Enrolled students are expected to have familiarity with basic concepts of capital markets and finance (although some concepts will be briefly reviewed during the course). The level of mathematical complexity involved in these topics will be manageable.

The aim of this course is to provide a thorough understanding of financial risk management techniques designed to maximize value of firm. The course highlights the management of financial risk and tools of risk management from business firm's perspective. A part of the course is devoted to the analysis of derivatives and their uses in risk management.

The course is divided into three parts:

1. Concepts and the economics of Risk Management

2. Tools for Financial Risk Management

3. The practice of Risk Management

The first part of the course will address the general concepts of risk management applied to firms, trying to shed light on why firms (should) hedge. The second part is more technical and it will cover the tools for hedging risks (in particular, financial derivatives). The last part will help students to understand how a hedging strategy can be designed and put into action to be effective.

• 1.  (A) J.C. Hull Options, Futures and Other Derivatives Pearson, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, 2011
• 2.  (A) Brealey R., Myers S. and F. Allen Principles of Corporate Finance McGraw-Hill, NY, 2011 » Pagine/Capitoli: 20,21,26,27

The materials used in this course (slides/exercises) will be regularly uploaded on the teacher's personal page.

• Although the course is based on a theoretical approach, lessons will be followed by practical classes in which case studies and practical exercises will be discussed.

• The final exam is written and covers all the three sections of this course. Specifically, it will include open questions and practical exercises. Open questions are aimed to assess the level of understanding of the theory; practical exercises are intended to evaluate the individual ability to put in practice theoretical concepts of financial risk management.

English will be the teaching language

English will be the language used in the written exam