Courses in the Department of Mathematics

MA417: Computational Methods in Finance 2009/10


General information

Course description

Calendar entry for this course

Course Materials (on Moodle)

Assessment and Exams for this course


General information about MA417: Computational Methods in Finance

Lecturer: Dr Tugkan Batu Prof Mihail Zervos
Room: B405B402 (both 4th floor, Columbia House)
Email: T.Batu [at] lse.ac.ukM.Zervos [at] lse.ac.uk
Office hours:   Please see the office hours page

Lectures

This is a half-unit course, with lectures in the Lent term. There will also be four fortnightly lectures of two hours each in the Michaelmas (Autumn) Term, in weeks 3, 5, 7 and 9, and practical computer sessions in weeks 4, 6, and 10. Please check the Timetables website for further information. There will be revision lectures in the Summer Term.

Seminars

Time and place of seminars can also be found on the Timetables website: http://www.lse.ac.uk/admin/timetables/confirmed/module_sessional/ma/33.htm

Seminars start in Week 2 of the Lent Term.

Exercises

Homework will be regularly assigned during the course. The arrangements for this will be announced in the first lecture.
Label all work with your name and the course number (MA417).

Reading List

D. J. Duffy, Finite Difference Methods in Financial Engineering: A Partial Differential Equation Approach, Wiley

P. Glasserman, Monte Carlo Methods in Financial Engineering, Springer

M. S. Joshi, C++ Design Patterns and Derivatives Pricing, Cambridge

P. E. Kloeden and E. Platen, Numerical Solution of Stochastic Differential Equations, Springer

B. Stroustrup, The C++ Programming Language, Addison Wesley

Course Materials

Please note that this course makes use of the School's virtual learning environment Moodle to host its main materials. You will need to login using your LSE login and then 'enrol' for MA417 to access these. This link should take you straight through to the course pages if you have a login: http://moodle.lse.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=1043

If you do not, please go to http://moodle.lse.ac.uk/ to login and then enrol for MA417.


Course description of MA417: Computational Methods in Finance

Overview

This course is concerned with the computational methods in finance. Computational tools such as simulation, numerical solutions to stochastic differential equations, and finite difference methods are studied using C++ programming language.

Course Content

The course starts with the implementation of binomial and trinomial trees. Random number generation, the fundamentals of Monte Carlo simulation and a number of related issues follow. Numerical solutions to stochastic differential equations and their implementation are considered. The course then addresses finite-difference schemes for the solution of partial differential equations arising in finance.

Classes and Exercises

There will be weekly seminars (classes) on this course, and regular homework assignments. The arrangements for these will be announced in the first lecture.

Office Hours

Our office hours can be found on the departmental office hours page (but please these may sometimes change at short notice so do check when we will be available).

Pre-requisites

MA400 September Introductory Course (Financial Mathematics)  

Assessment and Exams

This course is assessed as follows: 50% for a two-hour exam in the Summer Term and 50% for a project based on independent study to be submitted by a given date in June. The project will take the form of a written report, normally between 15 and 20 pages long, 11pt, single-spaced.
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Last change: 16th October 2009
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