This course covers programming applications to financial engineering, including C++ and Java and the various common development environments for them. Topics include structured and object-oriented programming in C++ with applications to binomial options pricing, multi-threaded programming in Java with applets and graphical interfaces with applications to risk measurement tools, data-based manipulation and programming in SQL and standard database access libraries with applications to historical financial data series retrieval and management, and other advanced programming concepts important for financial engineering such as numerical techniques, trading systems, and large-scale software design.
FRE-GY 7121 Statistical ArbitrageStatistical arbitrage refers to strategies that combine many relatively independent positive expected value trades so that profit, while not guaranteed, becomes very likely. This course prepares students to research and practice in this area by providing the tools and techniques to generate and evaluate individual trading strategies, combine them into a coherent portfolio, manage the resulting risks, and monitor for excess deviations from expected performance. It introduces theoretical concepts such as cointegration, risk capital allocation, proper backtesting, and factor analysis, as well as practical considerations such as data mining, automated systems, and trade execution. Programming languages such as R, Python, or C++ will be used to present applications to data at low, intermediate and high frequency.