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Time Value of Money
Understood literally this means the value of a dollar erodes because of inflation and with passage of time.
Time Value of Money and Cash Products
June 1, 2023
26min read
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time-value-of-money
Interest Rate Options Demystified
Explore one of the most intuitive and authentic assessment of interest rate options and its types, impact of convexity adjustments, related option strategies and how real world investors use them, at Pandemonium. Explore our comprehensive resources that demystify the intricacies of these financial instruments, enhancing your understanding of risk and how it’s structured to express a nuanced interest rate view. Look up Pandemonium for expert insights and guidance today!
Rate Options
September 28, 2023
50min read
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interest-rate-options-demystified
5: Annuity and Convexity
The series of swap cash flows we have discussed so far are of the nature of an annuity…
Rate Options
September 2, 2023
10min read
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annuity-and-convexity
6: Rate Option Strategies
The series of swap cash flows we have discussed so far are of the nature of an annuity…
Rate Options
October 5, 2023
7min read
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6-rate-option-strategies
17: Regular and Reverse Barriers
These options officially fall in the realm of structured products as they can be understood as a combination of at least two different options…
Options and Strategies
July 4, 2023
11min read
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regular-and-reverse-barriers
7: Rate Option Strategies…Conditional Spread
Conditional Spread strategies using rate options now let’s look at option strategies on two different underlying…
Rate Options
September 11, 2023
5min read
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7-rate-option-strategies-conditional-spread
2: Embedded Bond Options
Bonds are frequently structured with optionality in them for either the issuer or investor.
Rate Options
August 31, 2023
6min read
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embedded-bond-options
6: Volatility and its smiles
Implied vs Realised Vol – an extensively used term for the options world and one that crucially determines an option’s price…
Options and Strategies
July 4, 2023
4min read
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volatility-and-its-smiles
1: Time Value of Money & Power of Compounding
Understood literally this means the value of a dollar erodes because of inflation and with passage of time.
Time Value of Money and Cash Products
June 1, 2023
3min read
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time-value-of-money-power-of-compounding
1: BSM vs Black
Interest rate Options – are options on interest rates that at it’s very basic construct can be described…
Rate Options
August 30, 2023
4min read
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bsm-vs-black
9: Straddles
Start your journey into the world of Options and strategies with nothing more than intuition and logic at Pandemonium. Let’s begin with the basics of straddles and the greeks therein to better understand the risk of the strategy and its application. Authentic, intuitive, logical and fun – Pandemonium is for every student of finance, visit us today!
Options and Strategies
July 4, 2023
3min read
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straddles
14: Risk Reversal
Risk reversals involve either selling an OTM Put and Buying an OTM call or Buying an OTM Put and Selling an OTM call…
Options and Strategies
July 4, 2023
3min read
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risk-reversal
10: Strangles
Discover the ins and outs of the long strangle options strategy with Pandemonium's comprehensive resources. Simply and Intuitively explained from a markets practioner’s lens, Pandemonium helps you navigate option strategies with real world references and applications. Visit us today!
Options and Strategies
July 4, 2023
2min read
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strangles
3: Duration & Convexity
Duration quite literally is the average time taken to receive the promised cash flows on a financial instrument.
Time Value of Money and Cash Products
August 8, 2023
9min read
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3-duration-convexity
5: Money Market and Cash Bonds
let’s begin with the most basic building block of the fixed income cash market that would become the foundation of derivative instruments ahead.
