No trading experience is required. The lectures are academic education, not investment recommendations or a source of live market information.
About this course
Financial markets are institutions for organizing risk, funding activity and connecting people with different needs. This free Yale course introduces the ideas behind securities, insurance and banking, while examining the behavior and incentives of the people involved. It provides a broad academic foundation for understanding how financial systems operate.
Course at a glance
| Provider | Yale |
|---|---|
| Instructor / Teaching team | Robert Shiller |
| Platform | YouTube · YaleCourses |
| Access | Free Video |
| Level | Beginner · WikiFree audience assessment |
| Language | English |
| Lessons | 23 |
| Video duration | 27h 51m · allow extra time for reading and practice |
| Format | Self-paced video learning |
| Certificate | No certificate included with free YouTube viewing |
What you’ll learn
- Describe several ways financial institutions organize and transfer risk.
- Explain the basic purpose of common market instruments.
- Recognize behavioral influences on financial decision-making.
- Discuss the relationship between financial innovation and oversight.
Skills you’ll gain
- Financial literacy
- Risk concepts
- Market institutions
- Behavioral finance
Course Overview
The lectures combine conceptual explanations with institutional examples and guest perspectives. Topics include diversification, debt, stocks, real estate, behavioral finance, banks, derivatives and public finance. The selected playlist is the newer of the two Financial Markets editions displayed in Yale's course tab. Historical examples remain part of the teaching rather than being presented as current market conditions.
How the course develops
- Risk and institutions: consider diversification, insurance and the role of financial intermediaries.
- Markets and behavior: examine stocks, debt, real estate and psychological influences on financial decisions.
- Instruments and governance: explore futures, options, monetary policy, regulation and the responsibilities of financial organizations.
The classroom contains all 23 videos in this official YaleCourses playlist. Use the lesson list to follow the course or search for a topic you want to revisit. Introductory segments, teaching examples and supplementary discussions remain available within this course.
Who is this for?
Students, business professionals and general learners seeking a broad introduction to financial systems.
Before you start
No trading experience is required. The lectures are academic education, not investment recommendations or a source of live market information.
Put the lessons into practice
Choose one institution discussed in the course and map the needs it serves, the risks it takes and the safeguards relevant to its role. Support your explanation with a lecture example rather than a forecast.
This optional study activity is provided by WikiFree for independent reflection. It is not a graded Yale assignment. Keep a short record of what you can explain confidently and what you need to revisit; use that record to plan your next study session.
Certificate / Assessment
The public videos can be watched free of charge. This WikiFree listing does not include a Yale certificate, academic credit, a degree, graded assessments or feedback from the instructors. A similarly named course on another platform may have different enrollment, assessment and payment conditions.
The classroom’s Mark complete control records your personal progress. It does not assess your understanding or award a credential. Course examples reflect the recordings; check current sources whenever you need up-to-date professional information.
Related courses for your next step
- Add a related skillCapital Markets Fundamentals: Free Course
Focus: Capital markets · Financial institutions
Beginner - Related learningStartup Investing: Free Seed Investment Course
Focus: Seed investing concepts · Startup evaluation
Intermediate
Compare course focus, level and study time
| Course | Level | Focus | Study time |
|---|---|---|---|
| This course — Free Yale Course: Financial Markets | Beginner | Financial literacy · Risk concepts · Market institutions | 27h 51m of video; practice time is additional |
| Capital Markets Fundamentals: Free Course | Beginner | Capital markets · Financial institutions · Buy-side and sell-side | 1h 4m of video; practice time is additional |
| Startup Investing: Free Seed Investment Course | Intermediate | Seed investing concepts · Startup evaluation · Due diligence questions | 21h 39m of video; practice time is additional |
Frequently asked questions
Is this Yale course free?
Yes. This listing provides the official YaleCourses YouTube videos for free viewing. Textbooks, optional materials and separately enrolled programs may have their own costs.
How long does the course take?
The playlist contains 23 videos totaling approximately 27h 51m. Reading, note-taking, revision and independent practice add to that viewing time.
What background do I need?
No trading experience is required. The lectures are academic education, not investment recommendations or a source of live market information.
Will I receive a Yale certificate?
No. Watching these YouTube lessons or marking them complete on WikiFree does not earn a Yale certificate, degree or academic credit.
Can I watch on a phone?
Yes. Use the responsive lesson list and player on a phone, tablet or computer. A larger screen and a notebook may help with detailed examples, equations or software demonstrations.
What happens if a video becomes unavailable?
The lesson should remain visible in its place with its title and an availability notice. You can continue with the other lessons and report the problem through the correction link.
Provider: Yale. Videos play from the YaleCourses channel on YouTube.
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