Course coordinator
Dr Cesare Fracassi
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2025 (28/07/2025 - 22/11/2025)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Business School
The course provides a critical overview of literature relevant to contemporary issues in finance with the primary goal of preparing students to do this type of research. The course is organised around selected published articles and working papers with an emphasis on economic reasoning and quantitative tools. A thorough examination of the associated research design choices underlying theoretical and empirical work prepares students to address research design issues in Honours thesis topics beyond the illustrated areas.
FINM6403 will prepare students with skills in reading research papers, presenting economic ideas, and coming up with opinions in asset pricing research. This will be accomplished by exposing students to fundamental asset pricing, banking and market microstructure models and the empirical tools commonly used in influential studies.
Course requirements
Assumed background
Students enrolling in FINM6403 should have knowledge on undergraduate finance. FINM6403 will take as given that students are familiar with corporate finance and asset pricing basics.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
(FINM2416 or 3402 or 3412) + permission from Head of School
Restrictions
BAdvBus(Hons), BCom(Hons), BAdvFinEcon(Hons), GCBusRMeth, GDipBRM, MCom, PhD, MPhil. BAdvBus(Hons) students must email bel@uq.edu.au for permission to enrol. Quota: Min 10 enrolments.
Course contact
Lecturer
Dr Cesare Fracassi
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Please note: Teaching staff do not have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you email business.mytimetable@uq.edu.au from your UQ student email account with the following details:
- Full Name
- Student ID
- Course Code
Aims and outcomes
The course aims toﾠexplore the recent literature on various topics in contemporary finance research and to develop new and interesting research questions.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Develop a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of empirical methods in finance.
LO2.
Implement and interpret commonly used econometric models and fitting outcome.
LO3.
Develop an understanding of how finance is related to other social science disciplines.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation | Class Presentation | 20% |
Week 5 - Week 13 |
| Essay/ Critique | Article review | 30% |
15/10/2025 2:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Thesis | Research Proposal | 50% |
31/10/2025 2:00 pm |
Assessment details
Class Presentation
- Mode
- Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
Week 5 - Week 13
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
Students are expected to deliver in-class presentations of their chosen papers. Below are the guidelines.
The time allocated for a presentation is 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the complexity of the paper.
Provide a summary of the paper’s contributions to the literature and general line of reasoning.
Provide an in-depth review of the paper's empirical analysis, e.g., data collection, empirical design, econometric models, and identification strategies.
Is the empirical analysis of the paper convincing?
Provide suggestions for improvement or extension.
Please Note: The presentation will be recorded for marking purposes per UQ Policy.
AI Statement
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
You need to apply for an extension to this assessment via contacting your course coordinator by the due date.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Article review
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Essay/ Critique
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
15/10/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02
Task description
Peer review is fundamental to the efficacy of the scientific process. This assessment task requires each student to prepare one review report based on recently published papers in top finance/accounting journals. Below are the guidelines.
- Select papers published in the top 5 finance/accounting journals since 2015 (Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics, Review of Financial Studies, Review of Finance, and Journal of Accounting and Economics).
- Length: 2 to 3 pages (1-inch margin; double space; 12-font size).
- Provide a summary of the paper’s claimed results, contributions, and general line of reasoning.
- Is the empirical analysis convincing?
- Provide suggestions for improvement or extension.
AI Statement
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Submission via Blackboard
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Research Proposal
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation, Thesis
- Weight
- 50%
- Due date
31/10/2025 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03
Task description
Prepare a proposal that clearly summarises your proposed research project. Below are the guidelines to help you prepare your research proposal:
- Length: 4 to 8 pages (1-inch margin; double spaced; 12-point font)
- Project title: Working title for the project
- Aims and Objectives: What are the overall aims of the work? What objectives are necessary to meet the aims?
- Synopsis: Briefly describe the key aspects of what you will be investigating.
- Background: Review of literature in the area of interest. Describe what research lays the groundwork for your topic.
- Expected research contribution: Why is the topic/creative work important? Describe how the research may be novel.
- Data and proposed methodology: Discuss the type of data and data source for your research. Empirical approach or methodology to be used in the research. List out existing methodology in the current literature. Detailed discussion about the pros and cons of the existing empirical methods and how are you going to proceed.
- References: A short bibliography of the cited literature.
AI Statement
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Translation (MT) are emerging tools that may support students in completing this assessment task. Students may appropriately use AI and/or MT in completing this assessment task. Students must clearly reference any use of AI or MT in each instance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 29 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 30 - 46 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 47 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
Grades will be allocated according to University-wide standards of criterion-based assessment.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
The main learning resources will be slides and the academic papers listed for each class. In addition to the required papers, a list of optional papers will be provided from which students can choose for their presentations. There is no required “textbook,” but I will make note of the appropriate references used in my slides.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 |
Seminar |
Introduction, Ordinary Least Squares regression Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 2 |
Seminar |
Endogeneity Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 3 |
Seminar |
Fixed Effects Models Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 4 |
Seminar |
Instrumental Variables Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Week 5 |
Seminar |
Natural Experiments Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 6 |
Seminar |
Regression Discontinuity Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 7 |
Seminar |
Matching Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 8 |
Seminar |
Non-linear Models and Other Econometric Techniques Replication 4 Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 9 |
Seminar |
Standard Errors and Fintech Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Mid Sem break |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
Mid-Semester Break No seminar during the mid-semester break |
Week 10 |
Seminar |
Capital Structure Learning outcomes: L02, L03 |
Week 11 |
Seminar |
Investments, M&A, and Internal Capital Markets King's Birthday Public Holiday - Monday 7 Oct 2024 - Check Blackboard for announcements about affected classes. Learning outcomes: L02, L03 |
Week 12 |
Seminar |
Security Offerings (IPO, SEO, …) and Payout Learning outcomes: L02, L03 |
Week 13 |
Seminar |
Corporate Governance and Wrap-up Learning outcomes: L02, L03 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.