Explore UCD

UCD Home >

STAT40930

Academic Year 2024/2025

Financial & Actuarial Maths II (STAT40930)

Subject:
Statistics & Actuarial Science
College:
Science
School:
Mathematics & Statistics
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Mr Andrew Smith
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module covers theory and applications of contingent claim pricing theory in both discrete and continuous time. We consider long and short positions and their uses in static hedging, with implications for pricing forward and option contracts.

Students consider the Cox-Ross-Rubinstein binomial model for equity prices. Using frictionless market assumptions, students construct dynamic hedges, using these to price European options. The equity cases is extended to the Ho-Lee model for interest rates and look at some exotic options (American and barrier options).

Moving to continuous time, we develop stochastic calculus, including Ito's formula. We apply this to pricing of various interest rate, equity and foreign exchange options in the context of the Black-Scholes, Garman-Kohlhagen, Merton and Vasicek models.

We investigate hedging in practice, including use of the `Greeks' (delta, gamma, theta, vega, rho and lambda).

Finally we apply contingent claim pricing theory to corporate structures and consider implications for project appraisal and investment strategy for insurance or pension funds.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

Students can describe, derive, calibrate, apply and discuss limitations of a range of pricing and hedging models relating to interest rate, equity and foreign exchange risks.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Autonomous Student Learning

84

Lectures

24

Tutorial

12

Total

120


Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures, tutorials, enquiry and problem-based learning

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Homework Week 3 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
10
No
Assignment(Including Essay): Homework Week 6 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
10
No
Group Work Assignment: Group project
Students must have submitted two homeworks on time to be eligible.
Week 11 Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
20
No
Exam (Online): Two-hour online open-book exam (plus 30 minutes for upload) End of trimester
Duration:
2 hr(s)
Standard conversion grade scale 40% No
60
No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer Yes - 2 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Individually corrected homeworks are returned at tutorials - you need to turn up to the tutorial to get your homework back and uncollected scripts are destroyed at the end of the semester.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Fri 12:00 - 12:50
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 11:00 - 12:50