Time Value of Money and Cash Products
May 30, 2023
3min read
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money-market-and-cash-bonds
4:Swaptions
Swaptions – are options on interest rate swaps either with a right (but not an obligation) to enter a received or a paid position…
Rate Options
August 31, 2023
9min read
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swaptions
5: Let’s speak Greek(s)
Option Greeks – risks embedded in an option contract that appear with movements in its variables and determine…
Options and Strategies
July 5, 2023
9min read
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lets-speak-greeks
3: Interest Rate Cap and Floor
Interest Rate Caps – are a certain type of option on interest rates that cap the exposure to higher rates…
Rate Options
August 31, 2023
7min read
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interest-rate-cap-and-floor
6: Foreign Exchange & Interest Rate Parity
Spot denotes the price of currency A in terms of currency B settled typically T+2. Any contract with non-standard settlement…
Time Value of Money and Cash Products
May 30, 2023
5min read
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foreign-exchange-interest-rate-parity
2: Pricing of an Option
Pricing of an Option – Most pricing models calculate the price of an option using some form of hedging such that the portfolio of the option…
Options and Strategies
July 5, 2023
3min read
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pricing-of-an-option
4: Duration and PVBP for a Floating Rate Bond
It’s important to cover this base too, as for floating rate bonds if we apply the ‘time taken to receive the promised cash flow’…
Time Value of Money and Cash Products
August 8, 2023
3min read
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4-duration-and-pvbp-for-a-floating-rate-bond
3: Intuition behind Black Scholes
Explore the mighty Black-Scholes Model simply and intuitively explained from the lens of a financial markets practioner, at Pandemonium. This is an authentic assessment of the model that breaks down all jargon and clears up complex math (refresher on Lognormal Distribution) so you learn better to remember for longer. Explore our guidance and insights at Pandemonium today!
Options and Strategies
July 5, 2023
8min read
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intuition-behind-black-scholes
2: Bootstrapping of Yield Curves – Par, Zero, Forward
Par curve is the spot interest rate curve for coupon bearing instruments as traded in the market,…
Time Value of Money and Cash Products
June 1, 2023
3min read
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bootstrapping-of-yield-curves-par-zero-forward
3: IRS – Crucial Other Considerations (CVA, FVA, …)
Other considerations while entering into a swap are counterparty credit risk and funding of cash flows…
Interest Rate Derivatives
June 23, 2023
7min read
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irs-crucial-other-considerations-cva-fva
4: Put-Call Parity
Start your journey into the world of options with the first principles of Put Call parity explained with intuition and logic at Pandemonium. Visit us today for some fun-filled real-world lessons in financial markets and its products.
Options and Strategies
July 5, 2023
2min read
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put-call-parity
8: How Greeks adapt to smiles
Hedging and valuation of the option portfolio also crucially depends on the vol model assumptions…
Options and Strategies
July 4, 2023
8min read
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how-greeks-adapt-to-smiles
Interest Rate Derivatives – As in the Real World
Interest rate swaps the way the desk trades them: pricing and DV01, forward-start leverage, unwind mechanics, CVA and FVA, and cross-currency basis — from FX points to bootstrapped par yields.
Interest Rate Derivatives
June 24, 2023
29min read
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interest-rate-derivatives-as-in-the-real-world
2: Unwind Value of an IRS
swap unwinds are computed as the present value of the cash flows (positive or negative) reflected in the difference…
Interest Rate Derivatives
June 23, 2023
3min read
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unwind-value-of-an-irs
1: Stochastic Processes
Explore a crisp and concise description of stochastic processes as in the world of Options at Pandemonium. Our website’s comprehensive resources delve into the intricacies and applications of this mathematical concept, alongside limiting the content to just what’s required and relevant for an existing and/or aspiring financial markets practitioner.
