This course is designed to help students understand the connections between money (the Federal Reserve), financial markets, and the macroeconomy. How are interest rates determined, and how does the Federal Reserve conduct monetary policy? How do Federal Reserve actions impact the US as well as other economies? What economic factors drive the yield curves in different bond markets? We will pay particular attention to the banking system, with an eye toward understanding the function, valuation, and regulation of banks. We touch on a number of topics including the role of the Federal Reserve as a lender of last resort during financial crises, unconventional monetary policy tools such as quantitative easing and forward guidance, cryptocurrency, and emerging market financial crises. We will often begin class with a discussion of current macro-financial market events in the context of our course coverage. The course is appropriate for anyone trying to gain a macroeconomic perspective on capital markets, from investors to bankers, or those simply interested in the linkages between interest rates, banks and the economy.

The role of economic history as a distinctive approach to the study of economics, using illustrations from U.S. history and topics in international economics. Topics focused on the US include: historical and institutional foundations of US economic growth; economic causes and consequences of slavery; women's changing role in the economy; inequality and intergenerational mobility; the growth of social insurance. Topics in international economics include globalization of goods and capital flows and their impact on growth, financial and sovereign debt crises, and financial institutions. Enrollment limited to graduate students.

This course provides an introduction to empirical research in corporate finance, with an emphasis on the application of cross-sectional and panel data econometric techniques for causal inference. Topics include investment policy, entrepreneurship and innovation, financing decisions, firm ownership, corporate governance, managerial incentives, financial contracting, the structure and internal organization of firms, capital misallocation, and financial crises. The course assumes knowledge of econometrics at the level of MGTECON 603.