Praise for CAPITAL INSTINCTS

"Thom Weisel’s career has been remarkable. In sequence he has built two successful investment banking and research firms. That would be enough, but he has also revitalized the U.S. Ski Team, backed and inspired the winning Tour de France cycling team, encouraged Lance Armstrong to become a world-class competitor again after his battle with cancer, financially and spiritually empowered the Empower America think tank, and assembled a world-class contemporary art collection. You cannot do all this without having exceptional energy, uncanny vision, outstanding leadership qualities and extraordinary intuition. This book tells Thom’s story and includes some of his own insightful thought pieces. In Capital Instincts, you will learn a lot about management, motivation, leadership and the special qualities of humanity that are the substance of greatness."
–Byron R. Wien
Managing Director
Morgan Stanley

"Serial successes are rare. Those that span Silicon Valley and Wall Street, modern art, Olympic ski racing, and the Tour de France, rarer still. No, Capital Instincts: Life as an Entrepreneur, Financier, and Athlete isn’t a novel. But it is a thriller. Richard Brandt isn’t Robert Ludlum, but he’ll have you enjoying turning pages just as much. And Thom Weisel isn’t Jason Bourne, but he moves about as fast and covers more territory. A fascinating force, a remarkable blend of energy and focus, of talent and instinct for markets and people, of guts and drive, he has lit up the worlds of finance, art and sports for decades. Part biography, part business history, part Weisel’s own views on subjects from management, investment banking and entrepreneurship to the Internet bubble/bust and financial future, Capital Instincts is simply riveting. More than a must read–a delightful read as well. And with Weisel going strong, I can hardly wait for the sequel."
–Michael J. Boskin
T.M. Friedman Professor of Economics and Hoover Institution Senior Fellow
Stanford University

"Thom Weisel and Richard Brandt have produced an easy reading history that should be included in every business study program. Leadership lessons in sports and finance laced with real-life experiences. I found myself remembering recent headlines as Thom tells the inside story."
–Harvey W. Schiller
President & CEO US Operations
Assante Corp

The crisis of the current global financial speculative order is challenging us to critically reflect about the way this order has been driven and the development outcomes produced by its central political and economic actors.This book offers one of the few, independent and grounded investigation concerning the political economic role of the Regional Development Banks (RDBs) via an investigation of the world leading regional development bank, the Inter-American Development Bank. The book examines the impact on development of what we call the power-balance legitimisation. That is, the RDB's development capacity - via its technical, political and financial interventions - to frame policy alternatives, absorb opposition forces and justify a particular direction of development, all in order to legitimizes a specific political economic projects led by market-led pro-reform coalitions aligned with global financial forces and financial guidelines of development Applying a version of the new International Political Economy (new IPE) approach, Vivares traces the dynamics of the Latin American political economy of financing development, situating the IDB's development mission and role within the framework of globalisation, regionalism and multilateralism. This book examines the structural forces shaping the nature of the IDB and its role in the region throughout the period of the internationalisation of production and globalisation of development financing. In so doing, it draws particular attention to the IDB's changing development mandate and its interventions in the region in relation to its hemispheric, regional and global commitments, revealing the dynamics of its technical, financial and political capabilities.

CreditRisk+ is an important and widely implemented default-mode model of portfolio credit risk, based on a methodology borrowed from actuarial mathematics. This book gives an account of the status quo as well as of new and recent developments of the credit risk model CreditRisk+, which is widely used in the banking industry. It gives an introduction to the model itself and to its ability to describe, manage and price credit risk. The book is intended for an audience of practitioners in banking and finance, as well as for graduate students and researchers in the field of financial mathematics and banking. It contains carefully refereed contributions from experts in the field, selected for mutual consistency and edited for homogeneity of style, notation, etc. The discussion ranges from computational methods and extensions for special forms of credit business to statistical calibrations and practical implementations. This unique and timely book constitutes an indispensable tool for both practitioners and academics working in the evaluation of credit risk.

This reissue, first published in 1984, presents a study of the key phenomenon of global banking, carried out from special financial centres in underdeveloped countries, which contributed heavily to the contemporary debt crisis. This book gathers together previously disparate and unpublished data to give a detailed picture of the scope and the effects of transnational banking in the new international financial centres which have largely been set up since 1970.

