Macroprudential Regulation and Supervision Training

Macroeconomics Fundamentals Training

A Practical Guide to GDP, Inflation, and Monetary Policy

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Platform:
Online
In-class
Date Venue Duration
09 - 13 November 2026 Sandton, Gauteng
11 - 15 January 2027 Sandton, Gauteng
22 - 26 February 2027 Pretoria, Gauteng
12 - 16 April 2027 Sandton, Gauteng
16 - 20 August 2027 Sandton, Gauteng

Course Introduction

Most organisations make consequential decisions — capital allocation, pricing, workforce planning, debt structuring — against an economic backdrop they only partly understand. This course builds the skills to read that backdrop with confidence: assessing the business cycle using leading and lagging indicators, interpreting central bank communications through the Taylor Rule and inflation-targeting frameworks, and connecting macroeconomic shifts to sector- and firm-level outcomes.

 

Across a structured five-day progression, you’ll work hands-on with real national accounts data, CPI and PPI series, and central bank policy statements — decomposing GDP, applying the IS-LM and AD-AS models, mapping monetary policy transmission, and building a structured macroeconomic scenario analysis you can take straight into strategic planning.

Course Objectives

This course equips you to analyse, apply, and interpret macroeconomic frameworks — from GDP measurement and inflation dynamics to monetary policy transmission and open-economy models — so you can form credible economic views and communicate risk to stakeholders with confidence.

 

By the end of this Macroeconomics Fundamentals Training course, you’ll be able to:

 

  • Analyse GDP using the expenditure, income, and output approaches to decompose economic growth drivers
  • Apply the Aggregate Demand-Aggregate Supply (AD-AS) framework to assess demand and supply shocks
  • Measure and interpret inflation using CPI, PPI, and the GDP deflator, distinguishing demand-pull from cost-push dynamics
  • Assess monetary policy stances using the Taylor Rule, inflation-targeting frameworks, and central bank statements
  • Map the monetary policy transmission mechanism from central bank rate decisions to aggregate demand
  • Interpret IS-LM model equilibria to evaluate the combined effects of monetary and fiscal policy
  • Build a structured macroeconomic scenario analysis incorporating business cycle indicators and policy assumptions
  • Synthesise macroeconomic data into a stakeholder-ready economic outlook report

Course Highlights

  • Sharper Economic Judgement: Read GDP, inflation, and business cycle data with the same rigour as a central bank economist.
  • Confident Policy Interpretation: Decode central bank statements and Taylor Rule signals to anticipate rate moves before they hit markets.
  • Stronger Strategic Planning: Translate macroeconomic shifts into credible scenario assumptions for budgets, pricing, and capital decisions.
  • Portfolio and Risk Edge: Connect macroeconomic drivers directly to asset class performance and stress-testing scenarios.
  • Stakeholder-Ready Communication: Build an economic outlook report that communicates uncertainty clearly to non-economist audiences.
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Who should attend?

This Macroeconomics Fundamentals Training Course is designed for:

  • Financial Analysts
  • Corporate Strategy Managers
  • Economic Policy Advisors
  • Treasury and ALM Professionals
  • Investment Analysts and Portfolio Managers
  • Business Intelligence and Planning Analysts
  • Risk Managers
  • Central Bank and Regulatory Affairs Professionals
  • Management Consultants
  • Graduate Economists and Early-Career Finance Professionals
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Training Methodology

Our diverse instructional approaches ensure effective learning:

– Lectures & Presentations: Engage with expert-driven, stimulating content.
– Course Material: Access well-crafted supporting resources.
– Group Work: Collaborate on discussions and case studies for practical insights.
– Workshops & Role-Play: Participate in immersive, scenario-based activities.
– Practical Application: Focus on applying theoretical knowledge in real situations.
– Post-Training Support: Receive extensive support after training for skill implementation.

Training Outline

Module 1: Understanding the Macroeconomic Framework
  • Macroeconomic objectives: output, employment, price stability, and external balance
  • The circular flow of income across households, firms, government, and the external sector
  • Key macroeconomic variables: GDP, unemployment, CPI, interest rates, and exchange rates
  • Business cycle phases using NBER and OECD dating conventions
  • Leading, lagging, and coincident indicators: PMI, yield curve, industrial production
  • Practical Exercise: Map a current economy's position in the business cycle using leading and lagging indicator data.

Module 2: GDP Measurement and National Accounts Analysis
  • The three approaches to GDP: expenditure, income, and output methods
  • Nominal GDP, real GDP, and the GDP deflator
  • GDP components in depth: consumption, investment, government spending, and net exports
  • Limitations of GDP as a welfare measure
  • Accessing and interpreting national accounts data from the IMF, World Bank, and national statistics offices
  • Practical Exercise: Decompose GDP growth into expenditure components using a real national accounts dataset.

Module 3: Inflation — Measurement, Drivers, and Consequences
  • CPI construction: basket composition, weighting, and index calculation
  • PPI and the GDP deflator as measures of economy-wide price pressure
  • Demand-pull inflation: excess demand, output gaps, and fiscal stimulus
  • Cost-push inflation: supply shocks and imported inflation
  • Inflation expectations and their role in wage-price spirals
  • AI-assisted inflation nowcasting using high-frequency price data
  • Practical Exercise: Analyse a CPI data series to classify the dominant inflation driver as demand-pull or cost-push.

