Introduction to economics for MA students (HAG124F)

The goal of the course is to introduce to students the basic theories and methods of modern economics, both microeconomics and macroeconomics. The microeconomics part covers the following topics: consumers and market demand, demand elasticity, firms and different competition conditions in markets, consumer surplus, producer surplus and welfare. The macroeconomics part discussed important topics in macroeconomics such as unemployment, inflation, economic growth and discusses basic theories of macroeconomics concerning the development of an economy in the short and long run.

Introduction to quantitative methods in economics (HAG123F)

The goal of the course is to introduce students to basic methods in mathematics and statistics used in economic analysis. The mathematics part covers the following topics: functions, differentiation, integration, maximization with and without constraints, series and sequences, and simple difference and differential equations. The statistics part covers the following topics: random variables, probability, distributions, mean, variance, covariance, correlation, law of large numbers, samples, hypothesis testing, point estimation, and interval estimation.

Mathematics for Finance I (HAG122F)

The course will cover the main points of statistics and pricing in finance. Emphasis is placed on introducing students to the use of statistical and mathematical methods to analyze, price and obtain information about financial instruments. Emphasis is placed on real examples where students are trained to solve tasks similar to those they may have to solve in their jobs in the financial market.

In the statistical part of the course, ideas about continuous and sparse probability distributions, expected values, variance and standard deviation, confidence intervals, null hypotheses and linear regression analyses, both simple and multivariate, will be reviewed. The basic ideas of the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) will also be reviewed.

The pricing part of the course will deal with the pricing of futures contracts on shares, bonds and currency and interest rate swaps, the construction of interest rate curves, as well as the types and characteristics of options.

Microeconomics for graduate students (HAG125F)

This course will familiarize students with the basic foundations of microeconomic theory and   how to apply that theory to analyse economic decision making, for both consumers and firms and organizations, and both in markets and the public sector. The topics cover both consumer and production theory, the different market structures, welfare economics, as well as analysing market changes and government intervention. In addition to the theoretical foundations of economic analysis, the course material will also encourage and engage students in discussion on applied microeconomics and students will be required to work on assignment/exercises.

Mathematics for Finance II (HAG122M)

The course will cover the main points of statistics and pricing in finance. Emphasis is placed on introducing students to the use of numerical and mathematical methods to analyze, price and obtain information about financial instruments. Emphasis is placed on real examples where students are trained to solve tasks similar to those they may have to solve in the workplace.

The statistical part of the course will cover time series analysis. There, models such as auto regressive models (e. Auto regressive model, AR model) and models with moving averages (e. Moving-average model, MA model) will be introduced to play. Also the combination of ARMA, ARIMA and SARIMA models. Finally, conditional variance models or ARCH and GARCH models will be reviewed.

In the pricing section, we will cover binomial trees, Wiener processes, Ito's auxiliary theorem, the Black-Scoles-Merton model and the pricing of stock and currency options.

Assets, behavior and risk (VIÐ179F)

The course focuses on the nature and workings of international financial markets, in particular from the perspective of asset management. Topics covered include key theories on asset pricing and market efficiency, dynamic portfolio optimization, risk and return assessment, financial crises, behavioral finance, and ethical issues. The acquisition of technical expertise is emphasized; students should be able to systematically work on and apply the necessary formulas. In addition, emphasis is placed on students’ acquisition of solid understanding of the nature and workings of financial markets. The course is partly based on the BS course in Portfolio Management and students are expected to have completed this or a comparable course, or to familiarize themselves with the relevant material along with the material covered in this course.

This course is taught every other year. It will the taught in autumn 2024.

Labour economics (HAG514M)

Labour economics seeks to understand the functioning of the market for wage labor. Supply and demand for labour, wage formation and employment are fundamental issues within labour economics. The course also discusses what determines wage distribution and the impact of labor market institutions on wages and employment.

Corporate Financing (VIÐ181F)

Select topics from the BS course Finance II, but more in depth. Topics include cost of capital, evaluation and selection of financing alternatives for the long term and the short term, alternatives for the dividend policy and capital structure, bond issues, stock issues, credit rating, mergers and acquisitions, and financial restructuring. Corporate finance is discussed from the viewpoint of both the Chief Financial Officer, who needs to master both the practical and theoretical aspects of the position, as well as that of investors and creditors, who need to assess the credit rating and going concern.

Corporate and investment valuation (VIÐ187F)

Course content: Corporate and investment valuation. Discussion of the content and analysis of financial statements in the context of valuation of companies and investments. Discussion of various methods for valuation, suitable for valuation of different companies such as operating companies, real estate companies, banks, insurance companies, etc.

