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	📖 Course introduction 📖 Logic and proofs
2	Feb 24	📚 Revision: sets and mappings 📚 Revision: Sequences and limits
		🔬 Problem set alpha \(\alpha\)
3	March 3	📖 Fundamentals of optimization	Video of last part
		🔬 Problem set beta \(\beta\)
😬	March 9	Online test (10%)	30min, open book
4	Recorded	📚 Revision: matrix arithmetic 📚 Revision: multivariate differentiation	March 10 = public holiday
		🔬 Problem set gamma \(\gamma\)
5	March 17	📖 Vector spaces and linear operators
		🔬 Problem set delta \(\delta\)
6	March 24	📖 Eigenpairs and diagonalization
		🔬 Problem set epsilon \(\epsilon\)
😬	March 30	Online test (10%)	30min, open book
🥳		Teaching break	2 weeks
7	April 14	📖 Quadratic forms	Taught by Wending Liu
		🔬 Problem set zeta \(\zeta\)
8	Recorded	📖 Unconstrained optimization 📖 Convexity and uniqueness	Apr 21 = public holiday
		🔬 Problem set eta \(\eta\)
😬	April 27	Online test (10%)	30min, open book
9	April 28	📖 Constrained optimization 📖 Lagrange multipliers
		🔬 Problem set theta \(\theta\)
10	May 5	📖 Kuhn-Tucker conditions
		🔬 Problem set iota \(\iota\)
😬	May 11	Online test (10%)	30min, open book
11	May 12	📖 Envelope theorem
		🔬 Problem set kappa \(\kappa\)
12	May 19	🛟 Previous years exam problems
		🔬 Consultations
😎	May 21	Course project (15%)	recorded presentation
🤓	June 4	Final exam (45%)	3h, invigilated

Final Exam

Final exam has been scheduled on Wednesday, 4 June 2025 at 2:00pm in Haydon-Allen bldg 22, room G40

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

Office: 1021 HW Arndt Building
Email: fedor.iskhakov@anu.edu.au
Web: fedor.iskh.me
Office hours: after each lecture or by appointment

I’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

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

Email: Man.Chio@anu.edu.au
Web: ANU page
Room: Room 2101, Crisp Bld
Office hours: Tuesday, 13:00-14:00

Lecture times#

Lectures: Monday 15:00 — 17:00
Location: Melville Hall, Bldg 12, Room G01
Echo-360 recordings on Wattle
Face-to-face is strictly preferred

Tutorial times#

5 tutorials during the week
see schedule at mytimetable.anu.edu.au
search for ECON2125 or ECON6012

Day	From	To	Room	Tutor
Monday	17:00	18:00	TR6, CBE Bldg 26C	Iris Chio
Tuesday	15:00	16:00	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