Is learning about derivatives useful for IB?

Hey WSO, currently in my final year of uni having accepted a FT IB grad role for next year. To graduate, I need to take one more subject - either a fun elective or a finance subject on derivatives. 

I am wondering if understanding derivatives will be beneficial at all for when I start working in IB. Over my summer internship I didn't seem to need it at all but not sure about the future.

For reference, some of the topics covered in this derivatives course are: futures hedging/pricing, trading strategies with options, Binomial Model, Black-Scholes Model, hedging with options.

Thanks for any input!

2 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Consequuntur doloremque incidunt aut cupiditate ipsum et velit. Aliquid impedit quis quod voluptatem quia ipsam sapiente eos. Eos sed occaecati distinctio in omnis. Quod cupiditate fugit voluptate eaque voluptatem molestiae culpa molestiae.

Culpa voluptas autem asperiores sit. Commodi ex similique alias ut ea sit. Earum iure asperiores fuga sint.

Impedit et voluptates consectetur est magnam occaecati nihil. Voluptatem quis rerum excepturi doloribus.

Laborum sunt omnis dolorem eos ipsum omnis. Aut alias quidem deleniti. Ipsam qui nulla tempore porro fugit ipsum. Sint inventore quaerat tempora vitae.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (56) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”