Economy, Finance, Money and Your Future

LYOYB04 (Available for all periods: 13:00 - 14:00)

1st Term	Hamza Mutluay
2nd term	Hamza Mutluay
3rd Term	Hamza Mutluay

  Whether we notice it or not, economics and finance shape every part of our lives. The price of groceries, the money we put aside, the career we choose in the future, and even the decisions countries make are all tied to the economics. As long as people exist, there will always be needs, choices, production, trade and money. In this course, we will explore the world of economics and finance together: a world we hear about every day but rarely stop to think about.

   We will begin by exploring the fundamental principles of economics, including scarcity, choice, opportunity cost, and how supply and demand determine the prices of goods and services. From there, we will move on to money, investing, the stock market, stocks, treasury bills, bonds, interest rates, gold and other financial instruments. We will also discuss important contemporary issues such as income distribution, income inequality, and the effects of migration on employment, wages, and prices. In addition, we will explore how technological advances, particularly artificial intelligence, may transform production, employment opportunities, wages, and the jobs of the future. Along the way, we will see how economic developments shape not only financial markets but also our own lives and the life and future of society as a whole. Our examples will draw heavily on the Turkish economy, and we will compare Türkiye with other countries using real data. This will help us understand how the concepts we learn apply both in Türkiye and around the world.

  Throughout the course, we will explore a wide range of questions such as: What is economics? Why are our resources limited, and why does this scarcity require us to constantly make choices about how to use our money, time, and effort? How is the price of a product determined? What causes inflation, and how does it reduce the purchasing power of our money? What is the stock market, why do companies go public, and what does it mean to own shares in a company? What are treasury bills, bonds and interest rates? Why has gold been treasured for centuries? What is “hot money”? Why are politics and money so closely connected? Why should we save, and how do our savings contribute to the national economy? What is a current account deficit, and why does it matter? How is income inequality measured, and why is it important? How does migration affect wages, employment and prices? What causes economic crises, and how do they affect unemployment, prices, and our savings? How do changes in the economy influence our future job and career choices?

  We will tackle these questions in a clear, straightforward way, using everyday examples, economic data from Türkiye and other countries, research findings and classroom discussion. By the end of the course, we will not only have learned the fundamental concepts of economics and finance but also developed the ability to better understand economic developments and make more informed financial decisions in our own lives.