The MathFinance Newsletter, Edition 72, December 13
2002.
Previous editions and this edition in html format can be found on
http://www.mathfinancenews.com/.
In this issue:
The MathFinance Newsletter: Established November
1999
- supported by Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen -
Editor: Dr. Uwe Wystup, Frankfurt MathFinance Institute
Assistant Editor: Susanne Griebsch, Goethe-University, Frankfurt
Technical Editor: Tom Heide, University of Applied Science, Frankfurt
Database Solutions: Thorsten Schmidt, Giessen
University
In detail:
The E-Finance Lab Frankfurt a. M. was founded by Accenture, Deutsche Bank, Microsoft, Siemens and T-Systems in cooperation with Frankfurt and Darmstadt Universities. Our goal is to advance methods and to develop new information and communication systems supporting the imminent transformation process of the financial industry. Based on this, new revenue streams will be designed and evaluated, among others using prototyping and simulation techniques.
Beginning January 1st, 2003, we will work in these four topical clusters:Your work ought to guide companies of the financial sector to streamline their business and prototype new revenue streams while at the same time executing an impact on the scientific community, leading to high-quality research papers as well as an outstanding dissertation.
Your ProfileYou finished your diploma or masters degree in Business, Economics, Information Systems, Finance, Marketing, Computer Science or Industrial Engineering as one of the best students of your graduation year. You have good methodological and formal skills, a profound background in Information Systems and Finance and experiences in developing and implementing information technology in the field. Ideally, you have an international experience (e. g., studies or apprenticeships) and you are highly interested in the fields of electronic finance.
For more information visit our website http://www.efinance-lab.comApplications are invited for a Lectureship in Mathematical Finance, to be appointed as soon as possible but not later than 1 October 2003.
The successful applicant will join the newly-formed Mathematical Finance Section in the Department, and will engage in research and specialist teaching for the MSc course in Mathematics and Finance, as well as contributing to the department's undergraduate teaching programme. Candidates will be expected to have proven research ability in some area of mathematical finance. Applicants should also be able to provide ancillary teaching to other departments within the College. While candidates may have backgrounds in stochastic analysis, finance, statistics or physics, some preference will given to those whose research interests include aspects of statistical data modelling and analysis. The appointment will be on the Lecturer scale of £29,621 to £33,679 p.a. plus London Allowance of £2,134.
The post is within the Department of Mathematics at Imperial College on the South Kensington campus.
Application forms are available from Mrs Doris Abeysekera (d.abeysekera@ic.ac.uk).
Completed applications should include a CV, list of publications and names of three referees and should be sent to
Further particulars can be obtained from the department's website (http://www.ma.ic.ac.uk). Informal enquiries can be made to Professor Mark Davis (mark.davis@ic.ac.uk, +44 20 7594 8486).
Closing date: 17 December 2002
The College is committed to equality of opportunity
The Master's in Financial Engineering Program at the University of California at Berkeley is currently accepting applications for Spring 2004.
The MFE Program provides students with a one-year professional graduate degree from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business. Instruction is led by world-renowned faculty from Haas, UCLA's Anderson School, and UC Irvine's School of Management.
Students in the MFE program learn to employ theoretical finance and computer modeling skills to make pricing, hedging, trading and portfolio management decisions. Courses and projects emphasize the practical applications of these skills.
Graduates of the Master's in Financial Engineering are prepared for careers in:
The final deadline for Spring 2003 has passed. We are now accepting applications for the MFE Class of 2005. Students admitted will begin classes in April 2004 and complete their degrees in March 2005.
Master's of Financial Engineering ProgramFor information, please visit: http://mfe.haas.berkeley.edu
The MFE Program is also seeking instructors for upcoming pre-program foundation math courses (30 hours each) which will be offered on an evening/weekend schedule in 2003-2004. Please note that the courses are not part of the MFE Program and instructors will not be part of the Haas Faculty.
Foundation Math CourseThe Master's in Financial Engineering Program (MFE) at the Haas School of Business is offering a 30-hour foundation course that equips students with the mathematical background necessary in understanding the courses throughout the MFE Program. The course is composed of the areas of statistics/probability and (partial) differential equations used in contemporary finance practice. For truly advanced students the course may also serve as a refresher course.
The course will be taught by Dr. Domingo TavellaDomingo Tavella, Principal of Octanti Associates, Inc., Ph.D. (engineering), Stanford University. Computational methods in financial pricing, stochastic simulation in finance and insurance, financial software development strategies and methods, risk management strategies in finance and insurance, hybrid insurance structures.
Please note that Dr. Tavella teaches quantitative courses in the MFE Program and hence is uniquely qualified to teach a targeted course in financial mathematics. The course will focus on preparing you for the rigorous math component of the MFE Program. Enrollment is limited.
Successful students will earn a certificate of completion from the Center of Executive Development (CED), Haas School of Business.
Course DescriptionOther topics like Monte Carlo, non linear optimization, and other numerical techniques will be discussed in an MFE Program course (Stochastic Calculus).
