144 research outputs found
The Zeeman Effect in Finance: Libor Spectroscopy and Basis Risk Management
Once upon a time there was a classical financial world in which all the
Libors were equal. Standard textbooks taught that simple relations held, such
that, for example, a 6 months Libor Deposit was replicable with a 3 months
Libor Deposits plus a 3x6 months Forward Rate Agreement (FRA), and that Libor
was a good proxy of the risk free rate required as basic building block of
no-arbitrage pricing theory. Nowadays, in the modern financial world after the
credit crunch, some Libors are more equal than others, depending on their rate
tenor, and classical formulas are history. Banks are not anymore too "big to
fail", Libors are fixed by panels of risky banks, and they are risky rates
themselves. These simple empirical facts carry very important consequences in
derivative's trading and risk management, such as, for example, basis risk,
collateralization and regulatory pressure in favour of Central Counterparties.
Something that should be carefully considered by anyone managing even a single
plain vanilla Swap. In this qualitative note we review the problem trying to
shed some light on this modern animal farm, recurring to an analogy with
quantum physics, the Zeeman effect
Two Curves, One Price :Pricing & Hedging Interest Rate Derivatives Decoupling Forwarding and Discounting Yield Curves
We revisit the problem of pricing and hedging plain vanilla single-currency interest rate derivatives using multiple distinct yield curves for market coherent estimation of discount factors and forward rates with dierent underlying rate tenors. Within such double-curve-single-currency framework, adopted by the market after the credit-crunch crisis started in summer 2007, standard single-curve no-arbitrage relations are no longer valid, and can be recovered by taking properly into account the forward basis bootstrapped from market basis swaps. Numerical results show that the resulting forward basis curves may display a richer micro-term structure that may induce appreciable effects on the price of interest rate instruments. By recurring to the foreign-currency analogy we also derive generalised no-arbitrage double-curve market-like formulas for basic plain vanilla interest rate derivatives, FRAs, swaps, caps/floors and swaptions in particular. These expressions include a quanto adjustment typical of cross-currency derivatives, naturally originated by the change between the numeraires associated to the two yield curves, that carries on a volatility and correlation dependence. Numerical scenarios confirm that such correction can be non negligible, thus making unadjusted double-curve prices, in principle, not arbitrage free. Both the forward basis and the quanto adjustment find a natural financial explanation in terms of counterparty risk.liquidity, crisis, counterparty risk, yield curve, forward curve, discount curve, pricing, hedging, interest rate derivatives, FRAs, swaps, basis swaps, caps, floors, swaptions, basis adjustment, quanto adjustment, measure changes, no arbitrage, QuantLib
Pricing and Risk Management with High-Dimensional Quasi Monte Carlo and Global Sensitivity Analysis
We review and apply Quasi Monte Carlo (QMC) and Global Sensitivity Analysis
(GSA) techniques to pricing and risk management (greeks) of representative
financial instruments of increasing complexity. We compare QMC vs standard
Monte Carlo (MC) results in great detail, using high-dimensional Sobol' low
discrepancy sequences, different discretization methods, and specific analyses
of convergence, performance, speed up, stability, and error optimization for
finite differences greeks. We find that our QMC outperforms MC in most cases,
including the highest-dimensional simulations and greeks calculations, showing
faster and more stable convergence to exact or almost exact results. Using GSA,
we are able to fully explain our findings in terms of reduced effective
dimension of our QMC simulation, allowed in most cases, but not always, by
Brownian bridge discretization. We conclude that, beyond pricing, QMC is a very
promising technique also for computing risk figures, greeks in particular, as
it allows to reduce the computational effort of high-dimensional Monte Carlo
simulations typical of modern risk management.Comment: 43 pages, 21 figures, 6 table
Aluminium transformer vs copper transformer: A technical and economic comparison
The possible applications for dry-type transformers are multiple and versatile. Together with the choice of the correct technology and execution, it is quite often under discussion which one can be the best solution for a conductor if using aluminium or copper to have the best result in terms of performances. The analysis must be carried on considering different topics we are deepening here
Interest Rates After The Credit Crunch: Multiple-Curve Vanilla Derivatives and SABR
We present a quantitative study of the markets and models evolution across
the credit crunch crisis. In particular, we focus on the fixed income market
and we analyze the most relevant empirical evidences regarding the divergences
between Libor and OIS rates, the explosion of Basis Swaps spreads, and the
diffusion of collateral agreements and CSA-discounting, in terms of credit and
