The course introduces the Monte Carlo method and its applications in asset pricing and risk management. Topics include random number generation, sample paths simulation for stochastic processes, variance reduction techniques, SDE numerical solutions, price sensitivities estimation, American option Monte Carlo pricing, and reinforcement learning.
This book develops the use of Monte Carlo methods in finance and it also uses simulation as a vehicle for presenting models and ideas from financial engineering. It divides roughly into three parts. The first part develops the fundamentals of Monte Carlo methods, the foundations of derivatives pricing, and the implementation of several of the most important models used in financial engineering. The next part describes techniques for improving simulation accuracy and efficiency. The final third of the book addresses special topics: estimating price sensitivities, valuing American options, and measuring market risk and credit risk in financial portfolios.
Developed from the author's course on Monte Carlo simulation at Brown University, this text provides a self-contained introduction to Monte Carlo methods in financial engineering. It covers common variance reduction techniques, the cross-entropy method, and the simulation of diffusion process models. Requiring minimal background in mathematics and finance, the book includes numerous examples of option pricing, risk analysis, and sensitivity analysis as well as many hand-and-paper and MATLAB coding exercises at the end of every chapter.
This book is written as an introductory textbook on derivative pricing theory for students enrolled in these degree programs. Another audience of the book may include practitioners in quantitative teams in financial institutions who would like to acquire the knowledge of option pricing techniques and explore the new development in pricing models of exotic structured derivatives. The level of mathematics in this book is tailored to readers with preparation at the advanced undergraduate level of science and engineering majors, in particular, basic profiiencies in probability and statistics, differential equations, numerical methods, and mathematical analysis.
Computational and numerical methods are used in a number of ways across the field of finance. It is the aim of this book to explain how such methods work in financial engineering. By concentrating on the field of option pricing, a core task of financial engineering and risk analysis, this book explores a wide range of computational tools in a coherent and focused manner and will be of use to anyone working in computational finance. Starting with an introductory chapter that presents the financial and stochastic background, the book goes on to detail computational methods using both stochastic and deterministic approaches.
Reinforcement Learning and Stochastic Optimization is the first book to provide a balanced treatment of the different methods for modeling and solving sequential decision problems, following the style used by most books on machine learning, optimization, and simulation. The presentation is designed for readers with a course in probability and statistics, and an interest in modeling and applications. Linear programming is occasionally used for specific problem classes. The book is designed for readers who are new to the field, as well as those with some background in optimization under uncertainty.