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FINN40215: Financial Risk Management

It is possible that changes to modules or programmes might need to be made during the academic year, in response to the impact of Covid-19 and/or any further changes in public health advice.

Type Tied
Level 4
Credits 15
Availability Available in 2023/24
Module Cap None.
Location Durham
Department Finance

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • Derivative Markets (FINN40715)

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • develop students' ability to master the knowledge and understanding at an advanced level of the means by which risk can be managed, primarily through the use of financial derivatives and the problems inherent in using such instruments;
  • provide students with the opportunity to develop the ability to critically understand academic literature relating to risk management;
  • provide students with the ability to critically review this specialised complex area of knowledge with a view to undertaking a dissertation in the field of financial risk management.

Content

  • Hedging Strategies with Futures;
  • Applied Topics in Futures Markets;
  • Trading Strategies using Option Contracts;
  • Option Greeks and Volatility Smiles;
  • Value at Risk;
  • Corporate Liabilities as Options;
  • Credit Risks;
  • Estimating Volatility and Correlation;
  • Advanced Topics on Volatility Modelling and Option Pricing.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • have an advanced knowledge and critical understanding of how derivative financial instruments can be used to manage risk and the potential problems associated with using such instruments;
  • have an advanced understanding of different strategies for managing risk using options and futures, including an understanding of the complexities and problems associated with the use of such strategies;
  • have explored, understood and appreciated the complexity and contradictions of the current academic literature and its implications for professional practice, and be able to identify open questions for their own research;
  • have demonstrated the ability to learn and work independently in this area, exercising critical judgement and discrimination in the resolution of complex problematic situations.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • have used highly specialised and advanced technical and academic skills to analyse the extent to which risk management is successful.
  • have practised problem solving and analytical skills in a complex specialised context.

Key Skills:

  • Written Communication;
  • Planning, Organising and Time Management;
  • Problem solving and analysis;
  • Initiative;
  • Numeracy;
  • Computer Literacy.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • A combination of lectures, seminars and guided reading will contribute to achieving the aims and learning outcomes of this module.
  • The summative written examination will test students' knowledge and understanding of the subject-matter and their critical judgement, problem-solving and analytical skills.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Lectures101 per week2 hours20 
Seminars41 per fortnight1 hour4Yes
Revision Sessions22 hours4 
Preparation and Reading122 
Total150 

Summative Assessment

Component: ExaminationComponent Weighting: 100%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
In-person written examination2 hours100same

Formative Assessment

Work prepared by students for seminars; answers to questions either discussed during a seminar or posted on Learn Ultra.

More information

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Current Students: Please contact your department.