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What is Economics?
Economics is a powerful tool that enables students to analyse a wide range of problems, from movements in exchange rates and stock prices to the decision on the number of children a family should have. Based on the assumption that individuals maximize utility and firms maximize profits, economics can predict the behaviour of individuals and firms under various situations and conditions.
Students will learn how economics can be used as a tool to solve such practical business problems as those involved in forecasting exchange rates, deciding on product pricing, determining whether to build a hotel in China, assessing property prices or calculating the impact of a rise in US interest rates on Hong Kong's economic growth.
What is Finance?
Finance enables students to discover the intrinsic value of securities and to manage risk associated with investment. Financial tools can be applied to areas related to the securities markets, portfolio management, financial institutions and corporate finance. Students will learn how to analyse problems related to the Asia-Pacific financial markets, such as the valuation of companies in Hong Kong and China. They will learn about issues involved when investing overseas. Students will also learn how to use Hang Seng Index futures and options to hedge against the risk of investing in Hong Kong stocks, and how banks in Hong Kong manage interest rate and exchange rate risks. They will also be exposed to the procedures and analysis of mergers and acquisitions in Hong Kong.
Totally New Learning Experience at CityU
We provide students with a totally new and exciting learning experience through hands-on exposure to simulated trading and computer games. Students of Finance will take part in simulated deals in stocks, bonds, futures and options through a trading room workshop. Students of economics are required to devise pricing and production strategies against their fellow students through experimental interactive games. This gives students “real life” experience in applying theories and concepts learned in class through interactive games.
High Quality and Hi-Tech Facilities
We are the first university in Hong Kong, and the second in Asia, to build a simulated trading room to help students learn how to trade in securities. We are also the first university in Hong Kong to use computer games to teach economics. Students can, in addition, gain access to numerous sources of financial and economic data. Some of the facilities are:
The Reuters Information System Laboratory
We used the Carnegie Mellon University's Financial Assets and Securities Trading System to build our trading room. We are the first university in Asia to implement this software package, which enables students to trade in stocks, bonds, options and futures.
Databases
You can access a large volume of financial and economic data to perform your analysis. We have Asia-Pacific stock market data from the University of Rhode Island, US stock and bond data from the University of Chicago, macroeconomic data for more than 150 economies from the International Monetary Fund, a local property market database, and many other relevant and useful databases.
Highly Qualified and Experienced Staff
We have about 40 regular and visiting faculty members. All our teaching staff members are well trained and have a global perspective on economic and financial issues. Several staff have been recognized as exemplary teachers. Faculty members teaching postgraduate programmes are internationally recognized scholars in their fields. Many of them have outstanding records in research publications.
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