liquidity effects. We also review the new modern pricing approach prevailing
among practitioners, based on multiple yield curves reflecting the different
credit and liquidity risk of Libor rates with different tenors and the
overnight discounting of cash flows originated by derivative transactions under
collateral with daily margination. We report the classical and modern
no-arbitrage pricing formulas for plain vanilla interest rate derivatives, and
the multiple-curve generalization of the market standard SABR model with
stochastic volatility. We then report the results of an empirical analysis on
recent market data comparing pre- and post-credit crunch pricing methodologies
and showing the transition of the market practice from the classical to the
modern framework. In particular, we prove that the market of Interest Rate
Swaps has abandoned since March 2010 the classical Single-Curve pricing
approach, typical of the pre-credit crunch interest rate world, and has adopted
the modern Multiple-Curve CSA approach, thus incorporating credit and liquidity
effects into market prices. The same analysis is applied to European
Caps/Floors, finding that the full transition to the modern Multiple-Curve CSA
approach has retarded up to August 2010. Finally, we show the robustness of the
SABR model to calibrate the market volatility smile coherently with the new
market evidences.Comment: 26 pages, 13 color figures, 6 tables; revised typo
Two Curves, One Price :Pricing & Hedging Interest Rate Derivatives Decoupling Forwarding and Discounting Yield Curves
We revisit the problem of pricing and hedging plain vanilla single-currency interest rate derivatives using multiple distinct yield curves for market coherent estimation of discount factors and forward rates with dierent underlying rate tenors.
Within such double-curve-single-currency framework, adopted by the market after the credit-crunch crisis started in summer 2007, standard single-curve no-arbitrage relations are no longer valid, and can be recovered by taking properly into account the forward basis bootstrapped from market basis swaps. Numerical results show that the resulting forward basis curves may display a richer micro-term structure that may induce appreciable effects on the price of interest rate instruments.
By recurring to the foreign-currency analogy we also derive generalised no-arbitrage double-curve market-like formulas for basic plain vanilla interest rate derivatives, FRAs, swaps, caps/floors and swaptions in particular. These expressions include a quanto adjustment typical of cross-currency derivatives, naturally originated by the change between the numeraires associated to the two yield curves,
that carries on a volatility and correlation dependence. Numerical scenarios confirm that such correction can be non negligible, thus making unadjusted double-curve prices, in principle, not arbitrage free.
Both the forward basis and the quanto adjustment find a natural financial explanation in terms of counterparty risk
ANÁLISIS DE METODOLOGÍAS ÁGILES DE DESARROLLO DE SOFTWARE CENTRADAS EN EL USUARIO: UNA GUÍA RÁPIDA PARA SU ADOPCIÓN (ANALYSIS OF USER-CENTERED AGILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGIES: A QUICK GUIDE TO ITS ADOPTION)
Resumen
Las metodologías de desarrollo de software se han adaptado al avance de la tecnología y a las necesidades de los usuarios. Además, el desarrollo de productos de software diseñados con un enfoque centrado en el usuario se ha considerado una prioridad para garantizar su éxito y adopción. En este trabajo se realiza una revisión bibliográfica del estado del arte para identificar las metodologías que combinan principios de desarrollo ágil de software con métodos de experiencia de usuario. Se presenta un análisis de cómo se han adaptado y adoptado los principios de diseño ágil y centrado en el usuario en el desarrollo de software, así como las experiencias y resultados reportados que destacan las ventajas y desventajas de su implementación. La finalidad es brindar una guía para la elección de la metodología dependiendo de aspectos como las características del equipo de desarrollo y el área de aplicación.
Palabra(s) Clave: Adopción de metodologías, Desarrollo ágil, Diseño centrado a usuarios, Ingeniería de Software, Metodologías ágiles.
Abstract
Software development methodologies have been adapted to the advancement of technology as well as to user needs. Furthermore, the development of user-centered designed products has been considered a priority to ensure their success and adoption. In this work, state-of-the-art literature review is carried out to identify the methodologies that combine agile software development principles with user experience methods. Then, an analysis of how agile and user-centered design principles have been adapted and adopted in software development reported experiences, and results, highlighting their implementation’s advantages and disadvantages. The aim is to provide a guide to select a methodology based on aspects, such as the characteristics of the development team and the application area.
Keywords: Adoption of methodologies, Agile development, Agile methodologies, Software Engineering, User-centered design
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