CPT206 Java Programming for Financial Mathematics:
Coursework 2 Task Specification
Thomas Selig
Due date: Sunday, 9 May, 2021, 10pm
This is the specification task sheet for the Coursework 2 assessment component of your CPT206
module. This is worth 15% of your final grade for this module. The submission deadline for this
assignment is Sunday, 9 May, 2021, at 10pm. Detailed submission instructions are provided in
Section 3.
1 Task specification (60 marks)
The aim of this coursework is to implement the Hull-White model, which is a model of future interest
rates. First described by John Hull and Alan White in 1990, this model is one of the historically
most important interest rate models, and is still often used for risk-management purposes in the
market today. As part of this task, you will also produce a report documenting your design choices,
detailed in Section 2.
1.1 Model dynamics
The model is a short-rate model, whose dynamics are given by the following equation:
dr(t) =
θ(t) − ar(t)
dt + σdW(t). (1)
In Equation (1), a and σ are positive constants, the function θ(t) is chosen so as to exactly fit the
initial yield curve observed in the market, and W(t) is a standard Brownian motion. This means
that the differential dW(t) has normal distribution with mean 0 and variance dt.
1.2 Task description (40 marks)
You will write a Java program that simulates the Hull-White model over a given time period.
Your Java program should be written in a single Main class. It should take the following input
parameters:
• The constants a, σ, and the function θ(t) which drive the model’s behaviour. These should
be chosen by yourself (e.g. as class variables/constants), and the values selected will be
documented in the report (see Section 2).
• An initial rate r0 > 0.
• A time period T > 0 and a positive integer n indicating the number of increment intervals.
1
The idea is to break down the time period [0, T] into n increment intervals of length dt =
T
n
,
and apply the Euler method to Equation (1) to simulate the model over that time period. In other
words, we should have: r(t = 0) = r0, and for any given time t =
kT
n
for some k ∈ {0, . . . , n − 1},
r(t + dt) = r(t) + dr(t), where the increment dr(t) is given by Equation (1).
Your program should display the values of the rate function r(t) over the chosen time period
(i.e. should show the values of r(t) for all t of the form t =
kT
n
as above). It should also calculate the
minimum, maximum and average values of the rate function, and display them. For the minimum
and maximum, it should also display the point t at which these are reached.
1.3 Code quality (20 marks)
The remaining marks (20) for the coding part will be awarded for general code quality as seen in
the course materials to date. Here is some guidance.
• Keep your code neat and tidy; make sure it is properly indented throughout.
• Choose suitable names for variables and methods.
• Comment your code as needed.
• Split your code into separate methods as appropriate; code in the main method should be
kept to a minimum; methods overall should not be too long.
2 Report (40 marks)
You will write a report providing some details on how you designed and implemented your program,
as described in Section 1. Your report will consist of three main parts.
2.1 Input parameter choices (15 marks)
In this part, you should explain the choices you make for the parameters a, σ and the function θ(t)
which drive the behaviour of your system. For this, you will need to do some short researches on
the Hull-White model and choose suitable values for these. Include links to any references used in
your report. This part should be no more than 1 page in length.
2.2 Program design choices (15 marks)
In this part, you should explain the design choices you made for your Java program. You should
consider the following questions.
• What are the different members (class variables or methods) of your Java class? What is
their purpose?
• How did you proceed in implementing the model’s dynamics as described by Equation 1?
How did you calculate minimum, maximum and average values of the rate function?
This part should be no more than 1 page in length.
2.3 Testing description (10 marks)
In your report, you should include a description of the testing you undertake of your system. State
clearly which functionalities you are testing, what test you are carrying out, and why. You may
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include screenshots (of code, the output console, etc.) for clarity. This part should be no more
than 1 page in length, screenshots excluded.
3 Submission instructions
In the dedicated “Coursework 3 submission” Assignment activity on the Learning Mall Online, you
will need to submit the following two (2) documents.
• A plaintext .txt file, into which you have copied the source code of your Java class.
This file should be named “CPT206 CW2 Code studentId.txt”.
• Your report from Section 2, typed into for instance a Word document, and converted into
a PDF file.
This file should be named “CPT206 CW2 Report studentId.pdf”.
The submission deadline is: Sunday, 9 May, 2021, 10pm.
This assignment is individual work. Plagiarism (e.g. copying materials from other sources
without proper acknowledgement) is a serious academic offence. Plagiarism and collusion will not
be tolerated and will be dealt with in accordance with the University Code of Practice on Academic
Integrity. Submitting work created by others, whether paid for or not, is a serious offence, and
will be prosecuted vigorously. Individual students may be invited to explain parts of their code in
person during a dedicated BBB session, and if they fail to demonstrate an understanding of the
code, no credit will be given for that part of the code.
Late submissions. The standard University policy on late submissions will apply: 5% of
the total marks available for the component shall be deducted from the assessment mark for each
working day after the submission date, up to a maximum of five working days, so long as this does
not reduce the mark below the pass mark (40%); submissions more than five working days late will
not be accepted.
Good luck!