Last updated: June 28, 2023
Most likely, yes. Economics discord has users within the community that come from all parts of the world from Mongolia to Kenya, Norway and Peru to name a few. Because of the difference in schedules there is not any particular hour that is the most active. Users send hundreds of messages in our server community every day. If you wait a little, someone will most likely engage in the chat.
Yes, absolutely. Providing help for these topics is one of our main missions or goals in the server. Our rules require that you have at least made an attempt to complete the work, in other words, we are not going to do the work for you.
Yes! Please ask your general questions about economics either in the general chat, in #econ_help
or in a topical channel.
You do not need to seek permission to ask questions and it is easier for us to answer if you
just post your question directly.
No!
Try to use the channel which seems most appropriate, though as a default the #econ_help channel is always good to ask questions. Broader questions or questions which might interest the larger community can be asked in #general_chat.
Yes. There is a process for reinstatement of users who were previously banned from the server.
However this process is very
rarely used and most cases are documented rules violations with little or no need to revisit the
circumstances of the removal.
Yes with some caveats. In order to streamline the operation of the server, minimize the need for moderation and to maintain a specific focus of the server we ask that you discuss current events only insofar as it relates to the current or historical economic context.
Many of us are aware of the ideas of Austrian economics. In direct contrast with Austrian
economics views, we choose to
focus our time on methods and theories that are supported by extensive data collection and
rigorous econometric analysis.
There are many other outlets on the internet for discussing Austrian economics that would be
more suitable than our server.
In terms of policy, to the best of our knowledge the only valid analysis of policies is
quantitative analysis that utilizes advanced
econometrics techniques.
In economics there are primarily two types of graduate programs, a master's in economics and a doctor of philosophy (PhD) in economics. In broad terms, individuals who get a PhD often plan to take jobs as professors at universities or doing advanced research in non-profit organizations. Master's programs in economics prepare most students to be professional economists and equip them with the basic tools of economics and econometrics that are necessary to be a functioning professional economist. To get accepted to most graduate programs you must complete the graduate entrance examination known as the GRE.
In general, questions about specific programs or a specific individual's background are not permitted. One reason is because this information is not particularly useful to other users. First-hand accounts of user's experiences are allowed.
We will do our best. Please recognize that even econometrics as a sub-discipline is very broad and involves a wide range of techniques. It is very rare for any single individual to be trained and skilled in all of those areas in both the theoretical and applied sense. The vast majority of questions about econometrics we receive relate to applied econometric analysis.
Finance is strongly related to or even part of economics. Some aspects of the analysis of
financial markets that relate to
economics and are particularly important are: central banks, banking and financial regulation
and foreign exchange/sovereign
debt. Often, financial analysts use time series analysis, which is a type of statistical
(econometric) modeling used for
forecasting.
Quantitative traders may use time series techniques or more advanced econometric
models. Financial analysis is
most closely related to macroeconomic analysis, though microeconometric techniques and
microeconomic models are also
used to model asset prices in what is known as the "microeconomics of finance."
Econometrics, in
particular, is a useful tool
for individuals looking to enter into quantitative analysis or algorithmic trading. According to
the course description in one
particularly well-known program:
"Quantitative methods have become fundamental tools in the analysis and planning of financial
operations... . .. In this
course, models for hedging, asset a/location, and multi-period portfolio planning are developed,
implemented, and
tested. In addition, pricing models for options, bonds, mortgage-backed securities, and other
derivatives are studied.
The models typically require the tools of statistics, optimization, and/or simulation, and they
are implemented in
spreadsheets or a high-level modeling environment, MATLAB.
This course is quantitative and will
require extensive computer use. The course is intended for students who have strong interest in
finance. The objective is to provide
students the necessary practical tools they will require should they choose to join the
financial services industry,
particularly in roles such as: derivatives, quantitative trading, portfolio management,
structuring, financial engineering,
risk management, etc."
https://fnce.wharton.upenn.edu/quantitative-finance-major/