This project has two deliverables, as follows:

Deliverable 1: Please submit this week a report that describes your hypotheses and trades in detail (a link is provided below the project description through which you should submit Deliverable 1). Make sure that your plan is as realistic as possible, and incorporates all premiums and margin/collateral requirements. Your report should be 5 pages in length and should include the following sections:

– A single-page summary of your trades (1 page in total).

– A discussion of your hypotheses (1 separate page per trade).

– A discussion of the trade that you implemented, including detailed numbers with supporting evidence from your data source (1 separate page per trade).

Added on 20.06.2016 19:03
This course requires that you complete a project. The project is introduced in this module. You will be required to submit your project in two parts:

– Part 1 is submitted as part of this module.

– Part 2 is submitted as part of module 12.

Project overview

Futures and exchange-traded options are widely available for the following asset classes:

Equities
Energy
For each of these asset classes, please develop a well-reasoned hypothesis regarding the relative performance of two assets within the asset class. A relative performance trade (otherwise known as a pairs trade) does not require you to identify whether a given security will increase or decrease or value. Instead, it requires the following:

1. Identify two assets within the asset class.

2. Identify which of the two assets you believe will outperform the other asset.

3. Long the asset that you believe will outperform and short the asset that you believe will under perform.

You can learn more about relative performance/pairs trades here: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/trading/04/090804.asp.

Relative performance trade example

Here is an example of a relative performance trade.

Imagine you are forming a relative performance hypothesis related to the following two stocks in the apparel stores industry:

Gap, Inc.
TAX Companies
You do not know whether the overall stock market will increase in value or decrease in value in the future. But you do believe that whether markets increase or decrease in value, GAP, Inc. will outperform TAX Companies. Therefore, you should long Gap, Inc. and short TAX Companies. If you do so:

– If markets increase in value, your long position in Gap, Inc. will increase in value more than your short position in TAX Companies will decrease in value.

– If markets decrease in value, your long position in Gap, Inc. will lose less money than your short position in TAX Companies will earn in value.

Project details

For each hypothesis, please develop an exchange-traded derivatives trade that can monetize the view. Hence, derivatives that do not trade on exchanges, such as forwards, credit default swaps, or interest rate swaps, should not be used. Only use derivatives do not use any cash products such as stocks or bonds.

Please assume that you have up to $1,000,000 to allocate to each strategy (for the purpose of premiums and/or margin).

Please assume that you will acquire the position sometime during this week and will hold it until sometime during the week of Module 12. Please do not develop dynamic strategies that require buying or selling between this week and the week of Module 12. So there will only be two relevant dates:

The date you enter into the position, sometime this week.
The date you close out the position, sometime during the week of Module 12.
Some data sources from which you can identify information include:

WWW.OBOE.com
WWW.Regroup.com
WWW.Chicagoan.com
WWW.Option monster.com
http://finance.yahoo.com/futures
http://finance.yahoo.com/options
You may also use the Bloomberg Terminals available on Pace”s NYC and Pleasantness campuses.

Project deliverables

This project has two deliverables, as follows:

Deliverable 1: Please submit this week a report that describes your hypotheses and trades in detail (a link is provided below the project description through which you should submit Deliverable 1). Make sure that your plan is as realistic as possible, and incorporates all premiums and margin/collateral requirements. Your report should be 5 pages in length and should include the following sections:

– A single-page summary of your trades (1 page in total).

– A discussion of your hypotheses (1 separate page per trade).

– A discussion of the trade that you implemented, including detailed numbers with supporting evidence from your data source (1 separate page per trade).

Focus on the deliverables 1 portion, which is the last portion.