Less than a decade ago, financial instruments called derivatives were at the height of popularity. Financial institutions around the world were trading billions of dollars of these instruments on a daily basis, and quantitative analysts were modeling them using stochastic calculus and the all mighty C++.

Fast forward nine years later and things have changed. The financial crisis has proven to be an as-to-yet derivatives-nemesis. Volumes have gone down and demand for C++ modeling has withered with them. But there is a new player in town… Python!