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Course 2017-2018 a.y.

30150 - INTRODUCTION TO OPTIONS AND FUTURES


CLEAM - CLEF - BESS-CLES - WBB - BIEF - BIEM - BIG
Department of Finance

Course taught in English


Go to class group/s: 31 - 32

CLEAM (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  3 credits SECS-P/11  |  3 credits SECS-S/06) - CLEF (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  3 credits SECS-P/11  |  3 credits SECS-S/06) - BESS-CLES (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  3 credits SECS-P/11  |  3 credits SECS-S/06) - WBB (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  3 credits SECS-P/11  |  3 credits SECS-S/06) - BIEF (6 credits - I sem. - OBCURS  |  3 credits SECS-P/11  |  3 credits SECS-S/06) - BIEM (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  3 credits SECS-P/11  |  3 credits SECS-S/06) - BIG (6 credits - I sem. - OP  |  3 credits SECS-P/11  |  3 credits SECS-S/06)
Course Director:
ALBERTO MANCONI

Classes: 31 (I sem.) - 32 (I sem.)
Instructors:
Class 31: ALBERTO MANCONI, Class 32: ALBERTO MANCONI


Course Objectives

The course aims at providing an understanding of the market for derivatives instruments, and of their uses by corporations and financial institutions. The course also focuses on pricing methodologies and market value calculations. It is assumed that the students have a basic knowledge of the functioning of derivatives (e.g. difference between exchange-traded and OTC products) and of the characteristics and valuation of the underlying assets (e.g. stocks and bonds).


Intended Learning Outcomes
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Course Content Summary
Forwards and futures.
  • Contract specifications and uses. Forward prices, forward exchange rates, forward interest rates. Valuation of forward contracts. Basis risk. Optimal hedge ratio.
Swaps.
  • Contract specifications, uses, pricing, valuation.
Options.
  • Main options contracts and their characteristics. Factors influencing option prices. Valuation of options through binomial and Black-Scholes models. Stochastic processes. Greek letters and their role in options strategies. Hedging with options. Volatility smiles.
Credit derivatives.
  • Introduction to credit risk and credit default swaps.

Teaching methods
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Assessment methods
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Detailed Description of Assessment Methods

There is a written final exam covering all classes. The exam consists of solving a number of problems. To participate in the exam, all students must be enrolled and registered for the exam. No exceptions are allowed.


Textbooks
  • J. HULL, Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives, Prentice Hall.
  • J. HULL, Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives – Solutions Manual, Prentice Hall.

Prerequisites

This is a rigorous, hands-on introduction to derivatives. It is a challenging course: a passion for finance or a prior acquaintance with the world of investment will not be sufficient to earn a passing grade. A good understanding of financial economics, and a solid knowledge of financial mathematics and statistics, on the other hand, will go a long way. We will assume that the students are entirely familiar with the mathematics of interest rates (discounting/compounding, equivalence of rates at different maturities), with basic statistics (expected values, standard deviation/variance, ordinary least squares), and calculus (limits, differentials, differentiation, Taylor expansions, partial differentiation, optimization, basic integration). While a small number of concepts may be refreshed in class, it is the students’ responsibility to ensure that they are comfortable with these notions.

Last change 10/05/2017 12:22