First published in 1967, this is a unique study of the establishment of the Bank of Rhodesia and Nyasland - a central bank and London-type money market in a financially externally dependent economy. The book deals with the adaptation and initiation of financial institutions in a developing country previously completely dependent on external financial centres and externally controlled financial institutions. Dr Sowelem's authoritative and detailed study provides valuable information on the inter-related questions of central bank control and the development of specialist money markets in developing countries.

Reprinting the second edition (which included a new introduction explaining developments which had emerged since first publication) this book discusses explorations in the fundamental theory of a monetary economy, a theoretical critique of the 'Phillips Curve' approach to the theory of inflation and the theory of the term structure of interest rates in terms of the theory of forward markets pioneered by David Meiselman.

A sequel to Essays in Monetary Economics, this book develops the ideas on domestic and international monetary issues, with reference to specific events and crises of the 1960s and 70s. These essays are distinguished by the author's expert grasp of the analytical techniques and contemporaneous policy problems of both domestic and international monetary economics.

An internationally acknowledged authority on all aspects of the theory of international trade and payments, this book collects Harry Johnson's contributions to the study of international trade, including a critique of the theory of effective protection. The book discusses: the integration of income distribution and other aspects of the economy into the positive theory of tariffs the issues raised by the use of tariffs to promote economic development the implications of distortions of various kinds in the working of competition for tariff theory and policy the costs of protection the implications of effective protection for world economic development and the economic effects of trade preferences the question of free trade and the extent to which it requires the harmonization other aspects of economic policy.

Gathering together the papers presented at the Madrid Conference on Optimum Currency Areas in 1970 this volume represents one of the first complete surveys of the theory and policy implication of monetary integration. The book discusses: the economics of fixed exchange rates relevant to monetary relations within an integrated monetary area the evolution of economic doctrine and a survey of optimum currency area theory problems of policy co-ordination within a currency area relevance of the monetary-fiscal policy mix problems of monetary union in developing countries the book predicted the establishment of an European currency but presented the case for greater flexibility of exchange rates as an alternative to currency unification.

Originally published in 1968, Richard Chapman's pioneering work illuminates the process of decision making by analysis of a particular example: the decision to raise the Bank Rate in September, 1957. The legal responsibility for a decision may be easy to pinpoint; in this case the Court of Directors of the Bank of England bear this but six weeks of negotiation separate their formal statement from the Chancellor of the Exchequer's advice to the Treasury to consider effecting 'a measure of deflation in the economy'. These six weeks of consultation between the Bank and the Treasury proceeding in 'the pattern of a formal dance' are analysed and a necessary by-product of this case-study is a closer understanding of how the Treasury and the Bank of England work together. These details are derived mainly from the evidence, and deductions from it, presented to the Bank Rate Tribunal and the Radcliffe Committee on the Working of the Monetary System. Professor Chapman gives his particular findings about decision making a wider application still by forming reasoned hypotheses and informed generalisations about public administration in Britain.

This book seeks to explain the global financial crisis and its wider economic, political, and social repercussions, arguing that the 2007-9 meltdown was in fact a systemic crisis of the capitalist system. The volume makes these points through the exploration of several key questions: What kind of institutional political economy is appropriate to explain crisis periods and failures of crisis-management? Are different varieties of capitalism more or less crisis-prone, and can the global financial crisis can be attributed to one variety more than others? What is the interaction between the labour market and the financialization process? The book argues that each variety of capitalism has its own specific crisis tendencies, and that the uneven global character of the crisis is related to the current forms of integration of the world market. More specifically, the 2007-09 economic crisis is rooted in the uneven income distribution and inequality caused by the current financial-led model of growth. The book explains how the introduction of more flexibility in the labour markets and financial deregulation affected everything from wages to job security to trade union influence. Uneven income distribution and inequality weakened aggregate demand and brought about structural deficiencies in aggregate demand and supply. It is argued that the process of financialization has profoundly changed how capitalist economies operate. The volume posits that financial globalization has given rise to growing international imbalances, which have allowed two growth models to emerge: a debt-led consumption growth model and an export-led growth model. Both should be understood as reactions to the lack of effective demand due to the polarization of income distribution.

