Students
AFIN3029 – Derivative Instruments
2021 – Session 1, Special circumstances
Notice
As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.
To check the availability of face-to-face and online activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Ryle Perera
E4A 553
Teaching Assistant
Kenneth Wong
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|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
20cp at 2000 level including (AFIN252 or AFIN270 or AFIN2070 or STAT272 or STAT2372)
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit explores the characteristics and pricing of derivatives. The importance of the principles of hedging and arbitrage in derivative pricing, is considered. Derivatives investigated include forwards, futures, options and various structured products. In particular, the unit covers non-standard securities and numerical methods.
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Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- ULO1: Examine the concepts of option pricing theory and the role of derivatives.
- ULO2: Apply financial derivatives such as forward/futures and options to solve quantitative problems.
- ULO3: Develop skills to price options and other derivatives.
- ULO4: Examine the principles of hedging, arbitrage theory and structured products.
General Assessment Information
Assessment criteria for all assessment tasks will be provided on the unit iLearn site.
It is the responsibility of students to view their marks for each within-session-assessment on iLearn within 20 days of posting. If there are any discrepancies, students must contact the unit convenor immediately. Failure to do so will mean that queries received after the release of final results regarding assessment tasks (not including the final exam mark) will not be addressed.
Late submissions and extensions
Tasks 10% or less – No extensions will be granted. Students who have not submitted the task prior to the deadline will be awarded a mark of 0 for the task, except for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved.
Tasks above 10% - No extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission – 20% penalty). This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved. No submission will be accepted after solutions have been posted.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online Quiz | 5% | No | Week 3 |
| Assignment | 35% | No | Week 8 |
| Final Examination | 60% | No | University Examination Period |
Online Quiz
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 1 hours
Due: Week 3
Weighting: 5%
The online quiz will consist of 10-15 questions and will be available on iLearn. Please use the quiz result as an indicator of whether you are progressing satisfactorily in the unit.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Examine the concepts of option pricing theory and the role of derivatives.
Assignment
Assessment Type 1: Quantitative analysis task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 8
Weighting: 35%
The assignment will consist of 4-5 questions with short answer and quantitative questions.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Examine the concepts of option pricing theory and the role of derivatives.
- Develop skills to price options and other derivatives.
- Examine the principles of hedging, arbitrage theory and structured products.
Final Examination
Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: University Examination Period
Weighting: 60%
An online two hour open book final exam will be held during the University Examination Period.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Examine the concepts of option pricing theory and the role of derivatives.
- Apply financial derivatives such as forward/futures and options to solve quantitative problems.
- Develop skills to price options and other derivatives.
- Examine the principles of hedging, arbitrage theory and structured products.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
- the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
- the Writing Centre for academic skills support.
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Delivery and Resources
| Learning and Teaching Activities |
The content for each week will comprise of a lecture recording and a set of tutorial questions (Problem Sets). Lectures A lecture recording will be uploaded each week. Lecture notes will be available on iLearn. Tutorials Students will need to register to either an on-campus tutorial or an online (Zoom) tutorial. Tutorials are considered compulsory but no marks are allocated. Tutorials will be available for most, but not all weeks of the semester. In weeks where there aren't any live (on-campus or online) tutorials, a recording will be provided to cover the relevant material. The tutorial schedule will be made available on iLearn. Tutorial enrolment or change of tutorial can be made through eStudent in the first two weeks of the semester. No tutorial changes are allowed after Week 2. Students should attend their allocated tutorial, but exceptions may occur on a one-off basis. That is, where circumstances prevent you from attending your own tutorial in a given week, you may attend an alternative tutorial if room available. Students are expected to complete the ‘Tutorial Questions’ as a self-directed study activity before attending a tutorial. Additional learning support will be available in tutor consultation times. |
| Required Text: |
The required textbook is 'Fundamentals of Futures and Options Markets', John C. Hull, Sirimon Treepongkaruna, Richard Heaney, David Pitt and David Colwell, Pearson, 2014 This is available for purchase online from www.booktopia.com.au/coop and a copy will be available in the closed reserve section of the Macquarie Library. |
| Unit Web Page: |
The web page for this unit can be found at https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/ It is the responsibility of students to visit the unit regularly. Course material is available on the learning management system (iLearn). Lecture notes, tutorial solutions, unit announcements, and other reference materials will be posed to this site throughout the session. |
Unit Schedule
Lecture Week |
Lecture Topic |
1 |
Introduction to Derivatives and Mechanics of Futures Market |
2 |
Hedging Strategies using Futures |
3 |
Interest rates |
4 |
Determination of Forward and Futures Prices |
5 |
Swaps and Ethics |
6 |
Mechanics of Option Markets and Properties of Stock Options |
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BREAK |
7 |
Trading Strategies Involving Options |
8 |
ASSIGNMENT |
9 |
Introduction to Binomial Trees |
10 |
Valuing Stock Options: The Black Scholes Model |
11 |
Options on Stock Indices and Currencies and Futures Options |
12 |
Greek Letters |
13 |
Revision |
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
Results
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Unit information based on version 2021.02 of the Handbook