Course 06 · Capital Markets Trading & Risk Academy

Corporate Credit & CDS

Measure the spread. Model the default. Survive the downgrade.

Each of the 100 chapters below has a distinct 30-50-word teaching description. The full lesson must add a dated source or contract, explicit currency and seniority, a worked example, a downside scenario, a checked solution, and a graded artifact. Spread, hazard, recovery and liquidity estimates require stated assumptions; model outputs are conditional rather than assured outcomes. Regulatory, index and contractual conventions must be checked for the jurisdiction, product and date actually taught.

100 chapters · 10 modules · beginner to advanced · spreadsheet first, Python and SQL optional

Enrol or enquire See the 100 chapters
The continuous case

One book, carried through all ten modules

The Meridian Credit Desk evaluates a fictional industrial issuer, Aster Components, and its parent, Aster Group. It follows bond issuance, a ratings downgrade, a maturity wall, a refinancing attempt, a CDS hedge, an index trade, and a possible restructuring. All issuers, quotes, probabilities and recoveries used in exercises are illustrative.

The firm, positions, prices and counterparties are fictional teaching inputs. They do not describe any real institution or transaction.

Curriculum

10 modules · 100 chapters

Each module closes with an artefact, and the ten artefacts accumulate into the final pack the learner defends. Chapters build in order rather than standing alone.

