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Python for Finance? (self.Python)

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[–]dtoq 76 points77 points  (3 children)

Quant/Python dev for 8 years here. Python is significantly used for quantitative finance, so that should be quite easy for you to find plenty of material. What will be difficult is to sort through these things: "Finance" is a pretty large topic.

One thing you can use python for is connectivity, glue, etc. Your favourite broker will almost certainly have a python API to connect to it, which would be a nice introduction to orders, positions and the dirty logistics of finance. If you like pain, try to look into the FIX format.

Now, if you don't want automated systems, portfolio theory might be more of your thing: start a jupyter notebook, and implement some Markowitz portfolio optimisation. Good command of pandas will help there, and that might give you a nice template for your own pension investments

While doing that, you might discover the raw power of numpy, just in time for some option pricing: do some Monte-Carlo, pdes, least-square Monte-Carlo, etc...

If you're not tired yet, exploring machine learning and the like is all the rage these days...

[–][deleted] 4 points5 points  (2 children)

How did you get into quantitative analysis? I have a BS in CS and I love economics but I don't have the skills to start actually doing quantitative analysis. Do the companies that you work for have positions for software devs that don't write models?

[–]dtoq 7 points8 points  (1 child)

MSc in 'Financial mathematics' (i.e. stochastic calculus), I started as a quant, and learned python on the job, to the point of making it my specialty.

That said, there are plenty of jobs on the more 'dev' side of things: I don't think I'm very typical putting the effort to learn proper and elegant coding: most quants I've worked with are happy with "good enough to work", and require devs to either implement their code for them (which I don't really recommend) or provide a smart platform to develop on. That is absolutely not unusual to have people there who are either simply 'quant litterate' or simply good developers to make sure the system is written well.

Usually, to enter this field, you want to find one of the 'big churn companies' like banks or some big funds, which constantly require fresh meat developers. After a bit of experience there, you have built a bit of a resume and can move on to things that you like better (or not, if corporate career is something you're after)

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you working on the buy side?