Cost Benefit Analysis (HAG101F)

The purpose of Cost benefit analysis is to facilitate social decision making. The purpose of the course in Cost benefit analysis is to introduce to the student the foundation of CBA. CBA is used in many applications where governmental agencies at all evels are involved. CBA is routinely used to assist in making decisions regarding highway projects, health-care projects and so on. CBA is also useful to evaluate projects involving environmental damage or renewal. Topics include: Conceptually correct measures of social surplus vs. measures actually used. Estimating consumer surplus, producer surplus, and government revenue (i.e., social surplus) in primary and secondary markets, the social discount rate, uncertainty and the value of information. Existence value, contingent valuation and the value of time,crime, life, noise, and other pleasures and pains.

Economics of Industrial Organization (HAG512M)

Industrial organization is a field of economics that studies the structure of and boundaries between firms and markets and the interactions of firms strategic behavior of firms. The study of industrial organization adds to the perfectly competitive model real-world frictions such as limited information, transaction costs, costs of adjusting prices, government actions, and barriers to entry by new firms into a market that may be associated with imperfect competition. It then considers how firms are organized and how they compete, and examines deviations from the model of perfect competition in exchanges between firms, and between firms and households. These deviations occur, for instance, because of oligopoly, monopoly, attempts to limit entry to markets, transaction costs, and incomplete information.

Macroeconomics for graduate students (HAG229F)

This course covers the basic methodology of macroeconomics and trains students in applying this to analyse various economic phenomena. Main topics are long-term economic growth, optimal saving, dynamic optimization, sticky prices, credit rationing and market failure in financial markets, long-term unemployment and the natural rate of unemployment, short- and long-term fluctuations in employment and production.

Fixed income analysis (HAG230F)

In this course, the main types of fixed income instruments and interest rate derivatives will be covered. Emphasis will be placed on bonds in international context as well as the special features of the domestic bond market. Some of the issues covered will be: traditional, indexed-linked, callable and convertible bonds, credit and interest rate derivatives. Pricing, portfolio management and risk management for fixed income instruments and derivatives on those will also be covered.

Practical case studies in finance (VIÐ272F)

The objective of the course is to afford the students an opportunity to apply the tools and theories of finance that they have studied in other courses (see the prerequisites), to complete assignments and define the conditions behind certain theories/models/methods, being used. Practical cases improve decision making skills, through confronting diverse and real cases. The goal of the assignments is not necessarily to work out one correct solution, as is common in both undergraduate and graduate assignments, but rather to recognize the underlying problem and use the appropriate financial tools and theories to deal with the problem. In fact, the cases are written in such a way that there is no one single correct solution. It is, however, possible to pose good or bad reasoning to support a solution. Thus it is important to be able to substantiate why a particular financial tool was selected as a solution to the problem.
Emphasis will be placed on students adopting the technical aspects of the subject matter, i.e. that they are able to present the problems under consideration clearly and comprehensively, and that they can use the appropriate calculations to solve them.

Financial Models in Excel (VIÐ267F)

The purpose of the course is to teach students how to apply financial theory in practice. The course will present how to approach practical financial problems by using theory in the spreadsheet environment of Excel and in the coding environment of Visual Basic. Cornerstone financial models will be assessed using real world data. Upon completion of the course, students should be comfortable with pricing securities (bonds, stock, derivatives) and performing various types of risk evaluations. Topics covered include portfolio management and evaluation, assessment of equilibrium stock pricing models, option pricing (e.g. Monte Carlo), volatility predications (e.g. GARCH models), bond immunization strategies, term structure estimation, etc. In short, the purpose of the course is to help students learn how to use the tools necessary to use financial theory in a practical way which will benefit them in any finance or research related position.

Financial institutions and markets (HAG231F)

The main emphasis of the course is on the role of financial markets and institutions. The interplay between central bank and commercial banks is explored in relation to interest rate - and exchange rate determination. Furthermore, the connection between monetary and fiscal policy is mapped out, regarding both price and financial stability. The second emphasis of the course is on the role of the banking system in the economy and on the function of main asset markets. The main structural characteristics of Icelandic financial markets are described in comparison to foreign markets.

Economics of Institutions (HAG601M)

Economic analysis often treats the firm, the market, and the economic system as standardized parameters. In this course, economic organization, and the evolution of industries and other social systems are the main topics of study. Economic systems change—for instance, industrial revolutions occur—and, at any point in time, the organization of industry varies between countries. And, new technology requires changes in organization. The course is in three parts. In the first part, we introduce various theoretical concepts such as the economics of property rights and the impact of transaction costs on the structure of firms and the nature of contracts. We also discuss how uncertainty, risk, politics, and ignorance limit reforms. The second part of the course deals with the origins and evolution of modern market societies in Western Europe and examines the underlying social mechanisms that keep the market system going. We also look at the forces that cause some countries to be less developed than others. The final section of the course examines the new high-tech or knowledge society and analyzes how new technologies, such as those associated with computers and the life sciences, impact the structure of property rights, the nature of firms, forms of contracting, the cost of transacting, and the global distribution of industries. We also examine how the new technologies will in various ways affect our lives, for instance through new types of crime, changes in the workplace and in urbanization.
Note that the students are expected to come prepared to class and be able to discuss the assigned material.

