Financial derivatives are ubiquitous in global capital markets, and those products and the institutions around them continue to evolve at a rapid pace. This course is part of the MicroMasters® Program in Finance, and is designed for students seeking to develop a sophisticated and durable understanding of valuation and hedging methods, and a basic familiarity with major markets and instruments. Tools for quantifying, hedging, and speculating on risk are emphasized. Topics include forwards, futures and options in the stock, fixed income and commodity markets, exotic options, real options, interest rate and currency swaps, mortgages, credit risk, securitization, the yield curve, duration and convexity. The knowledge and skills acquired are essential for any well-trained financial practitioner. They will be most useful for those planning a career in sales and trading, portfolio management, commercial banking, investment banking, insurance, as a hedge fund manager, or as an analyst or manager in a public sector financial institution, central bank, or financial regulatory agency. Corporate financial managers, as consumers of complex financial products and hedging instruments, will also benefit from this knowledge. The course is excellent preparation for anyone planning to take the CFA exams.
An excellent online course offered by edX: how it works
edX courses consist of weekly learning sequences. Each learning sequence is composed of short videos interspersed with interactive learning exercises, where students can immediately practise the concepts from the videos. The courses often include tutorial videos that are similar to small on-campus discussion groups, an online textbook, and an online discussion forum where students can post and review questions and comments to each other and teaching assistants. Where applicable, online laboratories are incorporated into the course.
edX offers certificates of successful completion and some courses are credit-eligible. Whether or not a college or university offers credit for an online course is within the sole discretion of the school. edX offers a variety of ways to take courses, including verified courses where students have the option to audit the course (no cost) or to work toward an edX Verified Certificate (fees vary by course). edX also offers XSeries Certificates for completion of a bundled set of two to seven verified courses in a single subject (cost varies depending on the courses).
An edX learning programme under Other Experiences
