ECON2125/6012

ECON2125/6012#

Course title: Optimisation for Economics and Financial Economics

  • Elective second year course in the Bachelor of Economics program ECON2125

  • Compulsory second math course in the Master of Economics program ECON6012

2025 Semester 1#

Lectures and assessments#

Week

Date

Topic

Notes

1

Feb 17

šŸ“– Course introduction
šŸ“– Logic and proofs

2

Feb 24

šŸ“š Revision: sets and mappings
šŸ“š Revision: Sequences and limits

šŸ”¬ Problem set alpha \(\alpha\)

3

March 3

šŸ“– Fundamentals of optimization

šŸ”¬ Problem set beta \(\beta\)

šŸ˜¬

March 9

Online test (10%) link

30min, open book

4

Recorded

šŸ“š Revision: matrix arithmetic
šŸ“š Revision: multivariate differentiation

March 10 = public holiday

šŸ”¬ Problem set gamma \(\gamma\)

5

March 17

šŸ“– Vector spaces and linear operators

šŸ”¬ Problem set delta \(\delta\)

6

March 24

šŸ“– Eigenpairs and diagonalization
šŸ“– Quadratic forms

šŸ”¬ Problem set epsilon \(\epsilon\)

šŸ˜¬

March 30

Online test (10%) link

30min, open book

šŸ„³

Teaching break

2 weeks

7

April 14

šŸ“– Unconstrained optimization

šŸ”¬ Problem set zeta \(\zeta\)

8

Recorded

šŸ“– Convexity and uniquen6ess

Apr 21 = public holiday

šŸ”¬ Problem set eta \(\eta\)

šŸ˜¬

April 27

Online test (10%) link

30min, open book

9

April 28

šŸ“– Constrained optimization

šŸ”¬ Problem set theta \(\theta\)

10

May 5

šŸ“– Kuhn-Tucker conditions

šŸ”¬ Problem set iota \(\iota\)

šŸ˜¬

May 11

Online test (10%) link

30min, open book

11

May 12

šŸ“– Envelope theorem

šŸ”¬ Problem set kappa \(\kappa\)

12

May 19

šŸ›Ÿ Previous years exam problems

šŸ”¬ Consultations

šŸ˜Ž

May 21

Course project (15%)

recorded presentation

šŸ¤“

Final exam (45%)

3h, invigilated

Course web pages#

Class summary ECON2125 Class summary ECON612

  • Official course description

  • Two identical courses in both content and assessment

  • Final grades may be adjusted/moderated separately

Wattle page

  • Announcements

  • Recordings

  • Assessments

  • Grades

optim.iskh.me

  • sufficient lecture notes

  • downloadable as markdown or pdf

  • Latest version of the notes a day before the lecture

  • check for the updates in the morning of the day of the lecture

Course convener and lecturer#

Professor Fedor Iskhakov

_images/f2.jpg

Iā€™m an applied micro-econometrician and a computational economist working in the field of structural estimation of dynamic models of individual and strategic choice, with applications to labor economics, public economics, durable goods markets, household finance, applied industrial organization and dynamic games.

Tutoring team#

Wending Liu

_images/Wending-Liu.jpg

  • Email: Wending.Liu@.anu.edu.au

  • Web: Personal page

  • Room: Room 2084, Copland Bld (24)

  • Office hours: Thursday 13:00-14:00

Iris (Man Hin) Chio

_images/Man-Hin-Iris-Chio.jpg

  • Email: Zhen.Qiu@anu.edu.au

  • Web: ANU page

  • Room: Room 2101, Crisp Bld

  • Office hours: Tuesday, 13:00-14:00

Lecture times#

  • Lectures: Monday 15:00 ā€” 17:00

  • Location: Melville Hall, Bldg 12, Room G01

  • Echo-360 recordings on Wattle

  • Face-to-face is strictly preferred

Tutorial times#

Day

From

To

Room

Tutor

Tuesday

15:00

16:00

TR6, CBE Bldg 26C

Iris Chio

Tuesday

16:00

17:00

TR6, CBE Bldg 26C

Iris Chio

Thursday

14:00

15:00

TR5, CBE Bldg 26C

Wending Liu

Thursday

15:00

16:00

TR5, CBE Bldg 26C

Wending Liu

Thursday

16:00

17:00

TR5, CBE Bldg 26C

Wending Liu

See the Wattle page for updates

Reference#

These lecture notes are in part based on the teaching materials by Dr. Damien Eldridge and by Prof. John Stachurski