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS), founded in 1930, works as the "Bank for Central Banks". The BIS is an international forum where central bankers and officials gather to cope with international financial issues, and a bank which invests the funds of the member countries. This book is a historical study on the BIS, from its foundation to the 1970s. Using archival sources of the Bank and financial institutions of the member countries, this book aims to clarify how the BIS faced the challenges of contemporary international financial system. The book deals with following subjects: Why and how the BIS has been founded? How did the BIS cope with the Great Depression in the 1930s? Was the BIS responsible for the looted gold incident during WWII? After the dissolution sentence at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944, how did the BIS survive? How did the BIS act during the dollar crisis in the 1960s and the 1970s? A thorough analysis of the balance sheets supports the archival investigation on the above issues. The BIS has been, and is still an institution which proposes an "alternative views": crisis manager under the Great Depression of the 1930s, peace feeler during the WWII, market friendly bank in the golden age of the Keynesian interventionism, and crisis fighter during the recent world financial turmoil. Harmonizing the methodology of economic history, international finances and history of economic thoughts, the book traces the past events to the current world economy under financial crisis.

The financial crisis that started in 2007 is a concern for the world. Some countries are in depression and governments are desperately trying to find solutions. In the absence of thorough debate on the emotions of money, bitter disputes, hatred and 'moralizing' can be misunderstood. New Perspectives on Emotions in Finance carefully considers emotions often left unacknowledged, in order to explain the socially useful versus de-civilising, destructive, nature of money. This book offers an understanding of money that includes the possible civilising sentiments. This interdisciplinary volume examines what is seemingly an uncontrollable, fragile world of finance and explains the 'panics' of traders and 'immoral panics' in banking, 'confidence' of government and commercial decision makers, 'shame' or 'cynicism' of investors and asymmetries of 'impersonal trust' between finance corporations and their many publics. Money is shown to rely on this abstract trust or 'faith', but such motivations are in crisis with 'angry' conflicts over the 'power of disposition'. Restraining influences - on 'uncivilised emotions' and rule breaking - need democratic consensus, due to enduring national differences in economic 'sentiments' even in ostensibly similar countries. Promising ideas for global reform are assessed from these cautionary interpretations. Instead of one 'correct' vision, sociologists in this book argue that corporations and global dependencies are driven by fears and normless sentiments which foster betrayal. This book is not about individuals, but habitus and market crudities. Human 'nature' or 'greed' cannot describe banks, which do not 'feel' because their motivations are not from personal psyches but organisational pressures, and are liable to switch under money's inevitable uncertainties. This more inclusive social science studies emotions as a crucial factor among others, to expand the informed public debate among policy makers, bankers, academics, students and the public.

This book analyzes the European Great Recession of 2008-12, its economic and social causes, its historical roots, and the policies adopted by the European Union to find a way out of it. It contains explicit debates with several economists and analysts on some of the most controversial questions about the causes of the crisis and the policies applied by the European Union. It presents the cases of Iceland, Greece and Ireland, the countries that first declined into crisis in Europe, each of them in a different way. Iceland is a case study for reckless banking practices, Greece of reckless public spending, and Ireland of reckless household indebtedness. At least seven other countries, mostly from the peripheries of Europe, had similarly reckless banking and spending practices. In the center of the book are the economic and social causes of the crisis. Contemporary advanced capitalism became financialized, de-industrialized and globalized and got rid of the "straitjacket" of regulations. Solid banking was replaced by high-risk, "casino-type" activity. The European common currency also had a structural problem - monetary unification without a federal state and fiscal unification. The other side of the same coin is European hyper-consumerism. A new lifestyle emerged during two super-prosperous periods in the 1950s to 1960s, and during the 1990s to 2006. Trying to find an exit policy, the European Union turned to strict austerity measures to curb the budget deficit and indebtedness. This book critically analyzes the debate around austerity policy. The creation of important supra-national institutions, and of a financial supervisory authority and stability mechanisms, strengthens integration. The correction of the euro's structural mistake by creating a quasi-fiscal unification is even more important. The introduction of mandatory fiscal rules and their supervision promises a long-term solution for a well-functioning common currency. These measures, meanwhile, create a two-tier European Union with a fast-track core. This book suggests that the European Union will emerge stronger from the crisis. This book will be of particular interest to students and researchers of economics, history, political science and international finance, but will also prove profitable reading for practitioners and the interested public.

