Introduction to Python programming for finance

Abstract

Python is the 4th most popular programming language in the world. Given its easy readability and simple syntax, it is beginner-friendly and widely used as an introductory language to programming. Due to its open-sourced nature, Python is bolstered by a plethora of libraries that can be applied in many different situations, this includes many applications in Finance. Financial and data analytics are on the rise in demand in the Finance industry, with a significant number of job listings stating that candidates who are familiar with basic Python are preferred. With that in mind, this project aims to educate students on the applications of Python in the Finance field to empower them to use Python as a tool to make data-driven decisions. In the project, the student would use a combination of data scraped from the web and data from popular finance libraries and derive insights from the data. Furthermore, the project aims to give Finance students the opportunity to directly apply the skills that they learnt to a Python program that they would be able to use. It will also teach them critical skills that they can use for financial research and financial analytics. In addition, the course would be compiled into an online platform that is designed with effective teaching in mind. The platform would complement the course to provide the students with additional resources to reinforce their knowledge at their own pace and have the flexibility to revisit parts that they are not familiar with later. Lastly, the report ends with a conclusion and recommendations for future works that can be done on the online platform. Overall, PyraFin aims to provide a learning platform for finance students to effectively learn the python skills that would be most important to them in an effective and efficient way.