Futures and Options

This course is designed for students who are not necessarily from the area of Finance or have not yet completed or followed the course of Investments. Its content is intended to be an introduction to derivatives, focusing on their economic content, strategic use and little mathematics. We introduce the basics derivatives instruments namely futures, forwards, swaps and options. The last four classes (on options) repeat material taught in the course of Investments. The course is also about financial markets in the sense that explores the uses of such instruments, their pricing principles and trading mechanisms.