Finance

ECO 2003: Investment Analysis (3 cr.)
This course describes the setting of investment decisions and the fundamental principles guiding them.  Emphasis is on securities markets and investment strategies.  Prerequisite: Corporation Finance.  (Fall)

ECO 2005: Personal Finance (3 cr.)
An analytical framework is developed to make the financial choices required to fulfill personal goals.  Topics include goals definition; wealth building and exponential functions (compounded returns); investment basics with a focus on the evaluation of mutual funds; major purchases; debt; expenditure controls; risk management and insurance; and investment and estate planning.  Extensive use is made of electronic spreadsheets to perform exercises for the course.  Prerequisites: Principles of Economics I and II.  (Spring)

ECO 2009: Public Finance and Public Policy (3 cr.)
This course analyzes the ways the government taxes, issues debt, redistributes income, and makes expenditures.  Alternative tax and transfer structures are examined such as proposals for a flat tax, for privatizing social security and for a negative income tax.  The principles of cost-benefit analysis are developed.  Tradeoffs between efficient resource allocation and popular notions of justice will be considered in examining most policies.  Prerequisites: Principles of Economics I and II. (Fall)

ECO 2015: Money and Banking (3 cr.)
This course examines the nature of money, its history and its role in the economy, the demand and supply of money, the Federal Reserve and its relationship to banking and the economy and the financial structure of the economy including financial markets and institutions.  Prerequisites: Principles of Economics I and II.  Note: this course is an alternative to ECO 3020; only one of the two courses may be taken.  (Spring)

ECO 2018: Corporation Finance (3 cr.)
This course looks at sources and uses of funds by corporations; the analysis and management of their funds, such as cash, inventories and accounts receivable, and the efficient selection of short, intermediate and long-term funding.  Prerequisites: Principles of Economics I and II, Fundamentals of Accounting I and Economic and Business Statistics.  (Fall)

ECO 3012: Portfolio Analysis (3 cr.)
This course considers both individual and institutional portfolio management.  It examines portfolio objectives, linking them to appropriate strategies, as well as the asset allocation decision, equity and fixed income portfolios and portfolio evaluation and revision.  Prerequisite: Corporation Finance.  (Spring)

ECO 3017: Seminar in International Finance and the Global Economy (3 cr.)
This seminar will explore how worldwide capital flows provide the nexus between domestic and foreign economies.  Analysis of the balance of payments, international money markets and exchange policies will convey the relevance that global events play in our lives.  Videos, readings and student participation will comprise the seminar period.  Each student will write a research paper and present the results to the class.  Prerequisite: Principles of Economics I and II.  (Spring)

ECO 3020: Seminar in Money and Banking (3 cr.)
An examination of the nature of money, its history and its role in the economy in a seminar forum where students read articles, make oral presentations and write a short research paper.  Additional topics covered include the Federal Reserve system, other financial institutions, financial markets and the structure of the financial sector of the economy.  Prerequisites: Principles of Economics I and II.  Note: this course is an alternative to ECO 2015; only one of the two courses may be taken.  (Spring)

ECO 3997: Senior Seminar in Finance (3 cr.)
Students undertake research on a topic approved by the instructor and use the tools of financial analysis to reach conclusions.  Results of papers are presented and discussed in the seminar.  (Fall ONLY)