Course Descriptions

Rigorous treatment of limits and continuity. Riemann integral. Taylor series. Absolute and uniform convergence. Elements of ordinary and partial differential equations. Functions of several variables and their derivatives. The implicit function theorem, optimization, and Lagrange multipliers. Theorems of Gauss, Stokes, and Green. Fourier series and integrals

This course is focused on numerical methods for solving ordinary and partial differential equations, and will include topics such as: numerical approximation theory, orthogonal polynomials, the Fast Fourier Transform, finite differences, spectral methods, 2-point boundary value problems, elliptic PDEs and integral equations, high-order quadrature techniques, and fast structured matrix computations.

This is a version of the course Scientific Computing (MATH-GA 2043) designed for applications in quantitative finance. It covers software and algorithmic tools necessary to practical numerical calculation for modern quantitative finance. Specific material includes IEEE arithmetic, sources of error in scientific computing, numerical linear algebra (emphasizing PCA/SVD and conditioning), interpolation and curve building with application to bootstrapping, optimization methods, Monte Carlo methods, and the solution of differential equations.

Prerequisites:
Linear algebra I, MATH-GA.2110.

Description:
Jordan form theorem, inner product spaces, spectral theory for self adjoint operators, matrix inequalities, convexity, duality, normed linear space, positive matrices.

Text:
Lax, P.D. (2007). Pure and Applied Mathematics: A Wiley Series of Texts, Monographs and Tracts [Series, Bk. 78]. Linear Algebra and Its Applications (2nd ed.).

Basic concepts including groups, rings, modules, polynomial rings, field theory, and Galois theory.

Introduction to the elementary methods of number theory. Topics: arithmetic functions, congruences, the prime number theorem, primes in arithmetic progression, quadratic reciprocity, the arithmetic of quadratic fields.

Survey of point-set topology. Funda-mental groups, homotopy, covering spaces. Singular homology, calculation of homSurvey of point-set topology. Funda-mental groups, homotopy, covering spaces. Singular homology, calculation of homology groups, applications. Homology and cohomology of manifolds. Poincar? duality. Vector bundles. De Rham cohomology and differential forms.

Theory of curves and surfaces. Riemannian geometry: manifolds, differential forms, and integration. Covariant derivatives and curvature. Differential geometry in the large. Curvature, geodesics, Jacobi fields, comparison theorems, and Gauss-Bonnet theorem.

Basics of Functional Analysis. Rearrangement Inequalities. Basics of Fourier Analysis. Distributions. Sobolev Spaces. BV Functions. Interpolation. Maximal Function.

Analytic functions. Cauchy?s theorem and its many consequences. Fractional linear transformations and conformal mappings. Introduction to Riemann surfaces. The Riemann mapping theorems. Entire functions. Special functions.

Existence, uniqueness, and continuous dependence. Linear ODE. Stability of equilibria. Floquet theory. Poincar?-Bendixson theorem. Additional topics may include bifurcation theory, Hamiltonian mechanics, and singular ODE in the complex plane.

Local existence theory: Cauchy-Kowalewsky theorem. Laplaces equation, harmonic functions, maximum principle, single and double layer potential. Fourier transform and distributions. Sobolev spaces. Elliptic boundary value problems. The Cauchy problem for the heat equation, wave equation. Local well posedness for semilinear Cauchy problems.

This course introduces the student to the first fundamental ideas
of differentiable dynamical systems, focusing on hyperbolic dynamics.
Hyperbolicity in dynamical systems refers to the fast separation
of nearby orbits. No prior knowledge of the subject is assumed.
I will begin with motivating examples. The three main topics I plan
to cover are (1) local theory (stable/unstable/center manifolds) at
fixed points, (2) geometric theory of chaotic systems (horseshoes,
homoclinic orbits, attractors); and (3) ergodic theory (ergodicity,
mixing, Lyapunov exponents).

Prerequisite: For topics (1) and (2), analysis of several variables is
a must, basic knowledge of manifolds helpful; measure theory is
assumed for topic (3).

Recommended text: I will not be following any text. Class notes
will be made available. The closest text is Introduction to
Dynamical systems by Brin and Stuck.

Theoretical aspects of portfolio construction and optimization, focusing on advanced techniques in portfolio construction, addressing the extensions to traditional mean-variance optimization including robust optimization, dynamical programming and Bayesian choice. Econometric issues associated with portfolio optimization, including estimation of returns, covariance structure, predictability, and the necessary econometric techniques to succeed in portfolio management will be covered.

Measuring and managing the risk of trading and investment positions: interest rate positions, vanilla options positions, and exotic options positions. The portfolio risk management technique of Value-at-Risk, stress testing, and credit risk modeling.

This is an advanced course on asset pricing and trading of derivative securities. Using tools and techniques from stochastic calculus, we cover (1) Black-Scholes-Merton option pricing; (2) the martingale approach to arbitrage pricing; (3) incomplete markets; and (4) the general option pricing formula using the change of numeraire technique. As an important example of incomplete markets, we discuss bond markets, interest rates and basic term-structure models such as Vasicek and Hull-White. It is important that students taking this course have good working knowledge of calculus-based probability and stochastic calculus. Students should also have taken the course “Financial Securities and Markets” previously. In addition, we recommend an intermediate course on mathematical statistics or engineering statistics as an optional prerequisite for this class.

