BFF5541 Fixed income investments
Faculty of Business and Economics
BFF5541 Fixed income investments is a level 5, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Business and Economics, offered in 2025 in Semester 2 at Caulfield. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2025
- Semester 2
- Caulfield
- Assessment
- Exam 50%
- and 2 other tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before BFF5541
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After BFF5541
No unit lists BFF5541 as a prerequisite in the 2025 handbook.
Enrolment rules
You must be enrolled in B6001, B6002, B6003, B6004, B6005, B6011, B6036, B6038, B6039, B6043, B6048, B6051 to undertake this unit.
Overview
This unit covers the wide range of fixed income products and fixed income portfolio management strategies. Starting with a review of the basics of fixed income analytics such as bond pricing, yield curve, spot rates, forward rates and risk measures, you will be introduced to the extensive array of fixed income instruments including bonds with embedded options and securitized products. You will learn key interest rate models, credit risk models and bond valuation frameworks, as well as strategies of managing bond portfolios.
Offerings in 2025
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Caulfield | Flexible |
Assessment
- Exercise10%
- Quiz / Test40%
- Examination50%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
have an advanced understanding of different types of fixed income securities and markets
- 2
develop qualitative and quantitative skills necessary for analysing and valuing fixed income securities
- 3
have a strong understanding of key interest rate, credit risk and fixed income valuation models, including the implementation and limitations of each model
- 4
apply critical thinking, problem solving and presentation skills to deal with fixed income securities and demonstrate in an individual summative assessment task an understand of a broad range of applications for both investors and issuers, including income generation, principal preservation, and asset-liability management.
Workload and teaching
- Seminars36 hours
- Teaching approachProblem-based learning
- Teaching approachActive learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Independent study may include associated readings, assessment and preparation for scheduled activities. You are expected to complete all pre-class activities prior to your scheduled class, and post-class activities should be completed after your scheduled class. Learning activities may include a combination of teacher directed, peer directed and online engagement activities.
This unit includes problem-based learning approaches, where you engage in research, integrate theory and practice and apply knowledge and skills to develop viable solutions in response to a problem or set of problems.
This unit engages you in actively applying your knowledge, skills and attributes in interactive, collaborative and reflective activities.
Learning resources
Technology resources
There may be an additional cost associated with purchasing a physical and/or virtual calculator. Specific details will be provided in the Learning Management System by commencement of Orientation week.
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Associate Professor John Chung-Yen Chu
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for BFF5541?
BFF5541 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is BFF5541 offered?
In 2025, BFF5541 runs in Semester 2 at Caulfield.
How much work is BFF5541?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does BFF5541 have an exam?
Yes. The exam is worth 50% of the final mark, alongside 2 other tasks.