- – – Days
- – – Hours
- – – Min
- – – Sec
An Introduction to Financial Markets is a practical and comprehensive training course, covering a range of topics – from the financial industry and its market players, through to financial products and their use.
It requires absolutely no prior financial knowledge and is suitable for all backgrounds.
- Develop a solid understanding of the financial markets landscape, its major participants and their roles.
- Find out about macroeconomic factors and how they drive the financial markets.
- Understand the mechanics behind securities trading.
- Distinguish between different types of asset classes and investment products.
- Appreciate various funding methods for companies and governments.
- Recognize the role of interest rates on the markets and economy.
- Find out about factors that influence FX rates and how they are determined.
- Identify and measure risks of bonds and debt investing.
- Figure out why commodities trade through futures contracts.
- Be able to explain various financial derivatives types and their use.
- Beginner traders and investors, looking to learn more about financial markets.
- Professionals within the financial industry or those providing services to the financial sector.
- Professionals performing financial functions in non-financial industries, such as corporate treasury, accounting, and investor relations.
- Students, preparing for an upcoming internship or starting their careers in finance.
- Anyone working in or looking to understand financial markets.

Sergei Perfiliev
- Active trader specializing in Equity Derivatives and Volatility trading.
- Former Goldman Sachs Quantitative Analyst.
- Working in finance since 2008.
- Professional career includes Nomura, Bloomberg and Goldman Sachs.
- Cross asset-class experience covering Equities, Fixed Income, FX and Commodities.
- Teaching financial courses since 2013.
- Holds Masters of Engineering from Imperial College London.
- Holds Masters of Science in Mathematical Finance from University of Oxford.
-
Financial Markets and Players:
- Capital and financial markets.
- Overview of the four main asset classes.
- Financial institutions and market players.
- The Sell Side: investment banks.
- Buy Side: hedge funds, pension funds, insurance firms, sovereign wealth funds, and mutual funds.
- Market players: investors, traders, speculators, and arbitrageurs.
-
Macroeconomics:
- Overview of macroeconomic concepts.
- GDP and economic growth.
- Imports and exports.
- Employment and labor markets.
- Interest Rates and the role of Central Banks.
- Impact of macroeconomy on financial markets.
-
Market Dynamics and Trading:
- The concept of liquidity.
- Market making and market taking.
- Exchange and OTC trading.
- Role of the exchange.
- Quote types and trades.
- Order-driven and quote-driven markets.
- Risk in financial markets.
-
Yield Curve and Time Value of Money:
- Time value of money.
- Discounting and compounding.
- Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR).
- Zero-coupon, fixed-coupon and floating-coupon bonds.
- Interest rate yield curve and its shapes.
-
Fixed Income Markets:
- Interest rate benchmarks.
- Credit ratings and rating agencies.
- Investment grade, high-yield and junk bonds.
- Government and sovereign debt.
- Corporate bonds.
-
Equity Markets:
- Share types and classes.
- Financial statements.
- Stock pricing and valuation.
- IPOs and corporate actions.
- Equity funds and stock indices.
-
Foreign Exchange Markets:
- Functioning of the FX markets.
- Currency regimes.
- The FX quote.
- FX rate determination.
- Strong or a weak currency?
-
Commodities:
- Commodity types.
- Market players trading commodities.
- Financial futures and market conventions.
- Futures curve – contango and backwardation.
- Cost of carry and convenience curve.
-
Financial Derivatives Overview:
- Futures and forwards.
- Options.
- Swaps.
-
Course category:
Foundational -
Location:
Online -
Duration:
2 days -
Class size:
25 students
-
Formal completion certificate.
-
Course notes and materials.
-
Follow-up support – ability to ask questions and seek further clarification, if needed.
We accept all major credit and debit cards, and PayPal.
You can cancel your booking and receive a full refund up to one month in advance of the course start date.
If you made a booking for a seminar that starts in less than one month, you can cancel for a full refund within the 14 days of making the booking.
In case if we are unable to deliver a course in a physical classroom and had to move it online due to COVID-19, you can also cancel and request a full refund if you don’t want to attend the course virtually.
This course is aimed at individuals who have very little knowledge about the financial markets and there are no pre-requisites required in order to attend this course.
Trading profitably and consistently is not trivial, and like with any other skill, it requires a lot of studying, hard-work, dedication and persistence in order to master.
Our “Introduction to Financial Markets” training course is an excellent starting point, but definitely not sufficient in order to start trading financial markets profitably.
Get in touch!
All our training courses can be tailored to your company needs and requirements.
Feel free to call us on +44 207 459 4445 or email info@perfiliev.co.uk and we’d be happy to help.