This book analyzes the European Great Recession of 2008-12, its economic and social causes, its historical roots, and the policies adopted by the European Union to find a way out of it. It contains explicit debates with several economists and analysts on some of the most controversial questions about the causes of the crisis and the policies applied by the European Union. It presents the cases of Iceland, Greece and Ireland, the countries that first declined into crisis in Europe, each of them in a different way. Iceland is a case study for reckless banking practices, Greece of reckless public spending, and Ireland of reckless household indebtedness. At least seven other countries, mostly from the peripheries of Europe, had similarly reckless banking and spending practices. In the center of the book are the economic and social causes of the crisis. Contemporary advanced capitalism became financialized, de-industrialized and globalized and got rid of the "straitjacket" of regulations. Solid banking was replaced by high-risk, "casino-type" activity. The European common currency also had a structural problem - monetary unification without a federal state and fiscal unification. The other side of the same coin is European hyper-consumerism. A new lifestyle emerged during two super-prosperous periods in the 1950s to 1960s, and during the 1990s to 2006. Trying to find an exit policy, the European Union turned to strict austerity measures to curb the budget deficit and indebtedness. This book critically analyzes the debate around austerity policy. The creation of important supra-national institutions, and of a financial supervisory authority and stability mechanisms, strengthens integration. The correction of the euro's structural mistake by creating a quasi-fiscal unification is even more important. The introduction of mandatory fiscal rules and their supervision promises a long-term solution for a well-functioning common currency. These measures, meanwhile, create a two-tier European Union with a fast-track core. This book suggests that the European Union will emerge stronger from the crisis. This book will be of particular interest to students and researchers of economics, history, political science and international finance, but will also prove profitable reading for practitioners and the interested public.

Microfinance is defined as the financial services offered to the poor for the purpose of promoting small-scale enterprises, and as such it is one of the most important topics in development studies and a burgeoning area in economics.

This volume provides a much-needed historical, political and economic dimension to the current knowledge on microfinance. Collectively, the contributors chart the relationship between the prevailing popularity of microfinance and the consolidation of neoliberal economic ideology worldwide. They demonstrate how microfinance, as a market-friendly approach to development, coincides with the global trend towards diminishing the role of the state in economic development, basic healthcare, education and welfare. The articles in the volume focus on the empirical analyses of the experience of microfinance in women s everyday lives, but rejects the connection between microfinance and women s empowerment so often imputed in literature.

This book offers regional, cultural and other explanations for variable assessments of microfinance and empowerment. It fills a huge gap in published microfinance literature and will be of great interest to postgraduates and professionals in the fields of economics, international finance and banking.

The idea of free (or laissez-faire) banking has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance in recent years. It is a novel idea that challenges much of what many banking scholars still take for granted - that banking is inherently unstable, that the banking system needs a lender of last resort or deposit insurance to defend it in a crisis, and that the government has to protect the value of the currency. Against this free banking sets an argument which is in essence very simple: if markets are generally better at allocating resources than governments, then what is different about money and the industry that provides it and why? Laissez-Faire Banking is divided into three interelated sections, dealing with the theory of free banking, historical experiences of it and present-day monetary and banking reforms based on free banking principles.

This book, written by a multinational team of experts, explores the changing face of central banking in Eastern Europe in the light of modern macroeconomic thinking, providing important and novel insights into the design of monetary policy institutions. With its authoritative content, this book will interest students and academics involved with money and banking, macroeconomics and Eastern European studies. Professionals working for financial institutions will also find plenty that will appeal within these pages.

For monetary policymakers worldwide, developing a practical understanding of how monetary policy transmits to the economy is a day-to-day challenge. The data such policymakers have is imperfect, the maps they use are continually redrawn. With such uncertainty, understanding this complicated issue is rarely straightforward. This book, a collaboration between some of the finest minds working on monetary theory in the world, helps to provide a foundation for understanding monetary policy in all its complex glory. Using models, case studies and new empirical evidence, the contributors to this book help readers on many levels develop their technical expertise. Students of macroeconomics, money and banking and international finance will find this to be a good addition to their reading lists. At the same time, policymakers and professionals within banking will learn valuable lessons from a thorough read of this book's pages.