Options and Strategies
August 4, 2023
9min read
m
1-stochastic-processes
5: Intuition behind a cross currency basis swap
Now as a follow-up here’s the intuition behind the cross currency basis product – the term basis refers…
Interest Rate Derivatives
June 22, 2023
2min read
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intuition-behind-a-cross-currency-basis-swap
1: Interest Rate Swaps – Pricing & Valuation
I’ll share the practical workings of interest rate swaps, cross currency swaps…
Interest Rate Derivatives
June 23, 2023
7min read
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interest-rate-swaps-pricing-valuation
16: Digitals
Are a binary payoff strategy – i.e. payoff is either zero or the notional of the trade – conditional on the underlying’s price trading…
Options and Strategies
July 4, 2023
5min read
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digitals
6: FX Swaps to FX Implied to Par CCS
We have discussed both FX swaps and cross currency swaps and now understand that both products…
Interest Rate Derivatives
June 21, 2023
7min read
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fx-swaps-to-fx-implied-to-par-ccs
4: Cross Currency Swaps … How is it Different from an IRS
A variation of interest rate swaps, cross currency one can think of a CCS contract…
Interest Rate Derivatives
June 23, 2023
4min read
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cross-currency-swaps-how-is-it-different-from-an-irs
7: Delta and Gamma Hedging
Delta and Gamma hedging explained with crystal-like clarity and real market examples at Pandemonium. Take a tour of the extensive resources from a finance practioner’s lens on the website to enhance your understanding of option greeks, how they interact in different strategies and managing related risks. Pandemonium breaks down jargon for you and makes learning fun. Visit us today!
Options and Strategies
July 4, 2023
5min read
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delta-and-gamma-hedging
13: Calendar spreads
The Calendar spreads option strategy and its application simply explained at Pandemonium, a web warehouse of financial markets knowhow. Let’s break down all jargon and explore how the dynamic strategy greeks interact with each other with changing market conditions. Pandemonium uses intuition and logic to bring some of the best lessons in finance to you, visit us today!
Options and Strategies
July 4, 2023
1min read
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calendar-spreads
2: Repo vs SLB
Comparison between ‘Standard’ Market Repos and Securities Lending/Borrowing…
Financing Products
June 24, 2023
5min read
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repo-vs-slb
15: Butterfly
Discover the intricacies of the butterfly spread option strategy with Pandemonium. Coming from a seasoned finance practitioner’s lens this is an authentic and practical assessment of the product, crisp and concise, very relevant for your day to day trading. Dive into our resources for some expert insights and guidance today!
Options and Strategies
July 4, 2023
2min read
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butterfly
11: Bull Spread
Generally structured as buying a lower strike (base case at the money) call and selling a higher strike…
Options and Strategies
July 4, 2023
3min read
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bull-spread
1: Financing Products – Common references
We are about to navigate back and forth between cash and derivatives and their mix to discuss some popularly…
Financing Products
June 25, 2023
5min read
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financing-products-common-references
12: Bear Spread
Generally structured as buying a higher strike put and selling a lower strike put for the same expiry and same notionals…
Options and Strategies
July 4, 2023
3min read
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bear-spread
3: Repo Pricing
Repo cash flows can be mimicked by going long a bond in spot and selling futures on it…
Financing Products
June 24, 2023
2min read
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repo-pricing
6: Carry and Roll
Probably one of the most overused terms in financial markets across asset classes is carry and roll, often used interchangeably.
Financing Products
June 24, 2023
5min read
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carry-and-roll
5: Risks on a CDS
Standard market convention is for the protection seller to pay par minus recovery value…
Credit Default Swaps
June 25, 2023
4min read
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risks-on-a-cds
5: Collateral Swaps & TRS
Collateral Swaps is the exchange of two different assets for any given tenor. The lender of the lower quality collateral generally pays a spread…
Financing Products
June 24, 2023
7min read
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collateral-swaps-trs
Credit Derivatives – Credit Default Swaps
Let’s explore the world of credit default swaps and their real-world usage from a practitioner’s lens at Pandemonium. Dive into comprehensive resources for an in-depth understanding of the mechanics and applications of this financial instrument. Enhance your risk management skills and understanding of market dynamics with us!
