Digital tools and financial analysis

Introduction

Finance is relevant for all parts of society. This course provides a first introduction to how individuals, firms and governments are affected by financial topics.

The course emphasizes data and digital tools. It provides an introduction to Excel and the programming tool R. Excel or other spreadsheets are used in most firms and industries, and programming skills are increasingly in demand by the private sector. Basic skills within data collection, analysis and presentation will be developed throughout the course.

Building on data analysis, the course will cover important topics within finance, such as returns and financial markets. Further, the course will touch upon how the UN sustainability goals are relevant from a finance perspective, and investigate topics such as education, gender equality, economic growth and economic inequality.

Course content

The course will cover the following topics (not necessarily in the listed order)

• Introduction to Excel
• Introduction to R
• Introduction to financial markets
• Understand and calculate returns
• Key macroeconomic variables
• Relevant aspects of the UN sustainability goals