Introduction to Law and Economics (HAG617M)

The objective of the course is to provide students with insight into law & economics, which focuses on the economic analysis of law and the legal process. The course will cover core concepts in law & economics, which lay the foundation of all economic analysis of law such as the price system, efficiency criteria (Pareto and Kaldor-Hicks) and the Coase theorem. The course will then proceed with coverage of the main subfields of law & economics, such as property law & economics, tort law & economics, contract law & economics, competition (or antitrust) law & economics, and economics of civil procedure and crime. The following topics provide some examples: Which rules provide the optimum protection of legal rights? Under which circumstances is government intervention justified? Does the initial allocation of rights impact resource allocation in the economy or can transfer of rights through contract promote efficiency? What are the costs and benefits associated with legal rules? Which liability rules minimize the social costs of accidents? What is the efficiency associated with contract remedies and breach? Can we allocate the benefits of mergers between producers and consumers? Is there economically efficient level of crime? Under what circumstances are settlements more efficient that suits? If time permits, topics in behavioral law & economics, game theory and the law and private enforcement of law in medieval Iceland will also be discussed. Even though law & economics is typically viewed as a field in legal studies, many of the theorems in the field have been advanced by economists, like Nobel prize winners Gary Becker, Ronald Coase, Oliver Hart, Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson. Equal emphasis will be placed on theoretical insights and practical applications. The course should be of interest to anyone curious about the impact of laws and regulations on human activity and economic efficiency, and particularly those in the field of law, economics, business and political science. Mathematical proficiency equal to that of the minimum requirements for admission to the University of Iceland is required. The course will be conducted in Icelandic.

Negotiation (VIÐ284F)

This course covers negotiation, with a focus on negotiating skills, behavior in negotiation, and the legal aspects of contracts. The objective of the course is to prepare students, through active practice, to be effective in identifying opportunities for creating value, solving conflicts, conducting negotiations, designing deals and implementing them. The course is based on lectures, practical assignments and simulations. Lectures introduce theories and concepts in the field of negotiation, as well as the structure and common terms of contracts. Simulations allow students to participate in realistic negotiations that address common issues that arise in real-life business negotiations.

Business Taxation (VIÐ403M)

The course is intended as an introduction to tax law and tax practice applicable to business operations in Iceland and to offer some practice in solving simpler problems in this field. The term business operations refers on the one hand to various forms of legal persons and on the other hand to individual engaged in business operations or independent services in their own name. At the end of the course the student will be familiar with the taxes and duties levied on business operations in Iceland, the basic provisions of Icelandic law and other provisions on which the levy of the duty is based and certain procedures in solving tax problems.

The economics of decision making (HAG015F)

The course has three linked facets (taught in English) and is suitable for students of economics, business, finance and political science. 

• how the human species makes decisions
• how the decision-weaknesses of others can be strategically exploited
• insights and tools to improve students’ own decision-making now and in the future.

“Decisions have consequences”. In addition to providing an increased understanding of the science of economic and financial decision-making, this course improves the decision-making of each participant. The ability to make better decisions conveys a life-long, and broad, competitive advantage.

The instructor is an experimental game theorist and practicing strategist and strategic consultant. The course combines new trends in behavioral game theory and scientific strategy with application in business and geopolitics.

The class is interactive. Attendance of at least 80% is required as part of the assessment. The course is thus not suitable for students who cannot attend much due to a conflicting schedule.

Course topics include:

• Controlling emotion
• Neurological research on intuition, and leveraging one's own intuition.
• Influencing the decisions of others.
• Improving the decisions of groups and teams.
• Bubbles and crashes in the financial markets: understanding and possibly profiting from cycles.
• The science of risk versus how humans usually think about risk
• Mass movements, mobs, violence and crowd control, and strategizing in such situations.
• Politics behind the scenes.
• How the human brain really makes decisions (as opposed to the standard economic model of optimization).
• Identifying common errors and traps that prevent effective decisions.
• Analyzing one's own decision-making processes and pinpointing problem areas.
• Techniques to improve one’s judgments and decisions.

Resource Economics (HAG031M)

The objective of this course is to introduce and explain the fundamental economic laws of natural resource utilization. Optimal utilisation patterns in static and dynamic contexts are examined. The reasons for frequently observed suboptimal utilization of natural resources are explained. On that basis, efficient management regimes for natural resource utilization are discussed. The economics of fisheries, energy and the environment are specifically examined. Standard methods of analytical economics are employed.