Derivative Securities ACCFIN4040

  • Academic Session: 2023-24
  • School: Adam Smith Business School
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 1
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes

Short Description

The course provides an understanding of the main derivative financial instruments: futures, swaps and options. It explains the trading mechanisms used on derivative markets, the fundamental principles underlying the pricing of derivative instruments and their use in portfolio management.

Timetable

Lectures: One 2-hour lecture a week for 10 weeks

Tutorials: One 1-hour tutorial a week for 8 weeks.

Tutorials slots can be selected via MyCampus

Requirements of Entry

Grade D3 or above in Finance 2.

Excluded Courses

None.

Co-requisites

None.

Assessment

ILO

Main Assessment In: December

Are reassessment opportunities available for all summative assessments? Not applicable

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

Course Aims

The course provides an understanding of the uses and the valuation of the main derivative financial instruments: futures, swaps and options. It covers the trading mechanisms used on derivative markets and explains the fundamental principles underlying the pricing of derivative instruments and their use in portfolio management. Particular attention is paid to the practicalities of using derivative instruments for risk management purposes. The course also provides an introduction to the working of the foreign exchange market and the instruments traded thereon. Related institutional aspects are introduced where necessary.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Analyse how futures and forwards can be used by hedgers and speculators.

2. Evaluate the price and the value of forward (futures) contracts.

3. Perform valuation of an interest rate swap and a currency swap.

4. Discuss how option payoffs are determined.

5. Discuss the use of a variety of option trading strategies and apply the put-call parity theorem.

6. Evaluate the fair value of an option contract using the binomial option pricing model and the Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing model.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

None