rate it please

I have always been drawn to the logical structure of mathematics and its practical applications in the world of finance. My academic journey has allowed me to explore both fields in depth from abstract mathematical concepts in class to financial systems in the City. I am passionate to further this journey at university.

Recently, I read Simon Singh’s ‘Fermat’s Last Theorem’ which intrigued me for its rich account of Fermat’s renowned conjecture. I thoroughly enjoyed how the book’s historical narrative wove in mathematical rigour, which recruited core areas of Number Theory to arrive at Wiles’ solution. His use of elliptic curves to form discrete structures under addition, and his application of the Modularity Theorem which connects all elliptic curves with modular forms was fascinating. It was the elegance of proof and interconnectivity in discrete mathematics that compelled me to work through exercises on Number Theory and Cryptography in ‘Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications’ by Kenneth Rosen. This intrigue into the abstract side of maths continued when I read ‘The Mathematical Experience’. It examines maths’ evolution from formal systems like Euclid’s geometry to insights from nature with Fibonacci’s hypothetical rabbit population. This book reinforced my fascination for ‘the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics’ as coined by Eugene Wigner. It is the unforeseen applications of abstract theories that fascinates me the most.

I had placements at Peel Hunt Investment Bank, and The Private Office (TPO) Wealth Managers. At Peel Hunt, I shadowed senior analysts in constructing quantitative tools to model key financial markers of real estate companies. Alongside this, I sharpened my capacity to analyse financial accounts through interviewing senior managers on their financial results and presenting my findings to the team. Furthermore, I spent time with the market makers, where I was able to observe their automated trading algorithms. To gain a deeper understanding of these models I took a course on ‘Python and Statistics for Financial Analysis’, which helped me to construct basic trading algorithms through regression models and reinforced my interest in applying statistics to finance.

At TPO, I sat with fund managers to assess the eligibility of investing into their equity portfolios. These discussions showed the variables that managers consider when developing an investment philosophy, from bottom-up stock fundamentals to macroeconomic tailwinds. I also completed a project on the application of ‘factor investing’, which discerned patterns between style exposures and stock performances. This essay strengthened my ability to interpret academic journals and elicit tangible insights.

In my spare time, I like to challenge myself by watching channels like Flammable Maths, where I have enjoyed the competitive maths series. The appeal of competitive maths, which started at high school, where I succeeded in the Pink Kangaroo competitions, comes from the moments of insight that illuminate the path to solving complex problems. I also enjoy Game Theory and advanced finance. The former brought to light how the strategic principles of decision-making can be applied to card games, such as using Bayesian inferencing to update beliefs in poker. In my finance studies, the ‘Fundamental Asset Price Equation’ was useful in underpinning many concepts, such as discounted cash flows, that I came across at Peel Hunt. Furthermore, I tutor maths locally, where I glean satisfaction from conveying my own enjoyment and building confidence in those who do not find it straightforward.