sell side of capital markets, including origination and primary markets. By learning about the day-to-day activities of professionals in this area, you can better prepare for a role as an Investment Banking Analyst. This course also helps identify the core competencies and personality traits that lead to success, which is crucial for someone looking to gain entry into highly competitive investment banking roles. With specific focus on the sell side, this course will provide essential insights into the work and requirements for this career path.

See salaries and explore the career path for Investment Banking Analyst

Sales Trader

A Sales Trader executes trades for institutional clients and provides market color and analysis. This Introduction to Capital Markets course covers in detail the sell side, including sales and trading in secondary markets, which is core to the work of a Sales Trader. The course helps individuals understand the day-to-day responsibilities and skills needed for a sales trader. In addition, it stresses the sell side's interaction with the buy side, which is important for long term success. By taking this course, someone targeting a role as a Sales Trader will gain a solid grasp of the market dynamics and the required skill set.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sales Trader

Equity Research Analyst

An Equity Research Analyst analyzes companies and industries to make buy, sell, or hold recommendations. This course helps understand the sell side of the capital markets, specifically research within secondary markets. The course explores how sell-side research functions and complements trading. It discusses the day-to-day tasks of professionals on the sell side of capital markets, and how they interact. This course helps you become better acquainted with the day to day and personality traits that drive success as an Equity Research Analyst.

See salaries and explore the career path for Equity Research Analyst

Portfolio Manager

A Portfolio Manager makes investment decisions for a fund or other investment vehicle. The course introduces the buy side, both traditional and non-traditional approaches, which is the primary domain of the Portfolio Manager. You will learn how buy side firms operate through this course, which is beneficial to understand if you want to pursue this role. One would learn about the core competencies and skills of the professionals on the buy side. By providing insight into both the sell side and buy side, this course can give you a comprehensive view of the market in which the Portfolio Manager operates.

See salaries and explore the career path for Portfolio Manager

Hedge Fund Analyst

A Hedge Fund Analyst performs research and analysis to support investment decisions within a hedge fund. This course specifically covers non-traditional buy side firms which include hedge funds. It can help you better understand the operations of a hedge fund. This course helps clarify the core skills necessary for success in the role of a Hedge Fund Analyst. By describing the various career paths within capital markets, this course helps an individual decide if they are better suited for a Hedge Fund Analyst position.

See salaries and explore the career path for Hedge Fund Analyst

Financial Analyst

A Financial Analyst analyzes financial data to provide insights and guidance to companies. While the course focuses on capital markets, it introduces key concepts in finance that apply to all areas, including corporate finance. Understanding the nature of the sell side and buy side and their key functions in capital markets may be useful for Financial Analysts to conduct their work. The course may help those interested in working as a Financial Analyst gain a broader perspective. Learning about market structure and function may help someone who wants to become a Financial Analyst.

See salaries and explore the career path for Financial Analyst

Financial Advisor

A Financial Advisor helps individuals with their financial planning and investment strategies. This Introduction to Capital Markets course may be useful to a Financial Advisor in providing an understanding of how capital markets work. It may give a Financial Advisor a better perspective of the market forces that impact investments for clients. This course introduces the sell side and buy side and how they interact in financial markets. This knowledge may help a Financial Advisor have more informed discussions with clients. This course may help someone who wants to become a Financial Advisor.

See salaries and explore the career path for Financial Advisor

Corporate Treasurer

A Corporate Treasurer manages a company's cash flow and financial risks. The course is helpful in learning the overall structure of capital markets, and can help the Corporate Treasurer in making informed decisions about raising or investing capital for the company. It may be useful for the Corporate Treasurer to understand how the sell side and buy side interact, as that may better inform their day to day. Learning the personality traits and core competencies of capital markets professionals can help this role. Although the course has a more narrow focus, it may be useful for someone who wants to become a Corporate Treasurer.

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Management Consultant

A Management Consultant provides advice to organizations on how to improve their performance and efficiency. This course can help a Management Consultant understand the structure of financial markets. This course provides an overview of the sell side and buy side, which can be a useful area of expertise for a consultant. Learning about the career paths within capital markets may help a Management Consultant better understand the overall financial industry. This course may be helpful for those working as or pursuing a role as a Management Consultant.

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Business Development Manager

A Business Development Manager focuses on growing a company’s business through strategic partnerships, client acquisition and other means. This course can help a Business Development Manager understand the inner workings of the capital markets. Understanding the sell side and buy side can be useful in building business relationships. It introduces different career paths in financial markets, which may be helpful for someone working in this field. Although not a core focus, this course may help a Business Development Manager in their role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Development Manager

Risk Analyst

A Risk Analyst assesses and mitigates risks within a financial institution. This course introduces the complexities of capital markets, and may be useful for someone working as a Risk Analyst. Understanding the roles of different stakeholders, such as the sell side and buy side, may help the Risk Analyst understand the risks inherent in the market. By studying the structure of financial markets, this course may help the Risk Analyst gain a broader understanding of their field. This course may be useful for a Risk Analyst.

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Financial Planner

A Financial Planner helps individuals create budgets and savings plans. This course may provide a broader framework for financial markets. An understanding of how capital markets function and of the different stakeholders involved may help in financial planning. Learning about the sell side and buy side may help a Financial Planner understand the landscape of their day to day. This course may be useful for someone interested in working as a Financial Planner.

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Corporate Development Associate

A Corporate Development Associate supports mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, and other strategic transactions for a company. This course can help someone in this role understand the dynamics of sell side and buy side interactions and their roles in transactions. The course offers an overview of how financial markets function. Although not a primary focus, this course may be useful for a Corporate Development Associate. Learning about different career paths in finance can help in strategic decisionmaking.

See salaries and explore the career path for Corporate Development Associate

Actuary

An Actuary analyzes the financial consequences of risk. While this course focuses on capital markets, it touches upon the financial industry as a whole. The course may indirectly help an Actuary understand how different parts of the financial system. Although not a core focus, this course may be helpful for an Actuary to broaden their understanding of the financial industry. By introducing concepts in finance, this course may be helpful to someone in the actuarial field.

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Auditor

An Auditor examines financial records for accuracy and compliance. This course introduces the structure of capital markets which may be useful to an Auditor. By learning about the various stakeholders of capital markets, an Auditor can understand the overall financial system. While not a core focus, this course may be helpful for an Auditor in their day to day work. By broadening their knowledge of financial markets, an Auditor can better perform their work.

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Introduction to Capital Markets

What's inside

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Comprehensive introduction to capital markets careers

Activities

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