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Comprehensive Guide to Financial Markets, Investing, Trading

Name: Comprehensive Guide to Financial Markets, Investing, Trading
Rating: 4.5 (6179 reviews)

A comprehensive (advanced) introduction to global financial markets, investing and trading in all financial assets

Created byHari Swaminathan

Last updated 5/2025

English

What you'll learn

Approach any financial market with confidence and start investing on their own
Become completely informed about every financial asset and its pluses and minuses
Make any kind of investment based on sound knowledge
Learn all about the basics - Stocks, Mutual Funds and ETFs
Understand the Bond and Fixed income markets and its implications
Thoroughly understand Foreign exchange and currency and commodity investing
Get a detailed look inside the Futures and Options markets
Get a set of 4 Key Strategies which can generate profits immediately in the markets after taking the course

Course content

15 sections • 79 lectures • 9h 9m total length

Introduction, Key Benefits of course including 4 key strategies for profits5:09
Discover four key profit strategies for stocks and ETFs, including a low risk high reward approach, protection, below-market buys, and income from existing holdings, demonstrated with live trades.

Institutional investors, Retail investors and Financial market sizes5:36
Where are these Trillions of dollars being invested - Global Money Flows5:38
The State of Global Financial markets in 2016. What to watch for in 20166:42
Explore the 2015–2016 state of global markets, with the U.S. as the largest financial market, eurozone share, and rising Asian assets, while volatility spikes from China, commodities, and policy shifts.
Global Finance and Macro Quiz

Introduction to Asset Classes. These are the instruments we use for investments3:39
Explore the six major financial asset classes, from equities and fixed income to commodities and forex, with introductions to derivatives, futures, options, and alternative investments.
Introduction to Equities and Equity-related products (commonly known as Shares)3:53
Explore equities and stock ownership, and how mutual funds, etfs, and index funds diversify exposure. Compare stock risk to fixed income, and introduce pension funds, hedge funds, and private equity.
Introduction to Bonds and Fixed Income, and the US and global bond markets7:34
Explore the fixed income market, where bonds and CDs offer fixed returns; learn how credit ratings set interest, compare government and corporate bonds, and review Apple’s upcoming bond issue.
Introduction to commodities and Metals - Oil, Gold, Silver, Corn, Copper etc.3:12
Introduction to Foreign Exchange (or FOREX), and the main Currencies5:10
Introduction to Advanced asset classes like Derivatives, Futures and Options2:48
Derivatives - Introduction to Options - The most strategic investing instrument1:58
Explore options as a strategic and mathematical instrument with the Black-Scholes pricing model, hedge opportunities, and practical trading strategies, while noting their learning curve and leverage.
Introduction to Alternative asset classes like Private Equity, Venture Capital3:21

Study of Risk and Expected returns from asset classes. And hierarchy of returns4:28
Differences between Investing and Trading. Understand which style you fit into4:00
Concept of Valuation of a company - True value of a Stock. Methods of valuation4:58
Introduction to the Trading Platform with various examples that will be used6:47
Fundamental analysis and Fundamental style of investing. Who will this benefit5:45
Technical Analysis and Technical style of Investing. The wisdom of Crowds study11:31
Value Investing - Warren Buffett's approach. Long term investing Buy and Hold2:50
Types of Accounts for a Beginner. Discussion of cash and margin accounts3:48
Pros and Cons of Leverage (Margin). Is margin good or bad. Using margin3:38
Practice and know or understand YOUR style and investing approach - CRITICAL3:19
Core Investing and Trading principles Quiz
Quiz on Margin and Leverage
Quiz on Stocks and the Stock Markets

The fundamentals of Stocks. Ownership in a company and its benefits8:59
Key Stock and Market concepts required for any kind of investment in markets17:40
Study of the main Global Indices, and their relationships and components2:44
Study of Index funds. Why this could be the best no-brainer investment for many8:53
What is "Shorting" a stock , Market Equilibrium and Portfolio diversification3:18
Learn how shorting works, including margin requirements and the potential for unlimited losses, and explore how diversification across sectors, subsectors, geography, and asset classes stabilizes a portfolio.
Order Types - The main Order types available on most platforms.16:00
Learn the main order types: market, limit, stop, stop-limit, and conditional orders, how bid-ask spreads affect fills, and the risks highlighted by the 2010 flash crash.
Earnings Reports, Uncertainty and Stock Volatility that happens every Quarter9:44
Explore how earnings reports, SEC filings, and quarterly outlooks drive stock volatility, investor expectations, and strategic decisions for traders and long-term investors.
Bonus Strategy : Hedging Stocks during Earnings events to blunt the volatility2:58
Quiz on Shorting

What are Mutual Funds, History and Size of Mutual funds, and Investing resources8:41
Explore how mutual funds pool investors' capital to track sector-focused stocks, calculate daily net asset value, and balance regulation, cost, and research options like Fidelity and Morningstar.
The advantages of Mutual Funds (Pros), and why this could be a starting point2:29
The negatives (shortcomings) of Mutual Funds (Cons). Investors must be aware6:10
Quiz on Mutual Funds

