MAS8614 : Stochastic Financial Modelling with Advanced Topics
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Aamir Khan
- Owning School: Mathematics, Statistics and Physics
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
To develop a knowledge and understanding of some commonly used financial models in the analysis of financial data.
Module summary
The demand for mathematical skills in financial institutions has increased considerably over the recent past. Financial analysts use sophisticated stochastic models to describe the unpredictable behaviour of markets, derive computable pricing methods and analyse financial data. The course deals with commonly used models for stock prices of risky assets and methods for pricing financial derivatives, such as options and contingent claims. The analysis of such models requires knowledge from probability, stochastic processes and statistics.
Outline Of Syllabus
Risk-free money market. Financial derivatives: call and put options of European type, contingent claims, arbitrage. Exotic options including barrier options, power options, lookback options and Asian options. Continuous-time models of stock price: Brownian/Geometric Brownian motion, BlackScholes pricing. Volatility estimation using historic data, implied volatility. Monte Carlo pricing. Itô calculus: Itô integral and Itô formula. Models of interest rate as stochastic differential equations. Use of R for calculation and simulation. Additional advanced topics such as further exotic options, hedging and American options will also be considered.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 2 | 4:00 | 8:00 | Completion of in course assessments |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 5 | 1:00 | 5:00 | Problem Classes |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | Revision Lectures |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 20 | 1:00 | 20:00 | Formal Lectures |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 2:00 | 2:00 | Unseen Exam |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 15 | 1:00 | 15:00 | Directed reading of advanced topic(s) |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | Background reading on lectured content |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 13 | 1:00 | 13:00 | Revision for unseen exam |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 2 | 1:30 | 3:00 | Review of Coursework |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 22 | 1:00 | 22:00 | Preparation time for lectures |
| Total | 100:00 |
Jointly Taught With
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| MAS3904 | Stochastic Financial Modelling |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures are used for the delivery of theory and explanation of methods, illustrated with examples, and for giving general feedback on marked work. Problem classes are used to help develop the students’ abilities at applying the theory to solving problems. In addition, directed research and reading of an advanced topic is used to develop the students’ ability to learn independently.
The teaching methods are appropriate to allow students to develop a wide range of skills. From understanding basic concepts and facts to higher-order thinking.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 120 | 2 | A | 80 | 2 hour written exam, comprising a Section A and a Section B |
Exam Pairings
| Module Code | Module Title | Semester | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stochastic Financial Modelling | 2 | N/A |
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prob solv exercises | 2 | M | 20 | Coursework 2. Report based upon a set assignment comprising open-ended questions. |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prob solv exercises | 2 | M | Coursework 1. NUMBAS assessment |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
A substantial formal unseen examination is appropriate for the assessment of the material in this module. The format of the examination will enable students to reliably demonstrate their own knowledge, understanding and application of learning outcomes.
Examination problems may require a synthesis of concepts and strategies from different sections, while they may have more than one way for solution. The examination time allows the students to test different strategies, work out examples and gather evidence for deciding on an effective strategy, while carefully articulating their ideas and explicitly citing the theory they are using.
The coursework assignments allow the students to develop their problem solving techniques, to practise the methods learnt in the module, to assess their progress and to receive feedback; the summative assessment has a secondary formative purpose as well as its primary summative purpose.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- MAS8614's Timetable