CSI's Certificate in Fixed Income Trading and Sales showcases expertise.
Fixed income traders work in a fast-paced, pressurized environment where traditionally learning on the job has been the only kind of training available. For the first time students have the opportunity to learn how to evaluate, trade, and sell various types of fixed income securities, including government bonds, corporate bonds and mortgage-backed securities. By acquiring the knowledge that is essential to working in the fixed income area, including the use of technical analysis and derivatives, students will effectively demonstrate to employers that they have the desire and talent to advance their career as either a trader or sales person.
The only program of its kind in Canada, the learning path of the Certificate in Fixed Income Trading and Sales is specifically designed to give students a firm understanding of the structure, operations and strategies of fixed income trading from both the buy and sell side. As well, fixed-income trading desk personnel will learn how to identify a variety of business, financial and compliance risks that occur when selling and maintaining an inventory of fixed income securities.
As of July 2012, candidates are given 5 years to apply for the certificate once all courses have been completed. This requirement will ensure that an individual has a current level of knowledge when the certificate is granted. If an individual wishes to request a certificate after the five years has expired, the individual will be required to re-take the Fixed Income Trading and Sales course.
Who Should Enrol
The Certificate in Fixed Income Trading and Sales is designed for students who have a post secondary diploma and have taken the CSC®. They are either in a junior trading desk role or are aspiring to move into a fixed income trading role. This includes people who are currently retail bond desk staff, money market traders, back office staff who aspire to work on a trading desk, investment representatives. Junior portfolio managers and junior analysts may also be interested.
Course work enables students to be in step with the professionalization trend in the financial services industry. A formal recognition of their knowledge and expertise in fixed income trading and sales helps them gain entry into this field or prepare them for career advancement from junior to more senior fixed income trading or sales positions.
The benefits of earning the Certificate in Fixed Income Trading and Sales include:
- Effectively describe the responsibilities of a fixed income trader and sales person
- Detail the interaction and competitor/co-operator nature of the trading process
- Identify the key attributes a buy-side firm looks for in a fixed income dealer
- Describe what is represented by different yield curve shapes
- Calculate bond price changes given changes in duration and convexity
- Demonstrate active FI portfolio management strategies
- Explain the workings of a Mortgaged-Backed Security (MBS)
- Demonstrate how fixed income market risk is measured and mitigated
- Utilize fixed income derivatives to trade and manage risk
- Analyze fixed income market trends using technical analysis
