An Evening Masterclass in Financial Markets

25 Jun 2019
- Training
An invaluable introduction to the mechanics of today's global financial market place. Designed to explain the principal markets and the products traded, this course is interactive in its nature and, whatever your objectives, is designed to ensure your questions are answered.
Training programme overview
An Evening Masterclass in Financial Markets, taking place over 10 weeks, offers an invaluable and straightforward introduction to the mechanics of today's global financial market place. Designed to explain the principal markets and the products traded, this course is deliberately participative and interactive in nature and, whatever your learning objectives, is designed to ensure your questions are answered.
It describes the financial world in clear, easy to understand terms and provides a comprehensive overview of commercial and investment banking, foreign exchange, money and bond markets, stock markets and derivatives and an up to date analysis of the global financial crisis and its ongoing impact.
Discussions about the present and anticipated regulatory environment will be reinforced both by a strong emphasis on ‘commercial awareness and business acumen’, and all guest speakers are selected for their maturity and their ability to share their market experiences.
Why attend the training programme?
Attend and you will gain full insight into the origins of the financial markets, the key players and the role of the regulatory institutions. Acquire a thorough grounding in the main financial products and how they are used, including: bonds, equities, futures and forwards, swaps and options. It will emphasise the practical rather than theoretical and will unravel some of the mystique and jargon surrounding today’s financial markets. In addition to addressing the traditional asset classes, the course will look at alternative investments and those associated with them.
Who should attend?
- Recent graduates who have joined City institutions
- Lawyers, accountants, consultants, compliance, internal audit, HR, IT and Public Relations professionals who seek to broaden their knowledge
- Anybody new to the City needing to gain a broad understanding of today’s financial markets
- Non-executive directors and trustees of pension funds who wish to familiarise themselves with financial market activities
Course fee includes:
- Attendance at all 10 weekly seminars
- An optional evening walking tour of the City of London incorporating visits to the City of London’s most prestigious and renowned landmarks.
- Printed copies of all study materials
- Jargon buster - A glossary of market terms
- Recommendations for further reading from course tutors
- Post-seminar tests to monitor your learning progress
- Access to the London Stock Exchange Academy e-learning platform where you can ask further questions of the course tutors, catch up on any seminars that you may have missed and network with your peers
- Certificate of attendance
Faculty
All our trainers are or have been market practitioners with extensive industry experience. This practical background enhances the learning experience and is one aspect that distinguishes the quality of our training. We coach and challenge our participants to ensure they can apply their learning back in the workplace. Each week's training will be led by a trainer specialised in the subject area and facilitated by the Course Director.
Course Director: Martin Russell DL FCT
Martin gained treasury and corporate finance experience in banking, starting in the 1970’s and then in two FTSE 100 corporates and a mortgage bank.
Martin provides financial and business education to institutions including domestic and overseas regulatory bodies, central banks and Lloyd’s, to banks of all sorts, insurance brokers and underwriters, major law firms, corporations like the Financial Times and Thomson Reuters, and to the public sector – government departments and agencies, the Bank of England, City of London Corporation and to individual MPs and Peers. He has also been the Course Director of the renowned FT ‘Introducing the City’ evening programme. He has delivered five annual programmes for Members of Parliament and for Members of the House of Lords on behalf of the Industry & Parliament Trust. He lectures at Middlesex University Business School and elsewhere.
Martin has been a Fellow of the Association of Corporate Treasurers since 1981.
Location: London Stock Exchange, 10 Paternoster Square, London.
Course timing: Tuesday evenings (18:00-21:00)

Martin Russell DL FCT
Week 1 - Introduction & Overview
- Functions of the world's financial markets - transferring funds and risk
- What are efficient markets? How are they structured? Who is involved?
- The clearing and settlement processes
- Sell-Side (Investment Banks) vs. Buy-Side (Institutional Investors)
- The roles of the regulator
- The financial crisis
- Wrap up quiz
Week 2 - Economics and Financial Markets
- What economic data matters to the markets?
- Why is the City so driven by statistics from overseas?
- Data that is important to money markets, bond markets and to stock markets
- How traders interpret and use data, and how the statistics are produced
- Where do we stand at present, and what can we expect in future?
- Key things to watch now and in the future
- Wrap up quiz
Week 3 - Foreign Exchange, Interest Rates & Central Banks
How and why the foreign exchange market functions
- Currency types
- How various blocs move in relation to others
- Spot, Cross and Forward Exchange Rates
- Interest Rates - LIBOR & Repo and other Money Market instruments
- The role of the Central Bank
- Commodities and Property as asset classes
- Wrap up quiz
Week 4 - The Bond Markets
- What is a bond? Public and private offerings, MTN and other programmes
- Bond issuers
- Bond Structure and pricing - Coupons and Yields, Yield Curves
- Risks
- Corporate Bonds and Credit Ratings - the role of the Rating Agencies
- London’s Order Book for Retail Bonds
- Wrap up quiz
Week 5 - The Equity Markets
- Primary Markets - Types of flotation
- The Main Market v AIM; alternative trading facilities
- Secondary Markets – instruments traded and key participants
- Corporate actions - Share Splits, Rights Issues, Buybacks, Dividends
- The regulatory framework
- A changing environment - High Frequency Trading and Dark Pools, trade reporting and commission allocation
- Wrap up quiz
Week 6 - The Derivatives Markets
- What are Derivatives? Exchange Traded vs. OTC
- Options - Terminology, for Hedging or Speculation?
- Swaps - Interest Rate and Credit Default swaps; Counterparty risk limitation
- Futures - Margin requirements and Leverage - Risk and exposure, role of the Clearing House
- Wrap up quiz
Week 7 – Post trade
- Clearing - the role of the central counterparty (CCP) in financial markets
- Settlement and custody - the role of CSDs in financial markets
Week 8 – Corporate Finance and Investment Banks
- Overview of corporate finance
- M&A case study
- IPOs and secondary issues
- Private equity
- Banks as depositories, trustees and prime brokers
- Wrap up quiz
Week 9 – Fund and Wealth Management
- Institutional vs Private Client Asset Management how they differ
- Investment management styles, active versus passive; the role of ETFs
- Impacts of changing legislation affecting pension fund trustees
- How is the asset management world changing?
- What drives strategic asset allocation?
- Hedge funds and other specialist investment vehicles
- Wrap up quiz
Week 10 – Banking and Financial Institutions
- Traditional corporate and global banking – changing models
- Challenger and shadow banks
- NBFIs
- Sifs
- Banking post-financial crisis
- Wrap up quiz