ST330
Stochastic and Actuarial Methods in Finance
This information is for the 2013/14 session.
Teacher responsible
Prof Pauline Barrieu COL 6.03
Availability
This course is compulsory on the BSc in Actuarial Science. This course is available on the BSc in Business Mathematics and Statistics and BSc in Statistics with Finance. This course is not available as an outside option. This course is available to General Course students.
Pre-requisites
Students must have completed Probability, Distribution Theory and Inference (ST202) and Stochastic Processes (ST302).
Course content
Applications of stochastic processes and actuarial models in finance. Utility theory. Stochastic dominance and portfolio selection. Measures of investment risk. Mean-variance portfolio theory. Single and multifactor models. The Capital Asset Pricing Model. The efficient market hypothesis. Stochastic models for security prices and estimating their parameters. Option pricing: general framework in discrete and continuous time, the Black-Scholes analysis and numerical procedures (binomial models and Cox-Ross-Rubinstein models).The term structure of interest rates: the Vasicek, the Cox-Ingersoll-Ross and other models. Introduction to credit risk.
Teaching
20 hours of lectures and 10 hours of seminars in the MT. 20 hours of lectures and 10 hours of seminars in the LT.
Formative coursework
Written answers to set problems will be expected on a weekly basis.
Indicative reading
N H Bingham & R Kiesel, Risk Neutral Valuation; A Cerny, Mathematical Techniques in Finance: Tools for Incomplete Markets; J Hull, Options, Futures & Other Derivatives; R Jarrow & S Turnbull, Derivative Securities; D Luenberger, Investment Science; Institute of Actuaries core reading notes, Subject CT8.
Assessment
Exam (100%, duration: 3 hours) in the main exam period.
Key facts
Department: Statistics
Total students 2012/13: 57
Average class size 2012/13: 57
Value: One Unit
PDAM skills
- Problem solving
- Application of numeracy skills
- Specialist skills