The course is divided into two parts. The first addresses the fixed-income models most frequently used in the finance industry, and their applications to the pricing and hedging of interest-based derivatives. The second part covers the foreign exchange derivatives markets, with a focus on vanilla options and first-generation (flow) exotics. Throughout both parts, the emphasis is on practical aspects of modeling, and the significance of the models for the valuation and risk management of widely-used derivative instruments

This half-semester course is designed for students interested in Fixed Income roles in front-office trading, market risk management, model development (“Quants”, “Strats”), or model validation. We begin by modeling the cash flows of a generic bond, emphasizing how the bond reacts to changes in markets, how traders may position themselves given their views on the markets, and how risk managers think about the risks of a bond. We then focus on Mortgages, covering the fundamentals of Residential Mortgages, and Mortgage-Backed Securities. Students will build pricing models for mortgages, pass-throughs, sequentials and CMO’s that generate cash flows and that take into account interest rates, prepayments and credit spreads (OAS). The goals are for students to develop: (1) an understanding of how to build these models and how assumptions create “model risk”, and (2) a trader’s and risk manager’s intuition for how these instruments behave as markets change, and (3) a knowledge how to hedge these products. We will graph cash flows and changes in market values to enhance our intuition (e.g. in Excel, Python or by using another graphing tool). In the course we also review the structures of CLO’s, Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities (CMBS), Auto Asset Backed Securities (ABS), Credit Card ABS, subprime mortgages and CDO’s and credit derivatives such as CDX, CMBX and ABX. We discuss the modeling risks of these products and the drivers of the Financial Crisis of 2008. As time permits, we touch briefly on Peer-to-peer / MarketPlace Lending.

The course provides a comprehensive overview of most commonly traded quantitative strategies in energy markets. The class bridges quantitative finance and energy economics covering theories of storage, net hedging pressure, optimal risk transfer, and derivatives pricing models. Throughout the course, the emphasis is placed on understanding the behavior of various market participants and trading strategies designed to monetize inefficiencies resulting from their activities and hedging needs. We discuss in detail recent structural changes related to financialization of energy commodities, crossmarket spillovers, and linkages to other financial asset classes. Trading strategies include traditional risk premia, volatility, correlation, and higher-order options Greeks. Examples and case studies are based on actual market episodes using real market data.

This is a half-semester course covering topics of interest to both buy-side traders and sell-side execution quants. The course will provide a detailed look at how the trading process actually occurs and how to optimally interact with a continuous limit-order book market. We begin with a review of early models, which assume competitive suppliers of liquidity whose revenues, corresponding to the spread, reflect the costs they incur. We discuss the structure of modern electronic limit order book markets and exchanges, including queue priority mechanisms, order types and hidden liquidity. We examine technological solutions that facilitate trading such as matching engines, ECNs, dark pools, multiple venue problems and smart order routers. The second part of the course is dedicated pre-trade market impact estimation, post-trade slippage analysis, optimal execution strategies and dynamic no-arbitrage models. We cover Almgren-Chriss model for optimal execution, Gatheral’s no-dynamic-arbitrage principle and the fundamental relationship between the average response of the market price to traded quantity, and properties of the decay of market impact. Homework assignments will supplement the topics discussed in lecture. Some coding in Java will be required and students will learn to write their own simple limit-order-book simulator and analyze real NYSE TAQ data.

Probability as a tool in computer science, finance, statistics, and the natural and social sciences. Independence. Random variables and their distributions. Conditional probability. Laws of large numbers. Central limit theorem. Random walk, Markov chains, and Brownian motion. Selected applications.

Review of basic probability and useful tools. Bernoulli trials and random walk. Law of large numbers and central limit theorem. Conditional expectation and martingales. Brownian motion and its simplest properties. Diffusion in general: forward and backward Kolmogorov equations, stochastic differential equations and the Ito calculus. Feynman-Kac and Cameron-Martin Formulas

The course is targeted at Mathematics PhD students. Stochastic processes in continuous time. Brownian motion. Poisson process. Processes with independent increments. Stationary processes. Semi-martingales. Markov processes and the associated semi-groups. Connections with PDEs. Stochastic differential equations. Convergence of processes.

This is a graduate course of mathematical statistics emphasizing mathematical foundation and real-world applications. The topics covered include: models, statistical inference and learning; non-parametric inference; parametric inference; Bayesian inference; hypothesis testing and decision making; regression; generalized linear models; correlation analysis; sampling theory and sampling distributions; Monte Carlo methods; supervised learning based on statistical methods; data classification and separation.

The goal of this course is to introduce students to modern dynamical oceanography, with a focus on mathematical models for observed phenomena. The lectures cover the observed structure of the ocean, the thermodynamics of seawater, the equations of motion for rotating-stratified flow, and the most useful approximations thereof: the primitive, planetary geostrophic, and quasi-geostrophic equations. The lectures demonstrate how these approximations can be used to understand boundary layers, wind-driven circulation, buoyancy-driven circulation, oceanic waves (Rossby, Kelvin, and inertia-gravity), potential vorticity dynamics, theories for the observed upper-ocean stratification (the thermocline), and for the abyssal circulation. Students should have some knowledge in geophysical fluid dynamics before taking this course. Throughout the lectures, the interplay between observational, theoretical, and modeling approaches to problems in oceanography are highlighted.