Financial Derivatives and Real Options
Netherlands, Maastricht
| Study location | Netherlands, Maastricht |
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| Type | Summer Courses, full-time |
| Nominal duration | 1 week (2 ECTS) |
| Study language | English |
| Course code | MSS3001 |
| Tuition fee | €599 one-time |
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| Entry qualification | Enrolled as an Undergraduate student or Undergraduate diploma This course is designed and aimed at 2nd or 3rd year bachelor students without any prior knowledge about real options and without any in depth knowledge about option pricing. The entry qualification documents are accepted in the following languages: English. Often you can get a suitable transcript from your school. If this is not the case, you will need official translations along with verified copies of the original. |
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| Language requirements | English The language of the course is English, so we expect a fluent level and the ability to follow and participate in class. |
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| More information |
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Overview
Course Description
This course provides you with an overview of derivative markets, introduces you to valuation techniques, and shows you on how to apply the knowledge to investment decisions in companies.
The course will be taught in two blocks of 2.5 days each. The first block introduces you to financial derivatives, namely forwards, futures, options, and swaps. You will learn the basic characteristic of these contracts, how they are set up in real capital markets, and how to derive pricing relations. At the end of each section, you will apply your knowledge using cases. In the second part of the course you will learn how to apply your knowledge on derivatives when making investment decisions. Investment decisions are inherently more complex than usually presented in an introductory finance course. In particular, managers have the option to wait, expand, or abandon the project. These possibilities give investments an option like character and you will learn how your knowledge of derivatives improves the decision-making process. You will apply the material in a business case.
Goals
After completing this course students should:
• Understand the basic properties of the most important derivative instruments
• Know what is arbitrage
• Understand the basic concepts of replication
• Understand how to derive valuation bounds
• Understand how to apply the knowledge in a market environment
• Understand the importance of choices and uncertainty in corporate decision making
• Understand how real option models differ conceptually from classical capital budgeting
• Understand the advantages but also the challenges of using a real option framework
• Visualize an investment decision as a real option
• Have an intuitive understanding of option pricing based on the option value space spanned by the value-to-cost metric and the volatility metric
• Use this option value space to visualize strategic decisions
• Calculate and compare classical NPV and real option values for simple corporate investments
Teaching Methods
Assignments, Cases, Lectures, PBL, Work in subgroups
Assessment Methods
Written exam
Course Coordinators
Stefanie Kleimeier
Paulo Rodrigues