What are financial markets?

Financial markets are the online trading mechanisms where traders and investors work to buy and sell stocks and bonds, commodities and derivatives, foreign exchange, and more. There are stock markets, bond markets, cryptocurrency markets, foreign exchange markets, and others. Businesses go to financial markets as well to raise money for expansion, and companies join financial markets to raise visibility and reduce risks. Financial markets exist to create financial liquidity for companies to grow and for entrepreneurs to seek funding for their business ventures. Financial markets can increase investor confidence in an economy by making information available, thus reducing risk.

Why is it important to learn about financial markets?

It's important to learn about financial markets to gain insights on risk management, financial principles, and stock trading and see how the banking and securities industries operate. The financial markets represent the lifeblood of the world's economic drivers, including the major markets around the world, as well as the lesser ones in different countries. You'll need to know how financial markets operate, if you want to work in the area of finance, as a trader, investor, entrepreneur, or within a company as a financial analyst, market maker, or similar role.

What career opportunities can arise from learning about financial markets?

A few career opportunities available to someone with a good education and interest in financial markets include portfolio manager, bond trader, risk manager, investment banker, and similar roles. After proving yourself in these jobs, there may be opportunities later in venture capital, underwriting, and private equity fields. In the stock trading area, there may be jobs open to become a buy-side trader, a sell-side trader, or a hedge fund trader. Working in the financial markets ensures there are many other interesting areas to move into and explore later on.

How can taking online courses help me learn about financial markets?

Taking online courses about the financial markets can give you knowledge about interest rates, stocks, bonds, commodities, and more. You can learn how and why stocks and bonds move up and down relative to risk factors. You may also learn to analyze a stock's performance over time and learn more about risk and return opportunities. Over time, you may get insights into the operations of hedge funds, stock portfolios, and emerging markets.

What are the benefits of taking an online Financial Markets course?

Online Financial Markets courses offer a convenient and flexible way to enhance your knowledge or learn new Financial Markets skills. Choose from a wide range of Financial Markets courses offered by top universities and industry leaders tailored to various skill levels.

What Financial Markets courses are best for training and upskilling employees or the workforce?

When looking to enhance your workforce's skills in Financial Markets, it's crucial to select a course that aligns with their current abilities and learning objectives. Our Skills Dashboard is an invaluable tool for identifying skill gaps and choosing the most appropriate course for effective upskilling. For a comprehensive understanding of how our courses can benefit your employees, explore the enterprise solutions we offer. Discover more about our tailored programs at Coursera for Business here .

Top Financial Markets Courses - Learn Financial Markets Online

Explore the Financial Markets Course Catalog

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Master of Science in Accounting
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization, Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Extract, Transform, Load, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax, Global Marketing
Earn a degree
Degree · 1 - 4 Years
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Certificado en Gestión de Inversiones
Skills you'll gain: Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Statements, Capital Markets, Portfolio Management, Accrual Accounting, Financial Analysis, Investments, Income Statement, Risk Management, Balance Sheet, Financial Data, Financial Reporting, Financial Market, Accounting, Business Ethics, Finance, Financial Modeling, Financial Trading, Behavioral Economics, Asset Management
Credit offered
Mastertrack · 6 - 12 Months
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Certificado en Finanzas Corporativas
Skills you'll gain: Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Statements, Capital Markets, Accrual Accounting, Financial Analysis, Income Statement, Derivatives, Digital Transformation, Risk Management, Business Valuation, Balance Sheet, Financial Data, Financial Reporting, Investments, Corporate Strategy, Value Propositions, Securities (Finance), Investment Management, Corporate Finance, Technology Strategies
Credit offered
Mastertrack · 6 - 12 Months
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Magíster en Inversiones y Finanzas Aplicadas
Skills you'll gain: Financial Statement Analysis, Descriptive Analytics, FinTech, Financial Statements, Business Analytics, Business Valuation, Derivatives, Strategic Decision-Making, Portfolio Management, Customer Analysis, Risk Analysis, Credit Risk, Digital Transformation, Cloud Security, Assertiveness, Governance, Financial Analysis, Object Oriented Programming (OOP), Investments, Financial Data
Earn a degree
Degree · 1 - 4 Years
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate Certificate in Taxation
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization, Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Extract, Transform, Load, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax, Global Marketing
Credit offered
Graduate Certificate · 6 - 12 Months
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate Certificate in Digital Marketing
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization, Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Extract, Transform, Load, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax, Global Marketing
Credit offered
Graduate Certificate · 6 - 12 Months
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate Certificate in Accounting Data Analytics
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization, Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Extract, Transform, Load, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax, Global Marketing
Credit offered
Graduate Certificate · 6 - 12 Months
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Entrepreneurship and Strategic Innovation Graduate Certificate
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization, Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Extract, Transform, Load, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax, Global Marketing
Credit offered
Graduate Certificate · 6 - 12 Months
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Managerial Economics & Business Analysis Graduate Certificate
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization, Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Extract, Transform, Load, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax, Global Marketing
Credit offered
Graduate Certificate · 6 - 12 Months
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Master of Science in Management
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization, Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Extract, Transform, Load, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax, Global Marketing
Earn a degree
Degree · 1 - 4 Years
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Value Chain Management Graduate Certificate
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization, Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Extract, Transform, Load, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax, Global Marketing
Credit offered
Graduate Certificate · 6 - 12 Months
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Mergers & Acquisitions Graduate Certificate
Skills you'll gain: Data Visualization, Data Storytelling, Management Accounting, Fund Accounting, Operations Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Statement Analysis, Marketing, Risk Management, Machine Learning Algorithms, Business Strategy, Extract, Transform, Load, Financial Auditing, Descriptive Statistics, Process Improvement, Marketing Analytics, Financial Market, Strategic Decision-Making, Corporate Tax, Global Marketing
Credit offered
Graduate Certificate · 6 - 12 Months