Options - Foundation

Whoever has watched "The Wolf of Wall Street" has likely struggled to understand the jobs, products, jargon that surround financial markets. Some of us are still trying to get our way out of this financial jungle and clarify the associated strategies. Let's demystify these!

In close collaboration with PwC's subject matter experts, PwC's Academy has developed a comprehensive, multi-layered training curriculum for junior and more experienced financial industries’ employees and managers alike, who seek to gain a solid knowledge of derivative instruments.

With the 'Options (Foundation)' module, participants will dive into the characteristics and associated risks, market use, and valuation of options.

By the end of this training, participants will be able to:

• define the general characteristics of each instrument;
• gain an in-depth understanding of how the instrument operates;
• list how it can best be used on the market, be it in isolation or in combination with other instruments;
• understand the valuation method and what can impact options' quotation;
• identify major risks associated and determine controls that may mitigate them.

• Main features of an option contract:
  • definition: ATM, ITM or OTM
  • option price and volatility
  • 4 basic option strategies
• The uses of options (hedging or speculative trading):
  • options on stocks and stock indexes
  • currency options
  • swaptions
  • bond options
  • hedging: how to choose between hedging by future/forward and hedging by options?
• 2nd generation options: barrier, digital

This course content is presented in an attractive and understandable manner: it is illustrated with numerous real market examples. The course aims to provide a clear and thorough understanding of the considered instrument, with core mathematical concepts introduced when addressing pricing.

This training is coordinated by Samir Moussaoui, Director and Solimane Bsiss, Senior Manager at PwC Luxembourg.

The different modules will be animated by experts in derivatives.

Samir helps lead our AVS practice in managing and delivering a diverse range of alternative investments and assets valuation engagements, in the context of assurance and non-assurance services, to local and international clients and PwC offices. He has exposure to a wide range of valuation methodologies such as discounted cash flow models, trading and transaction multiple valuations, net asset value approach as well as milestone analyses, primarily in the context of financial reporting.

Samir is Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Valuation Surveyor (MRICS).

Solimane is senior manager within our Valuations Services (VS) practice and leads a high-performance quantitative team specialising in the valuation of derivatives and structured products as well as private debt.

Solimane joined PwC in 2008 and has gained extensive knowledge and experience in the field of valuation of financial assets. He has extensive experience working on various valuation models such as discounted cash flow models, credit spread models, black models, Monte Carlo simulation, among others.