Credit Default Swaps
June 26, 2023
23min read
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credit-derivatives-credit-default-swaps-master
6: Critique on CDS
CDS pricing theory and the recovery mechanisms seem fairly standard when we read about it…
Credit Default Swaps
June 25, 2023
4min read
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critique-on-cds
Financing Products
We are about to navigate back and forth between cash and derivatives and their mix to discuss some popularly talked
Financing Products
June 25, 2023
29min read
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financing-products
1: CDS Valuation and Pricing
credit default swap as the name suggests is a derivative contract that facilitates the swapping/exchange of credit risk…
Credit Default Swaps
June 25, 2023
7min read
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cds-valuation-and-pricing
3: CDS Swap of Two Floating Bonds
CDS cash flows work like fixed coupon interest rate swaps i.e. the payments made by the CDS buyer to the seller in practice…
Credit Default Swaps
June 25, 2023
3min read
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cds-swap-of-two-floating-bonds
4: Asset & Liability Swap
Asset Swaps is a term used to describe a ‘swapped’ return whereby an investor in a cash product desires…
Financing Products
June 24, 2023
6min read
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asset-liability-swaps
2: CDS Hazard Rates and Default Probabilities
Let’s illustrate the computation of the credit default swap spread. Few things to remember…
Credit Default Swaps
June 25, 2023
3min read
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cds-hazard-rates-and-default-probabilities
4: CDS Bond Basis
In theory bonds can be delivered on CDS contracts in case of a default which should imply that credit spreads…
Credit Default Swaps
June 25, 2023
3min read
m
cds-bond-basis
Buying Time in Dollars
India has raised $57 billion in ten weeks. The rupee is exactly where it started. Pricing the FCNR window the way a treasurer would — who captured the subsidy, what sits on the RBI's book, and why the 2013 template doesn't transfer.
Global Macro
August 17, 2026
11 min read
buying-time-in-dollars
Intervening Against the Wind
The first joint US-Japan yen intervention since 2011 moved USDJPY five figures in a session, then faded by Monday. Why a 185 basis point yield gap, the FIMA facility's limits, and the carry trade still set the direction.
Global Macro
August 4, 2026
17 min read
intervening-against-the-wind
Strategy Inc, Part 3: The Scorecard and the Verdict
The verified scorecard — a $9.7 billion unrealised loss, $48.7 billion of stranded capacity — and the sharpest question of all: was the engineering built on the wrong underlying asset?
Digital Assets
July 23, 2026
13 min read
strategy-inc-part-3-scorecard-verdict
Strategy Inc, Part 2: The Pivots, the Promises, and the Cracks
From the Silvergate margin-call near-miss to $1.5 billion a year in preferred dividends: how each pivot swapped an acute risk for a chronic one — and why STRC's fall from par is 2026's sharpest retail lesson.
Digital Assets
July 23, 2026
13 min read
strategy-inc-part-2-pivots-promises-cracks
Strategy Inc, Part 1: The Ideology and the Engineering
843,775 BTC on a capital structure built for a world where Bitcoin only goes up. The ideology at the foundation, the short-convexity loop, and why losses accelerate faster than the asset falls.
Digital Assets
July 23, 2026
12 min read
strategy-inc-part-1-ideology-engineering
Ahead of FOMC – Where is the shock?
A pre-FOMC read on why tighter financial conditions feel neutral: vol-selling in swaptions, the household wealth effect on core PCE, the credit-rates correlation and why the Fed may need to shock the system to reach 2%.
Global Macro
April 30, 2024
8min read
ahead-of-fomc-where-is-the-shock
India's Equity Options Market – a Giant too hard to tame?
India runs the world's largest equity options market, with derivative turnover dwarfing cash volumes by roughly 377x. This deep dive maps its structure, retail dominance and the 0DTE loopholes that enable disorderly expiry-day swings.
Market Structure
May 9, 2024
8min read
india-equity-options-market
The long due love affair with Asian local currency bonds – best vol-adjusted carry in the region - Part 2
Part 2 of the Asia macro series argues that benign inflation, well-timed central bank tightening and subdued FX volatility together make FX-hedged Asian local currency bonds the region's best vol-adjusted carry trade.
Global Macro
June 7, 2024
8min read
asian-local-currency-bonds-carry
A Refresher on Put Call Parity
A clear refresher on put-call parity, the zero-arbitrage equilibrium linking European calls, puts and forwards, with its key rearrangements and the put-call-forward extension for income-earning assets.
