ATOM: WHAT IT IS

What ATOM is...

A visual implementation of proprietary C++ classes.

This program originated in a set of C++ classes I wrote for personal use; only later did I decide to make it publicly available by means of a visual interface which could be used by programmers and non-programmers alike. Please note that my main concern is dealing with the classes underneath ATOM: I am more likely to add features to the pricing engine than to modify its visual interface or to add some fancy graphics.

A useful analysis tool.

ATOM can be used by practitioners, researchers or students as a benchmark for their own computations or as a ready-made tool for comparing models. ATOM can also be used just for the sake of curiosity or whatever. When I was at university, every time I read academic papers on option pricing which dealt with 20000-step binomial trees or other computationally intensive models, I used to think that it would have been nice to have an instrument to replicate those examples with. If you are trying to understand the subtleties of option pricing from a practical point of view, ATOM might be of help.

...and what ATOM is not

Beautiful, polished.

ATOM is a number-cruncher and it is not intended to be beautiful. Its interface is not polished at all, and it lacks some basic features such as opening or saving files: they are not even planned for future releases.

An investment tool.

ATOM is NOT an investment tool. Please read the disclaimer carefully.