Introduction

Introduction#

Objectives#

The main objective is context!

  • We are not here to cram and memorize everything you will need to know.

  • You will be learning at your job and through other continuing education opportunities.

That learning will be faster and deeper if you have

  • foundations (tools, terminology)

  • context (map, questions, data)

Multidisciplinary#

This group has a wide variety of backgrounds/expertise.

The course covers a wide range of topics, including

  • rates and bonds

  • commodities

  • equities

  • futures and options

We will consider these topics from various (applied!) perspectives,

  • finance

  • math

  • stats

  • computing

  • industry practice

We do not expect that any of you are quadruple majors with work experience.

For areas that are…

  • New - lean into it

  • Familiar - add perspective and depth

  • Comfortable - dig into extensions

Engagement#

This is not a book club.

  • We are not reading a textbook.

  • We are meeting to discuss.

Be an active learner.

  • Asking a question is not interrupting!

  • Adding your perspective is valuable.

  • I will manage the time and flow–don’t worry about whether your question/perspective is at the right time.

Staying engaged.

  • We will be in Jupyter notebooks every day.

  • Use them to explore and extend on our topics.

Getting the Most Out of September Launch#

Avoid common pitfalls.

Hesitancy#

  • Being too cautious, wanting to wait until you know more to engage.

  • Feeling too overwhelmed to just get going, one step at a time.

  • Relying too much on group members to do the applications.

Narrowly focusing#

  • Avoiding topic areas where you have less experience / interest.

  • Not doing the prep to get the most out of each day.

Who Am I?#

My Role

  • Director of Financial Mathematics

Courses Include

  • Portfolio and Risk Management

  • Fixed Income

  • Fixed-Income Derivatives

Previous Courses

  • Economics of Asset Pricing

  • Corporate Valuation

  • Financial Analytics

My Academic Experience

  • Taught at Applied Data Science, Economics, and the Booth School of Business.

  • PhD studies at Chicago Booth, research focus in asset pricing dynamics.

My Industry Experience

  • Hedge funds

  • Trading firms

  • Research

  • Consulting

Contents