Global Macro
April 27, 2024
8min read
refresher-on-put-call-parity
Implied Volatility and it's role in the financial world of options
Implied volatility is the market's expectation of an asset's future price swings baked into option prices. This piece explains how it is measured, what drives it, and why it sits at the heart of option valuation.
Global Macro
June 11, 2024
8min read
implied-volatility-in-options
The Leveraged ETF Trap: How a "Passive" Instrument Became One of the Most Disruptive Forces in Modern Markets
Leveraged and single-stock ETFs have exploded to a record long-to-short ratio, but their nightly reset embeds an uncompensated short-volatility trade that quietly drains returns and has become a structural force reshaping the markets they track.
Market Structure
July 10, 2026
8min read
leveraged-etf-trap
Risk 'carry-ed' away by Fed's assurance
With Powell ruling out hikes and Q1 earnings strong, financial conditions have eased into a carry-friendly sweet spot. This piece maps the macro backdrop, the vol-selling regime and payer-spread trades to position for an eventual inflation shock.
Global Macro
May 21, 2024
8min read
risk-carried-away-by-fed-assurance
Part 1 - Asia in Focus – what do markets tell us about monetary policy divergence?
Part 1 of the Asia macro series unpacks the rates-versus-FX-vol dynamic behind the carry trade, why coordinated global tightening suppressed Asian FX volatility, and why fears of monetary policy divergence may be overdone.
Global Macro
June 7, 2024
8min read
asia-in-focus-monetary-policy-divergence
What's the US Rates price action telling us?
An early-2024 dissection of US rates price action: how hedging and momentum flows shaped the pricing of rate cuts, why curve dis-inversion stalled, and what stock-bond correlation and term premia imply for allocation.
Global Macro
January 15, 2024
8min read
us-rates-price-action-telling-us
Interest Rate Parity – Theory versus Reality
Interest rate parity defines the arbitrage-free forward FX rate, but real-world frictions — capital controls, credit and liquidity differences — sustain a large cross-currency basis. This piece bridges the theory and the reality using USDINR.
Global Macro
June 11, 2024
8min read
interest-rate-parity-theory-versus-reality
From Regional Alliance to Global Payments Powerhouse: The Story of Mastercard
How a defensive alliance of smaller banks grew into Mastercard, the orange-and-red circles that quietly move trillions of dollars every year.
August 10, 2026
4min read
from-regional-alliance-to-the-story-of-mastercard
How a Troubled Bank Card Became the Global Symbol of “Everywhere You Want to Be”: The Story of Visa
How a chaotic, fraud-ridden BankAmericard was rebuilt by Dee Hock into Visa — the network that powers payments everywhere you want to be.
July 18, 2026
5min read
how-a-troubled-bank-card-became-the-story-of-visa
The Little Plastic Card That Changed How the World Spends: The Untold Story of Credit Cards
One forgotten wallet at a New York dinner table sparked Diners Club, BankAmericard, and the little plastic card that reshaped how the world spends.
July 4, 2026
6min read
the-little-plastic-card-that-changed-how-the-world-spends
Rate Options
Caps, floors, swaptions, embedded bond options, annuity and convexity — why rate volatility is its own discipline.
rate-options
Options and Strategies
From stochastic processes and the intuition behind Black-Scholes through the Greeks, volatility smiles and the full strategy set.
options-and-strategies
Credit Default Swaps
CDS valuation and pricing, hazard rates and default probabilities, the CDS-bond basis, and the risks that surface when spreads move.
credit-default-swaps
Financing Products
Repo, securities lending, collateral swaps, asset-liability swaps and carry — how positions actually get funded.
financing-products
Interest Rate Derivatives
Interest rate swaps priced and valued the way a desk does it: unwind value, CVA and FVA, cross-currency swaps and FX-implied funding.
interest-rate-derivatives
Time Value of Money and Cash Products
Discounting, compounding, yield-curve bootstrapping, duration and PVBP — the foundations every rates desk builds on.
time-value-and-cash