Can you introduce yourself and your background to the industry?
“Hi, my name is Mark Doran. I started working in operations in a bank and from there I was lucky enough to move to the trading room where I started trading foreign exchange, bonds, and then derivatives – all over a period of about fifteen years, which gave me a lot of experience in those areas. I then moved into training, and I’ve been doing that for over twenty-five years”.
Tell me what this course is about?
“We’re going to look at derivatives which is a really complex world. There are lots of different types of products like interest rate swaps, credit default swaps, futures, etc. So, that looks at both, the exchange traded and the OTC market. We’re going to look at how they’re traded and how people use them for investing and hedging”.
What would I benefit from attending this course?
“If you come on this course, I think what you’ll find is a real benefit is that you’ll get a real insight into the derivatives market. That’s not just the products, not just exercises, but I’ve got a lot of experience in this area. I still use derivatives in my own trading and investments, so I can tell you how they’re being used in the modern world and how they’re being applied on a day-to-day basis at both banks and investment management. I often find that this practical experience is really useful for people”.
What do delegates find particularly special about this course?
“I think delegates find something special about this course in that it’s very interactive – I’d like to think that I’m very approachable. There are exercises, case studies, and simulations that recreate the market as it would be”.
What aspects of this course do you find most applicable to real-world situations?
“During this course, we will be looking at a lot of different products. It sounds a bit ridiculous to say that all these products are really applicable to everyday life. To give a quick example, we look at interest rate swaps, which are used by everyone, banks, and investment companies, even down to the point where a lot of people don’t realise when they get a fixed rate mortgage, they’re basically getting a loan which is floating, and the bank is used to swap to fix it for them. So, all these products are perhaps surprisingly used in everyday management”.