Itay Goldstein

Itay Goldstein
  • Joel S. Ehrenkranz Family Professor, Professor of Finance, Professor of Economics
  • Chairperson, Finance Department

Contact Information

  • office Address:

    2253 Steinberg-Dietrich Hall
    3620 Locust Walk
    Philadelphia, PA 19104

Research Interests: corporate finance, feedback effects between financial markets and real economy, financial fragility and crises, financial institutions, financial markets

Links: CV, Personal Website

Overview

Education

PhD, Tel-Aviv University, 2001; MA, Tel-Aviv University, 1998; BA, Tel-Aviv University, 1994.

Academic Positions Held

Joel S Ehrenkranz Family Professor, Professor of Finance, Professor of Economics

Other Positions (Selected)

Academic Advisor, Bank of Canada, 2015-; Visiting Scholar, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, 2013; Academic Consultant, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 2011- ; Academic Consultant, Committee on Capital Markets Regulation 2010-2012; Visiting Scholar, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, 2005- ; Visiting Scholar, Princeton University, 2000-2001; Economist, Bank of Israel, 1998-2000.

Professional Leadership (Selected)

Co-founder and Inaugural President of the Finance Theory Group; Executive Editor of the Review of Financial Studies; Previously Editor at Management Science and the Journal of Financial Intermediation; Co-organizer of Wharton Conferences on Liquidity and Financial Crises; Director of the American Finance Association; Director of the Western Finance Association; Previously Director of the Financial Intermediation Research Sociey; Elected Member of FARFE (Foundation for the Advancement of Research in Financial Economics); Member of FARFE Prize Committee, 2010.

Selected Press Coverage

Economist, Financial Times, National Public Radio, Forbes, Bloomberg, Ruters, TheStreet.com, Morningstar.

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Teaching

All Courses

  • FNCE2320 - International Banking

    This course focuses on international financial institutions, especially the activities of global, systemically important banks. We will examine how current and historical events are reshaping the industry and highlight the basic analytics of managing a bank's exposure to liquidity, credit, market and reputational risk. Most classes will begin with discussion of a current event related to course topics. Three team projects will be assigned that will give you deeper exposure to analytic techniques related to the course. Throughout the semester, we will discuss public policy issues facing the international financial system. In addition to course prerequisites, FNCE 1010 is recommended.

  • FNCE3900 - Advanced Seminar

    The objective of this course is to introduce undergraduates to finance research. It will integrate the work of the various finance courses and familiarize the student with the tools and techniques of research. This research course will give undergraduate students a financial framework that they can build on at Wharton and throughout their careers. Participants will be named Measey Foundation Marshall Blume Undergraduate Research Fellows.

  • FNCE3990 - Independent Study

    Integrates the work of the various courses and familiarizes the student with the tools and techniques of research.

  • FNCE6110 - Corporate Finance

    This course serves as an introduction to business finance (corporate financial management and investments) for both non-majors and majors preparing for upper-level course work. The primary objective is to provide the framework, concepts, and tools for analyzing financial decisions based on fundamental principles of modern financial theory. The approach is rigorous and analytical. Topics covered include discounted cash flow techniques; corporate capital budgeting and valuation; investment decisions under uncertainty; capital asset pricing; options; and market efficiency. The course will also analyze corporate financial policy, including capital structure, cost of capital, dividend policy, and related issues. Additional topics will differ according to individual instructors.

  • FNCE7030 - Advanced Corp Finance

    The objective of this course is to study the major decision-making areas of managerial finance and some selected topics in financial theory. The course reviews the theory and empirical evidence related to the investment and financing policies of the firm and attempts to develop decision-making ability in these areas. This course serves as an extension of FNCE 6110. Some areas of financial management not covered in FNCE 6110 are covered in FNCE 7030. These may include leasing, mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations, financial planning, and working capital management, and some other selected topics. Other areas that are covered in FNCE 6110 are covered more in depth and more rigorously in FNCE 7030. These include investment decision making under uncertainty, cost of capital, capital structure, pricing of selected financial instruments and corporate liabilities, and dividend policy.

  • FNCE7320 - International Banking

    This course focuses on international financial institutions, especially the activities of global, systemically important banks. We will examine how current and historical events are reshaping the industry and highlight the basic analytics of managing a bank's exposure to liquidity, credit, market and reputational risk. Most classes will begin with discussion of a current event related to course topics. Three team projects will be assigned that will give you deeper exposure to analytic techniques related to the course. Throughout the semester, we will discuss public policy issues facing the international financial system. In addition to course prerequisites, FNCE 6130 is recommended.

  • FNCE8990 - Independent Study

    Independent Study Projects require extensive independent work and a considerable amount of writing. ISP in Finance are intended to give students the opportunity to study a particular topic in Finance in greater depth than is covered in the curriculum. The application for ISP's should outline a plan of study that requires at least as much work as a typical course in the Finance Department that meets twice a week. Applications for FNCE 8990 ISP's will not be accepted after the THIRD WEEK OF THE SEMESTER. ISP's must be supervised by a Standing Faculty member of the Finance Department.

  • FNCE9120 - Corp Fnce and Fin Instit

    This course provides students with an overview of the basic contributions in the modern theory of corporate finance and financial institutions. The course is methodology oriented in that students are required to master necessary technical tools for each topic. The topics covered may include capital structure, distribution policy, financial intermediation, incomplete financial contracting, initial and seasoned public offerings, market for corporate control, product market corporate finance interactions, corporate reorganization and bankruptcy, financing in imperfect markets, security design under adverse selection and moral hazard, and some selected topics.

  • FNCE9230 - Fin Econ Under Imp Info

    This course covers general equilibrium and rational expectations, foundations of the theory of information; learning from prices in rational expectations equilibrium models, moral hazard, adverse selection, and signaling bidding theories.

  • INSP4997 - Senior Capstone

    This senior-year research course is designed to facilitate the completion of a thesis or project as part of the Huntsman Program's senior capstone experience. Students in the Huntsman Program should consult with the Huntsman Program advisors for more information.

Awards and Honors

  • Provost’s Award for Distinguished PhD Teaching and Mentoring, 2022

In the News

Knowledge at Wharton

Wharton Stories

Activity

In the News

Five Things to Know About Private Credit

As investor withdrawals and liquidity concerns rattle the $1.8 trillion market, Wharton’s Itay Goldstein explains how private credit works, why experts are uneasy, and what it could mean for your finances.…Read More

Knowledge at Wharton - 5/5/2026
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Wharton Magazine

A Program for the Data-Driven Era
Wharton Magazine - 04/17/2026

Wharton Stories

On the right, Golden Gate Bridge. On the left, city by night.Wharton EMBA Students Share How They Benefit from a Bicoastal Program

Editor’s Note: Wharton launched a Global Cohort in 2023. One unique aspect of Wharton’s MBA Program for Executives is the opportunity for students to take classes on either coast. They can immerse themselves in the innovation ecosystem of Silicon Valley at our San Francisco campus, or they can come to…

Wharton Stories - 08/13/2019
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