M1 Corporate credit market and issuer map Ch 1-10
  1. From Government Yield to Corporate Promise
  2. The Legal Issuer Is Not the Brand
  3. Bonds, Loans, Revolvers and Commercial Paper
  4. Investment Grade and High Yield Mandates
  5. Primary Versus Secondary Credit Markets
  6. Rating Agency View and Internal Opinion
  7. Seniority, Security and Structural Subordination
  8. Credit Spread Is More Than Expected Default
  9. Corporate Credit Data and Source Hierarchy
  10. Market Map Capstone: Aster's Funding Stack
M2 Corporate cash bonds and contract terms Ch 11-20
  1. Read the Corporate Bond Term Sheet
  2. Clean Price, Accrued Interest and Proceeds
  3. Floating-Rate Corporate Notes
  4. Callable and Make-Whole Redemption Terms
  5. Change-of-Control and Investor Put Rights
  6. Covenants, Restricted Payments and Incurrence Tests
  7. Guarantees, Collateral and Perimeter Leakage
  8. Exchange Offers, Tender Offers and Consent Requests
  9. Corporate Actions and Cash-Flow Exceptions
  10. Contract Capstone: Two Aster Notes
M3 Issuer financial capacity and recovery Ch 21-30
  1. Operating Model Behind a Credit Thesis
  2. Adjusted Debt and Hidden Commitments
  3. Interest Coverage and Fixed Charges
  4. Liquidity Runway and the Maturity Wall
  5. Leverage Under Acquisitions and Divestitures
  6. Cyclicality, Customer Concentration and Margins
  7. External Ratings, Outlook and Migration
  8. Recovery Waterfall by Claim
  9. Distress Exchange and Coercion Risk
  10. Issuer Thesis Capstone: Refinance or Restructure
M4 Cash credit valuation and spread curves Ch 31-40
  1. Discounting Promised Corporate Cash Flows
  2. Nominal Spread, I-Spread and Z-Spread
  3. Option-Adjusted Spread with a Callable Bond
  4. Spread Duration, CS01 and Curve Buckets
  5. Convexity and Large Spread Moves
  6. Issuer Spread Curve and Maturity Shape
  7. Relative Value Across Seniority and Peers
  8. Default Probability and Recovery as Assumptions
  9. Stale Marks and Evaluated Pricing
  10. Valuation Capstone: Aster Bond Switch
M5 Cash credit trading and portfolio decisions Ch 41-50
  1. Corporate Bond Quote and Execution Workflow
  2. Transaction Prints and the Liquidity Illusion
  3. New Issue Premium and Allocation
  4. Dealer Inventory and Liquidity Cost
  5. Carry and Roll-Down in Corporate Credit
  6. Fallen Angels and Forced Ownership Changes
  7. Sector and Issuer Concentration
  8. Bond Portfolio Return Attribution
  9. Liquidity Stress and Exit Price
  10. Cash Desk Capstone: The Downgrade Week
M6 Single-name CDS contracts and credit events Ch 51-60
  1. Protection Buyer and Protection Seller
  2. Reference Entity, Obligation and Seniority
  3. Contract Definitions and Confirmation Hierarchy
  4. Fixed Coupon, Upfront and Running Spread
  5. Accrual, Step-In and Scheduled Termination
  6. Bankruptcy and Failure-to-Pay Events
  7. Restructuring and Governmental Intervention
  8. Determinations Committees and Event Process
  9. Auction, Deliverables and Recovery Settlement
  10. Contract Capstone: A Hedge That Misses
M7 CDS valuation, hedging and cash-synthetic basis Ch 61-70
  1. Premium Leg and Protection Leg
  2. Hazard Rates and Survival Curves
  3. Recovery Assumption and Calibration Sensitivity
  4. Quoted Spread, Standard Coupon and Upfront Price
  5. Credit Spread Sensitivity and Jump-to-Default
  6. Hedge Ratio for a Cash Bond
  7. The Bond-CDS Basis Trade
  8. Negative Basis Under Funding Stress
  9. CDS Versus Bond Price Discovery
  10. Valuation Capstone: Unwind the Credit Hedge
M8 Credit indices and portfolio hedges Ch 71-80
  1. Single-Name Versus Index CDS
  2. Constituent Weights and Index Exposure
  3. Series Roll and Off-the-Run Risk
  4. Index Spread, Price and Coupon
  5. Beta Hedge of a Corporate Portfolio
  6. Constituents After a Credit Event
  7. Cash Bond Index Versus CDS Index
  8. Index Options as Conditional Credit Hedges
  9. Sector Hedge and Name Residual
  10. Portfolio Capstone: Hedge the Downgrade Wave
M9 Issuer risk, default scenarios and governance Ch 81-90
  1. Spread Shock Versus Actual Default
  2. Liquidity, Gap and Contagion Stress
  3. Recovery Risk and Deliverability Matrix
  4. Market-Implied Versus Internal Default Views
  5. Credit VaR and Tail Loss Diagnostics
  6. Limits by Name, Group and Jump-to-Default
  7. Model Validation and Price Challenge
  8. Credit Event Operations and Escalation
  9. Disclosure, Conflicts and Client Suitability
  10. Governance Capstone: Independent Risk Review
M10 Integrated Meridian credit desk defense Ch 91-100
  1. Mandate and Starting Corporate Book
  2. Independent Issuer Credit Memo
  3. Market Data and Curve Reconstruction
  4. Primary Deal and Secondary Switch
  5. Tailored CDS Hedge Proposal
  6. Sector Index Overlay Decision
  7. Live Downgrade and Refinancing Shock
  8. Possible Restructuring and Credit Event
  9. Decision Package for the Risk Committee
  10. Senior Desk Defense and Sign-Off
How it is delivered

Three ways to take Corporate Credit and CDS

Self-paced is a document-and-media programme with lifetime access - no live sessions. Cohort and enterprise add live instructor-led training. Mentorship is not offered in any tier.
Feature Self-paced Cohort Enterprise
Format Written chapters, video explainers and podcasts Everything in self-paced, plus scheduled live sessions Everything in cohort, delivered privately to your team
Live sessions None Scheduled, instructor-led Scheduled, instructor-led, private
Mentorship Not offered Not offered Not offered
Access Lifetime Lifetime Lifetime for every enrolled seat
Pace Entirely your own Guided schedule with a peer group Agreed with your desk
Tailoring Fixed curriculum Fixed curriculum Sequenced to your markets, systems and governance
Best for Individuals learning around a job Individuals who want structure and deadlines Desks building the same capability together
For individuals

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Each course stands alone. Taken in order, the ten build one cross-asset trading and risk capability.

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