This course is unique in that it unites a number of fields that are the essence of strength of financial engineering methods, tailored for use in the MFE program.
Who Should AttendIndividuals interested in applying to the Haas Masters in Financial Engineering Program; those pursuing any quantitative analysis in the business world; those interested in actuarial science, or for those interested in seeing how mathematical theory can be applied in "real life."
PrerequisitesThe course fee is $1,500 ($1,250 for those admitted to the MFE program).
For general information visit:Course Dates: 17th / 18th February 2003
Course location: Central London
A 2 - Day course led by Prof. Philipp Schönbucher
Prof. Philipp J. Schönbucher is assistant professor of Quantitative Risk Management at the Department of Mathematics of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich. He holds degrees in mathematics (Oxford) and economics (Bonn) and a PhD in economics (Bonn). His publications include papers on credit risk modelling, credit derivatives pricing, stochastic volatility modelling, option pricing in illiquid markets, real options and term structure models. His main area of research is credit risk modelling and credit derivatives pricing in which he has been active since 1996. Philipp is a consultant and professional trainer to a number of leading financial institutions. Furthermore he is author of a book on "Credit Derivatives Pricing Models" (Wiley, 2003).
Aim of the courseThis course covers the latest developments in the pricing and risk management of Credit Derivatives. The first day examines
state-of-the-art techniques of modelling and hedging the risks of single-name credit derivatives, whilst in the second day
you will learn the most recent developments in the modelling and pricing of portfolio and basket credit risks. Each major
model is illustrated with a practical case study.
All cases studies use real-world data (quoted prices, CDS rates, historical default rates).
The First Joint International Meeting between the American Mathematical Society and the Real Sociedad Matemática Española will be held in Seville (Spain) on June 18-21, 2003 The Conference program has six invited talks, 38 Special Sessions, and a session for "contributed papers". The Meeting will take place in the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Industriales of the Universidad de Sevilla.
For more detailed information about the congress structure, please click on the General Information page.
One of the Special Sessions is entitled with "Mathematical Methods in Finance and Risk Management"Researches interested in presenting an abstract will be forwarded it to the organizers of the Special Session. Abstract acceptance will be done by the organizers of this Special Sessions, who will notify you of their decisions.
Period for submitting abstracts: From October 28th, 2002 to February 10th, 2003.
Organizers:A Cross Currency Swap is an agreement between two parties to exchange interest payments denominated in two different currencies for a specified term. One interest payment is typically calculated using a floating rate index such as USD LIBOR. The other interest payment is based upon a fixed rate or another floating rate index denominated in a different currency.
Unlike a single currency swap, a Cross Currency Swap sometimes (but not always) involves an exchange of principal. The initial principal exchange occurs at the beginning of the swap with a re-exchange at maturity. The principal amounts are based on initial spot exchange rates.
ExampleSuppose a manufacturer, XYZ Company, is building a new plant in Germany using term fixed rate financing. Suppose further that XYZ, having little access to the German capital markets, concludes that borrowing US Dollars from a domestic bank offers the most cost-effective source of financing. Additionally, the domestic loan will be based on floating rate LIBOR for a 7 year term.
XYZ can fund in US Dollars (USD) and then convert to Deutsche Marks (DM) using a Cross Currency Swap. XYZ will make an initial exchange of USD for DM at the current spot exchange rate with an agreement to re-exchange at the same rate when the swap terminates in 7 years. In this way, the company is not exposed to exchange rate risk when closing out the swap and paying down the loan.
During the life of the swap, the DM interest payment due from the company is tied to an agreed upon fixed rate while the USD amount paid to their counterparty is tied to LIBOR. The LIBOR interest payment that XYZ receives will offset the LIBOR based payment on the loan. In effect, the company is left with a fixed interest payment based on a fixed DM amount. This payment is funded by DM cash flow from the new plant. In sum, XYZ is insulated from both exchange rate and interest rate risk.
This is taken from http://us.hsbc.com/corporate/treasury/derivatives/crossswap.aspJohn Wiley & Sons, Ltd publishes a wide range of scientific, technical and medical books and journals. One particular publication, Levy Processes in Finance: Pricing Financial Derivatives, written by Wim Schoutens, carries information of direct relevance to the visitors to this website.
Levy Processes in Finance : Pricing Financial DerivativesFinancial mathematics has recently enjoyed considerable interest on account of its impact on the finance industry. In parallel, the theory of Lévy processes has also seen many exciting developments. These powerful modelling tools allow the user to model more complex phenomena, and are commonly applied to problems in finance. Lévy Processes in Finance: Pricing Financial Derivatives takes a practical approach to describing the theory of Lévy-based models, and features many examples of how they may be used to solve problems in finance.
The book is primarily aimed at researchers and postgraduate students of mathematical finance, economics and finance. The range of examples ensures the book will make a valuable reference source for practitioners from the finance industry including risk managers and financial product developers.
If you would like more information on the book, please visit:
http://www.wileyeurope.com/cda/product/0,,0470851562,00.html