Technical analysis details and and the study of different Trading styles9:56
Study of Moving Averages and how they define the trend on various timeframes.5:25
Understanding Support and Resistance. Key technical analysis tool for investors7:50
The MACD Momentum Indicator. Determining the strength behind a stock move8:53
What are Bollinger Bands and how can to use them. Identifying extreme conditions6:31
Explore Bollinger bands, a core technical analysis tool using two standard deviations to indicate price movements, reversals, and overbought or oversold signals, adjustable to two and a half standard deviations.
Fibonacci Retracements. An age-old methodology as applied to markets effectively10:33
Use Fibonacci retracements to identify likely turnarounds after a big move, with 23.6, 38.2, 50, and 61.8 percent levels for intraday and longer-term charts on stocks, futures, and options.
Oscillators for Overbought and Oversold conditions - Study of RSI and Percent R10:18
Sample Trades - Long term, Swing and Day (or short term) trading10:49
Quiz on Technical Analysis

Bond Markets overview - Global and US Bonds, Risk On and Risk Off modes etc.13:17
Bond prices and their relationship to Interest rates and Inflation8:05
Explore the inverse relationship between bond prices and interest rates, and how inflation and credit risk drive rates and affect real returns.
Central Banks, Federal Reserve, Asset Bubbles, Bailouts and Money printing10:19
Investing or Trading in Bonds and the various instruments available4:57
Explore bond trading with /ZB futures, TLT ETFs, and the 2x inverse TBT. See how TLT mirrors /ZB, how options and shares unlock trading strategies.
Trade Updates on existing trades4:46
Quiz on Bond Markets

Types of Commodities - and why they play a key role in the global economy3:03
Gold - Is it precious OR a Safe Haven OR a Currency ??? Will Gold be a currency11:43
Explore how gold functions as a currency, safe haven, and store of value. See its inverse relationship with the U.S. dollar and how money printing drives gold prices.
Study of Oil and the Energy complex. Detailed study of extreme volatility in Oil5:48
Investing and Trading instruments for various Commodities5:38
Quiz on Commodities investing

Requirements

Students need not have any experience in financial markets to take this course

Description

This course is the most comprehensive introduction to investing for Beginners and Intermediate levels, and is suitable for people from all backgrounds. If you have between 0 and 2 years of experience in Financial markets, this course will take you up at least 3 levels higher.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

First, the global "macro" Finance and Investment cycles and how big money is invested
Core investing principles and detailed study of all the market and stock terminology
Detailed analysis of Stocks, Investing styles, and Best Practices
A thorough comparison of Mutual Funds and ETFs - Pros and Cons
Learn about the all-important Bond Markets, Interest rates and Inflation
How to invest into Commodities - Gold, Oil etc
Study of the Spot Forex, Forex Futures and Currency ETFs
An advanced introduction to Futures and Options
10 Live trades on Stocks,ETFs, Bonds, Gold, Euro Futures, British Pound ETF
Live demonstration of all concepts on a Live trading platform (Practical investing)
Monitoring of positions, and trade and risk management
The Human Element - How to avoid extreme emotional points in Investing

FOUR KEY BONUS STRATEGIES FOR IMMEDIATE PROFITS

This course includes FOUR key strategies for long term investors and traders. These can produce hundreds of dollars or more a month immediately after you take the courses

A Low-risk high reward ETF strategy based on sector rotation
How to Buy Stocks at much lower prices that its trading for, and MAKE INCOME
If you already own stocks, this strategy will put money in your bank every month
If you think a stock is going to crash, this low-cost strategy will protect your position

And an additional BONUS: How to hedge your stock during Volatile Earnings events

WHO IS IT FOR

Anyone interested in understanding Beginner to Intermediate level in Financial Markets
This is a one stop course for getting a detailed understanding of Trading and Investing in Financial markets
Starts at Beginner levels - No previous understanding or expertise required
Every Financial asset class covered as described above

Who this course is for:

Anyone with no experience or less than 3 years of experience with financial markets, investing and trading
Regardless of your background, this course is universally applicable for everyone

Comprehensive Guide to Financial Markets, Investing, Trading

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Course introduction, Instructor details, Objectives & Key Benefits for Students1 lecture • 5min

"The Big Picture" The Macro financial world, Money flows and Investment sources3 lectures • 18min

Financial instruments, Asset Classes, and what can people invest in8 lectures • 32min

Section 4: Core investment and trading concepts10 lectures • 51min

Section 5: Investing in Stocks (Equities) and Equity-related products8 lectures • 1hr 10min

Section VI - Stock-related instruments : MUTUAL FUNDS3 lectures • 17min

Section VII - Stock-related instruments : Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)5 lectures • 47min

Section VIII - Study of Technical Analysis and various Trading Styles8 lectures • 1hr 10min

Section 9: The Bond Markets and Fixed Income5 lectures • 41min

Section 10 : Investing in Commodities, Precious Metals like Gold, Silver and Oil4 lectures • 26min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: