Yes...i changed my course. Many people had asked me....what is Financial Engineering all about...here goes.
What is Financial Engineering?There are numerous definitions of financial engineering, but most revolve around managing and reducing financial risk. A few definitions from popular books and web sites include the following:
"Financial engineering refers to the application of various mathematical, statistical and computational techniques to solve practical problems in finance. Such problems include the valuation of derivatives instruments such as options, futures and swaps, the trading of securities, risk management and regulation of financial markets. No single set of mathematical tools, computational techniques or financial theory describes financial engineering. Rather, it is the synthesis of a variety of these elements. Financial engineering is a practical field and a practitioners’ field by its nature. It is driven in large part by practical problems that arise in the course of daily business; the nature of the problems demand that practitioners draw from as broad a palate of tools as possible to find the best solutions to their problems. A second, related definition is that financial engineering is the use of financial instruments such as forwards, futures, swaps, options, and related products to restructure or rearrange cash flows in order to achieve particular financial goals, particularly the management of financial risk
What are the goals of Financial Engineering? Usually the primary goal of Financial Engineering is to reduce financial risk. A secondary goal is to restructure cash flows for better financial management, such as using a swap to change a variable rate loan to a fixed rate loan for tax purposes and/or better cash flow predictability
What types of jobs can I pursue as a Financial Engineer? Since Financial Engineering is quantitative and computational in nature, Financial Engineers are often called "Quants." Initial jobs for Quants often involve number crunching, simulation, and analysis. With experience, Quants begin to trade, structure portfolios, and engineer custom securities and financial products. Financial Engineers are Quants who are typically more focused on financial risk reduction. Careers are dynamic and
compensation is often excellent.
MSFE Employment Statistics 2004-2005 Class
The following is a list of companies and positions that was offered to and accepted by the MSFE Class of 2004-2005. Please note that duplicate offers are not listed.
Company
Position
ABS Investment Management
Risk Manager
AQR Capital
Quantitative Analyst
Banco Central de Chile
Financial Analyst
Bank of America
Associate
Bank of America Securities
Associate – RMBS/GSF Analytics
Bank of New York
Portfolio Analyst and Assistant Treasurer
Barclays Capital
Associate
Barclays Capital
Analyst – Fixed Income
BlackRock
Analyst – Portfolio Analytics
Booz Allen Hamilton
Consultant
Citigroup
Analyst
Citigroup
Vice President
Credit Suisse First Boston
Analyst
DE Shaw & Co
Securities Trader
Deutsche Bank
Analyst
Goldman Sachs
Financial Engineer – Algorithmic Trading
HSBC
Assistant Vice President
HSBC
Mortgage Backed Securities Associate
HSBC
Associate
JP Morgan
Associate – Risk Management
JP Morgan Chase
Analyst – Trading
JP Morgan Chase
Associate – Rates Market Risk Group
Lehman Brothers
Senior Analyst/Equity Derivatives Trader
Merrill Lynch
Associate – Equity Research
Morgan Stanley
Associate
Murex
Financial Consultant
Prisma Capital Partners
Risk Associate
UBS Investment Bank
Junior Trader
Compensation Statistics
Starting Salary Range
$52,000 - $110,000
Average Salary
$78,961
Median Salary
$77,500
Thats about it.... Remember my previous post on Financial Engineering..?????