Financial Markets

Introduction to Fixed Income Investments and the Bond Markets

Course Description

If a company or a government needs to raise long-term financing, then borrowing money from the markets can be the most efficient method. If a company issues a bond, effectively borrowing from the investors, then we need to understand how the bond is priced and issued and what the key risks are for the investors. In the current turbulent environment, what issues are affecting the credit markets? In particular, what are the features of different products such as treasury mortgage-backed and security bonds.

This course takes candidates through the basics of bonds, developing concepts through to understanding a range of products. Participants will be introduced to a number of risks, and how to manage them. More complex structured debt products will also be outlined along with a discussion on valuation issues.

By the end of the course, each candidate will have a thorough understanding of the different fixed income products, who uses them and how they can be analysed.

 

Who should attend?

• Financial analysts
• Risk managers
• Corporate treasurers
• Bond dealers and traders
• Investors
• New financial markets employees
• Other roles working in and around the global bond markets.

 

Learning Objectives

At the end of the course delegates should have a broad understanding of the following subject areas:

• Strategy: Porter’s five forces and industry value chain analysis, activity/resource-based sources of competitive advantage
• Marketing: defining the market, customer segmentation, assessing market potential, writing marketing plans, managing brand image and identity, measuring the performance of marketing spending
• Corporate Finance: methods of company valuation, creating shareholder value through WACC and ROIC concepts, managing the factors such as asymmetric information involved in financing, investment and payout decisions
• Organisational Behaviour: principles of communication, managing moods and emotions, building and managing successful teams, principles of persuasion, motivation and feedback, leadership, negotiation, organisation structure design, cultural change
• Management decision-making: understanding human biases inherent in decision-making such as Framing, Anchoring, Availability, Representativeness, Overconfidence, Escalation of Commitment, as well as how to put in place mechanisms to counteract or effectively use such biases and emotions within an organization
• Operations: matching supply & demand, tradeoffs between market responsiveness and efficiency, managing quality through methods such as six-sigma, managing buyer-supplier relationships, and the Bullwhip phenomenon
• M&A: creating & capturing value through M&A, context for successful M&A, alliances and partnerships as an alternative to M&A
• Managerial accounting: measuring profitability appropriately, activity-based costing, and the Balanced Scorecard

 

Teaching Style

Classroom style lectures featuring use of up-to-date relevant case studies and examples. Highly interactive with delegates encouraged to participate fully.

 

Prerequisites

This course has no prerequisites. Although bond analysis requires a wide range of accounting and economic concepts, these will be introduced with no prior knowledge needed.

 

Course Programme

View the detailed course programme

 

Tutor 

Nicholas Blain - see tutors

 

Duration

2 days

 

Course Fee

£1,500.00 plus VAT

Early Bird Discount – book 6 weeks before the course date and receive a 15% discount.

 

Course Dates

Our classroom courses run regularly throughout the year, the day classes start at 9.30am and finish at 4.30pm.

2011	December	5, 6
2012	May	30, 31