Paul Siegel - Capital Markets Immersion: A Financial Markets Introduction (Download)

Breaking into finance or advancing within banking requires fluency in capital markets—understanding how bonds are priced, what drives yield curves, how derivatives manage risk, and why financial institutions structure products the way they do. Yet many professionals enter the industry with fragmented knowledge, struggling to connect core concepts or communicate confidently with traders, analysts, and clients. This comprehensive program bridges that gap, transforming foundational awareness into working expertise.

Course and Instructor Overview

Led by the Starweaver Team, including seasoned capital markets practitioner Paul Siegel, this course draws on decades of hands-on experience in financial markets sales, trading, and analysis. Starweaver has trained professionals at major institutions including Bank of America, Citibank, HSBC, Wells Fargo, Barclays, and many others worldwide. With over 24 hours of content across 142 lectures, this is the most comprehensive capital markets course available.

What You’ll Master

Capital Markets Foundation

Explore major market segments, economic functions of capital markets, and key participants including issuers, investors, and intermediaries. Understand the distinction between commercial and investment banking, primary versus secondary markets, and how securities differ from derivatives. Learn the landscape of fixed income, equity, and derivative instruments.

Financial Mathematics Essentials

Apply critical financial math to real business problems—NPV, IRR, present value, future value, and compound interest. Master bond pricing techniques for both zero-coupon and coupon bonds, understand discount rates versus bond equivalent yield, and calculate yields to maturity. These calculations form the foundation for all capital markets analysis.

Yield Curve Dynamics

Interpret yield curve shapes and their relationship to business cycles and monetary policy. Learn duration concepts including modified duration and their applications. Calculate spot rates and forward rates, understand strip rate curves, and conduct rich/cheap bond analysis. Master total return analysis to evaluate investment performance.

Fixed Income Securities

Dive deep into bond markets, learning contract features, accrued interest, day count conventions, and pricing conventions. Explore government securities, corporate bonds, secured and unsecured debt, convertible securities, preferred stocks, mortgage-backed securities, CMOs, asset-backed securities, and collateralized debt obligations. Understand credit risk, trust indentures, and yield curve applications.

Equity Products and Markets

Understand share types, exchanges, depository receipts, and investor diversification strategies. Learn about indices, tracking funds, and exchange-traded funds. Explore equity derivatives including forwards, futures, equity swaps, and options.

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Futures and Options

Master derivative contract characteristics, futures terminology, physical delivery versus cash settlement, and clearinghouse functions. Understand futures margins, cost of carry pricing, and hedging applications. Learn option fundamentals including calls, puts, intrinsic value, time value, moneyness, and the Greeks (delta, vega). Explore delta hedging, Black-Scholes pricing, and volatility trading.

Interest Rate Swaps

Understand swap basics, fixed-for-floating structures, periodic settlements, and hedging cash flow uncertainty. Learn OTC clearinghouse functioning, swap pricing and valuation, basis swaps, and asset swaps. Master various swap structures and their applications in risk management.

Who Should Enroll

This program serves analysts and associates in commercial, corporate, and investment banking (0-5 years experience), relationship managers seeking comprehensive market understanding, and students new to financial services who want a complete picture of how capital markets function.