I have a couple of questions regarding the subject of computational finance, and would very much appreciate any help offered...1. what are some of the "hot" research topics in this field?2. what are the prospects for this field, or more specifically, for careers in this field?

28 views and no responses?...HULK MAD!!!

1. Don't do hot research. Just do good research.2. If by computational finance you mean pricing derivatives and other securities, then the prospects are good but not great. There will always be a need for people who can figure out how to price things, but if that's all you can do then your prospects are somewhat limited.

Dear Hulk,In this forum, you asked a question on the metaphorical equivalence of "can you make money in magazines?"Computational finance, was ist das?I teach a course called "Computational Finance" for undergrads. It is very different from what Paul, Omar, Pat, Collector, etc. think of as CompFin.Dr. Banner advises Hulk to narrow your focus and try some other threads. James

James,not entirely sure what language you're speaking but...with regard to what I mean by computational finance, well I mean the kind of thing they get up to at occf.ox.ac.uk. That isn't too broad.

Somewhere in the maths department...Nerdy student 1: Hey look everybody, it's Mr Computational Finance!Everyone: Heek! Heek! Heek! Matt: Eh, hi guys!Nerdy student 2: Gee-whizz, that looks really hard, heek heek! What's it you're doin' Matt?Matt: Aw c'mon guys, leave me alone!Nerdy student 2: Aww, let's leave Mr Bigshot alone, heek heek! We wouldn't want him to lose track of his investments!Everyone: Heek! Heek! Heek!Nerdy Student 1: Yeah, c'mon guys, let's hit the field theory seminar!

On the CompFin = nerd nexus: I don't know if they have "Jolt" cola in England ("all the sugar and twice the caffine!"), but unless you have been drinking warm can after warm can of the stuff after midnight in the computer lab and smell bad because the air conditioner fan is turned towards the computer's benefit, you are not in computational finance.

James,What do you teach in a computational finance course for undergraduates?"A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems."(Paul Erdös)

lazy,First, I teach them how to use Excel. Then I teach them how to use VB, then I teach them half the chapters in Paul's intro book.I use the Principals of Finance with Excel by Simon Benninga or his or his Financial Modeling, depending on how advanced the median class member is (i.e. how well they did in the other classes where they were supposed to use excel).http://finance.wharton.upenn.edu/~benninga/pfe.htmlthis is baby stuff...too simple for you. James

james,It seems pretty interesting in fact. It gives a constructive approach to financial concepts. I would have liked having such a course in undergrade classes as a first introduction to financial markets. It sounds pretty impressive if you managed to include chapter 7 and 9 or 12 and 13.An no it isn't baby stuff for me regarding the fact that I am loosing the intuitive approach so I am less able than ever to have an immediate answer to a problem. It's more like "well let me take my pen and write down the problem". Too much abstraction kills the intuition (at least in finance in my view)...... It's difficult to reach the efficient frontier. It seems to me that now after math courses I need to get back to finance courses (in a business frame) lazy"A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems."(Paul Erdös)

James,Is "principle of finance with excel" harder than "financial modelling"?How did you teach VBA to your students? Is there any course notes posted on your web?Which chapters on PWIQF are you going to cover for your course?

J"principal" is simpler, baby stuff ....see his website.I teach them VBA by opening excel, opening vba in excel, and showing them simple routines defined as functions, then more complex ones, etc.i do not have a course website, i only teach part time for fun.the notes are in my head.i will cover the classic chapters (all of them!), b-s and binomial mostly, then judge demand from the students.

James,.. 420, is that right?lazy"A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems."(Paul Erdös)

Yep, IBA 420 is the course number....I think. those things look so firm, but then the magic folks that dish them out capriciously change them.

...so is the description of the course (so firm) in the university catalog.