I already wrote an article on the tendency of people in finance to be sloppy in the language they use; you’ll find it here.  The purpose of this article is to expand on one specific area in which the language of finance people is particularly sloppy: correlation.  The problem, as I see it, is that […]

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As a mathematician, I’ve been trained to write and speak (and, consequently, to think) using precise, accurate terminology.  There are, of course, occasions when even mathematicians abbreviate the things that they write or say, but on those occasions: We know that we’re abbreviating, and All mathematicians have agreed to the abbreviations used. As an educator, […]

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After reading a number of posts on AnalystForum in which candidates have had difficulty with linear interpolation or extrapolation, I figured it was time to write an article on the subject.  At Level I it applies to binomial trees for calculating the weights for equity options, and for combining risky portfolios with the risk-free asset […]

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Throughout Level II and Level III – and a little bit at Level I – we see calculations that involve commodities; e.g., calculating the price or value of a forward or futures contract on an underlying commodity. In all of those calculations, the quantity of the commodity is constant; for example, if you’re given the […]

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