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

Status: Free Trial
Duke University
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Primitives
Skills you'll gain: Blockchain, Loans, FinTech, Payment Systems, Key Management, Cryptography, Digital Assets, Market Liquidity, Financial Trading, Transaction Processing
4.9
Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
426 reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
Macquarie University
Excel Skills for Business: Advanced
Skills you'll gain: Dashboard, Microsoft Excel, Excel Formulas, Spreadsheet Software, Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), Data Cleansing, Finance, Business Intelligence Software, Data Validation, Financial Modeling, Data Visualization, Loans, Depreciation, Automation
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
6K reviews
Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
University at Buffalo
Blockchain Basics
Skills you'll gain: Blockchain, Cryptography, Transaction Processing, Network Protocols, Encryption, Network Model, Data Structures, Distributed Computing, FinTech, Virtual Environment, Data Integrity, Emerging Technologies, Virtual Machines, Verification And Validation
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
7.7K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Status: Free Trial
PwC
Problem Solving with Excel
Skills you'll gain: Excel Formulas, Microsoft Excel, Data Cleansing, Spreadsheet Software, Data Analysis Expressions (DAX), Data Validation, Complex Problem Solving, Statistical Analysis, Financial Analysis
4.7
Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
5.4K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Columbia University
Economics of Money and Banking
Skills you'll gain: International Finance, Derivatives, Financial Systems, Balance Sheet, Financial Market, Payment Systems, Capital Markets, Banking, Economics, Market Liquidity, Financial Regulation, Finance, Market Dynamics
4.9
Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
1.7K reviews
Mixed · Course · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
Stanford University
Introduction to Healthcare
Skills you'll gain: Healthcare Ethics, Pharmaceuticals, Health Systems, Healthcare Industry Knowledge, Health Care, Health Care Administration, Health Care Procedure and Regulation, Medicare, Health Policy, Medical Billing and Coding, Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), Hospital Medicine
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
1.2K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Managerial Economics and Business Analysis
Skills you'll gain: Descriptive Statistics, Supply And Demand, Market Dynamics, Sampling (Statistics), Statistical Inference, Business Analytics, Financial Systems, Financial Policy, Banking, Probability Distribution, Analytics, Statistical Analysis, Statistical Hypothesis Testing, Statistics, Regression Analysis, Microsoft Excel, Economics, Financial Market, Business Economics, Risk Management
Build toward a degree
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
4.1K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months
Status: Free Trial
New York Institute of Finance
Market Risk Management: Frameworks & Strategies
Skills you'll gain: Risk Management, Risk Modeling, Financial Market, Derivatives, Investment Management, Portfolio Management, Risk Analysis, Market Data, Equities, Asset Management, Capital Markets, Estimation, Financial Modeling, Statistical Modeling, Statistical Analysis, Probability & Statistics
4.6
Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
167 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
University of Pennsylvania
Entrepreneurship 1: Developing the Opportunity
Skills you'll gain: Entrepreneurship, Market Opportunities, Product Development, Ideation, Target Market, New Product Development, Competitive Analysis, Innovation, Business Planning, Strategic Thinking, Business Analysis, Analysis, Business Development, Needs Assessment, Customer Insights, Technology Strategies
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
4.3K reviews
Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Interactive Brokers
Forex - Trading Around the World
Skills you'll gain: Financial Trading, International Finance, Financial Market, Securities Trading, Equities, Market Data, Market Dynamics, Investments, Product Knowledge, Profit and Loss (P&L) Management, Market Analysis, Order Management
4.4
Rating, 4.4 out of 5 stars
203 reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks
Amazon Web Services
AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials
Skills you'll gain: Amazon Web Services, Amazon CloudWatch, Public Cloud, AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), Cloud Services, Cloud Computing, Cloud Platforms, Cloud Infrastructure, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, Cloud Management, Cloud Security, Amazon S3, Cloud Computing Architecture, Continuous Monitoring, Scalability
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
1.9K reviews
Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months
Status: Free Trial
Berklee
Music Business
Skills you'll gain: Entrepreneurship, Contract Negotiation, Intellectual Property, Music, Lawsuits, Team Building, Design Thinking, Music History, Creativity, Ideation, Innovation, Creative Problem-Solving, Creative Thinking, Product Development, Legal Proceedings, Law, Regulation, and Compliance, Musical Composition, Revenue Management, Revenue Recognition, Regulation and Legal Compliance
4.8
Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
3.3K reviews
Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months