Module 4: Aggregate Demand, Supply, and Market Equilibrium
  • Aggregate Demand: components, slope, and wealth, interest rate, and exchange rate effects
  • Short-Run Aggregate Supply: wage and price stickiness and the output-price trade-off
  • Long-Run Aggregate Supply: potential output and the natural rate of unemployment
  • Modelling demand shocks in the AD-AS framework
  • Modelling supply shocks: energy prices, productivity, and disruption events
  • Practical Exercise: Apply the AD-AS framework to a stagflation scenario and propose a policy response.

Module 5: Monetary Policy Tools and Transmission Mechanisms
  • Central bank mandates: price stability, employment, and financial stability
  • Monetary policy tools: policy rates, open market operations, reserve requirements, and QE
  • The Taylor Rule as a benchmark for assessing policy stance
  • Inflation-targeting frameworks and forward guidance
  • The transmission mechanism: interest rate, credit, asset price, and exchange rate channels
  • Reading central bank statements and minutes with a structured analytical lens
  • Practical Exercise: Apply the Taylor Rule to assess whether a central bank's current stance is accommodative, neutral, or restrictive.

Module 6: The IS-LM Model and Fiscal-Monetary Interaction
  • The IS curve: goods market equilibrium and the role of fiscal policy
  • The LM curve: money market equilibrium and the liquidity preference framework
  • IS-LM equilibrium and the determination of output and interest rates
  • Fiscal policy effects: multipliers, tax changes, and crowding-out
  • Monetary policy effects: money supply shifts and the liquidity trap
  • Connecting IS-LM to the AD-AS framework
  • Practical Exercise: Use the IS-LM framework to evaluate a combined fiscal expansion and monetary tightening scenario.

Module 7: Open-Economy Dynamics and Exchange Rate Analysis
  • Balance of payments: current, capital, and financial account structure
  • Exchange rate regimes: fixed, floating, and managed float
  • Exchange rate determination: PPP, interest rate parity, and REER
  • The Mundell-Fleming model at an applied, conceptual level
  • Policy effectiveness under capital mobility and exchange rate pass-through
  • Navigating real-time BOP and exchange rate data from the IMF and BIS
  • Practical Exercise: Interpret a country's current account deficit and assess the exchange rate and policy implications.

Module 8: Building the Macroeconomic Outlook Report
  • Constructing baseline, upside, and downside macroeconomic scenarios
  • Stress-testing business plans against recession, stagflation, and disinflation
  • Key macroeconomic KPIs: output gap, real interest rate, and yield curve slope
  • Using AI-powered forecasting platforms and dashboards such as FRED and IMF WEO
  • Communicating macroeconomic analysis to non-economist stakeholders
  • Practical Exercise: Build and present a stakeholder-ready economic outlook report covering GDP, inflation, policy path, and key risks.

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Success Stories

Discover how our courses enhance professionals’ effectiveness in their workplaces.

uMngeni-uThukela Water

IFRS Updates Trainings

What made the sessions exceptionally helpful was the deliberate focus on actionable strategies rather than just high-level concepts. The structured approach kept the content engaging. It was a highly impactful professional development experience.

Telekom Networks Malawi Plc

Financial Analysis, Modelling and Forecasting

It has been a really fruitful and helpful training. Many thanks to PROSPEN AFRICA and the facilitator Olufemi. This is definitely going to make my work life easier and meaningful.

Northam Booysendal Mine

Mastering Payroll Preparation, Analysis, and Management

The course really taught us deep in to Payroll and made us aware of things we were not aware of.

Telekom Networks Malawi PLC

Financial Analysis, Modelling and Forecasting

The training was very insightful and the facilitator was very engaging which made everything easier to understand and follow. It has really equipped us in our areas of lack and we feel confident now on our next assignments on forecasts and analysis

Magalies Water

GRAP training

The course was practical, informative and relevant

FAQs – Macroeconomics Fundamentals Training

Master macroeconomics fundamentals, learning key economic indicators, monetary and fiscal policy, inflation dynamics, and national income analysis to evaluate market trends and economic performance

What is covered in the Macroeconomics Fundamentals Training?
The course covers macroeconomic concepts, GDP frameworks, aggregate demand and supply, inflation, unemployment, monetary policy, fiscal policy, balance of payments, exchange rate dynamics, and building economic forecast models.
Who should attend the Macroeconomics Fundamentals Training?
The training is designed for financial managers, corporate strategists, economists, policy makers, public sector administrators, investment analysts, and risk management professionals seeking a macro-level economic perspective.
Does the macroeconomics course cover central bank monetary policy?
Yes. Participants learn how central banks set interest rates, manage reserve requirements, implement monetary policy tools, and influence inflation and economic stability.
Does the Macroeconomics Fundamentals course cover fiscal policy and public debt?
Yes. The course examines government taxation, expenditure, national debt dynamics, budget deficits, and how fiscal policy interventions impact business environments and economic growth.
Does the training include practical economic forecasting exercises?
Yes. The course uses case studies, economic indicators analysis, data modeling, and practical workshops to help participants interpret economic data and construct strategic economic outlook reports.
What is the delivery format for the Macroeconomics Fundamentals course?
The programme is available as a short course delivered through interactive classroom training (public or in-house) as well as online eLearning options facilitated by Prospen Africa.

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