ST330
Stochastic and Actuarial Methods in Finance
This information is for the 2021/22 session.
Teacher responsible
Dr Erik Baurdoux COL 6.04
Availability
This course is available on the BSc in Actuarial Science, BSc in Business Mathematics and Statistics and BSc in Mathematics, Statistics and Business. This course is not available as an outside option. This course is available to General Course students.
Pre-requisites
Students must have completed:
EITHER Probability, Distribution Theory and Inference (ST202) OR Probability and Distribution Theory (ST206)
AND Stochastic Processes (ST302).
Course content
Theories of financial market behaviour. 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.
Introduction to financial markets. Model-free relationships.
Stochastic models for security prices and interest rates 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
This course will be delivered through a combination of seminars and lectures totalling a minimum of 60 hours across Michaelmas Term and Lent Term. This year, some or all of this teaching may be delivered through a combination of virtual classes and flipped-lectures delivered as short online videos. This course includes a reading week in Week 6 of Michaelmas/Lent Term.
Students will work on and submit formative coursework towards the end of MT and a second set of formative coursework towards the end of LT. Feedback and solutions will be provided
Formative coursework
Two sets of hand-in exercises will also be given during the year.
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 (90%, duration: 3 hours) in the summer exam period.
Coursework (10%) in the LT.
Course selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.
Student performance results
(2018/19 - 2020/21 combined)
| Classification | % of students |
|---|---|
| First | 46.7 |
| 2:1 | 23.8 |
| 2:2 | 14.5 |
| Third | 7.9 |
| Fail | 7 |
Important information in response to COVID-19
Please note that during 2021/22 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the differing needs of students in attendance on campus and those who might be studying online. For example, this may involve changes to the mode of teaching delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.
Key facts
Department: Statistics
Total students 2020/21: 74
Average class size 2020/21: 38
Capped 2020/21: No
Value: One Unit
Personal development skills
- Problem solving
- Application of numeracy skills
- Specialist skills