The 2008 financial crisis has severely shaken confidence in liberal economic theory and policy. However, the sharply divergent experiences of the six Anglo-Saxon 'liberal market economies' (LMEs) suggest that the reality is not so simple. This book traces the evolution of liberal capitalism, from its rebirth amidst the challenges of the 1970s to its role in the genesis of the 2008 crisis - and debates the assumptions underpinning the liberal capitalist paradigm.

Close examination reveals variety within liberal capitalism. Not only was there the familiar, "hands off" libertarian approach adopted by the US, UK and Ireland, but more bounded, better regulated and apparently more stable varieties of economic liberalism also emerged, through the more pragmatic approach taken by Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The evidence is compelling. Whereas the American, British and Irish financial systems were severely damaged by the crisis, those of Canada, Australia and New Zealand proved more robust. This volume explores the degree to which these divergent experiences were a result of better and more intensive supervision, differences in business or political culture, broader commitment to social norms, and the pace of liberalisation.

Detailed comparative case studies reveal fundamental differences in the economic and political environments in which economic liberalisation took place, in approaches to finance and in the degree to which it was seen to be an engine for growth. The book concludes that this had a major influence on the evolving economic and financial systems, and consequently, their relative resilience when confronted with the challenges of the 2008 crisis.

This book investigates the impact of both real and financial integration to growth and to welfare, and to enquire whether increases in either or both forms build the linkage between the real and financial economy. It contributes to the following two areas: (1) Research of economic developments in East Asia, the most dynamic and populous region in the world, in itself is important for researchers, policy makers, journalists, business people and others. East Asia s economic developments influence peoples lives not only in East Asia but also in other parts of the world. (2) Many aspects of East Asian experiences in economic development are unique, making research of East Asia attractive and important to discern mechanisms of economic development.

The first part of this study begins with chapters that address the measurement of regional integration compared with the engagement with the global economy and how this influences the aggregate behavior of the economies. The second part turns to consideration of the financial sector and the efficiency and performance of banking in the region. This allows a discussion whether, in the current crisis, the banking sector was an important channel of financial shock into real behavior. The third part turns to the corporate sector. Using data on firms, type of finance used by firms, its impact on their performance, and ownership structure influence over the productivity growth are discussed. Based on the findings, the book presents several policy recommendation and future research agenda for further economic integration in East Asia.

In Debtor Protection in American and European Union Bankruptcy Law, international law scholar Dimitris Liakopulos raises a delicate issue at the foundations of the modern banking system by analyzing US bankruptcy law with a focus on the concept of automatic stay. His work identifies legal sources and authorities having repercussions in terms of operational protection. It then examines their functional profiles, with specific regard to procedure. The book then examines criminal exposure in US bankruptcy law, paying particular attention to crime figures closer to those contained in American bankruptcy law. The book's third part assesses the lack of a discipline in these areas, a cumbersome gap observable at both the international and regional levels. The financial crisis of 2008 recalled the necessity and importance of a coordinated and usable crisis resolution mechanism for large financial conglomerates. The lack of discipline in the field of cross-border insolvency, and especially in the banking sector, stands out among studies and legislative instruments that have attempted to address questions of private international law, and of procedural law or of substantive law.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. When the links in the chain represent development projects, if individual projects fail to achieve their purpose, the development program's effectiveness is compromised. When the chain's links are strong and well-connected, the results are improved for the sector, country, and region. The role of multilateral banks is crucial; they inform the impact of development operations and support policymakers in decision making. This volume" "emphasizes that some crucial links in development tend to be systematically overlooked. In these matters, preoccupation with the immediate exigencies seems to come at the expense of attention to enduring problems--at a great cost to society.

Development practitioners should apply policies that have produced results over time, ensuring that the links in the chain are strong, but too often they overlook those links--because of myopia, complexity, tradition, or special interests. This book will help policy makers and practitioners focus on the links that measure progress, apply lessons, and matter for lasting results.

Open innovation means gathering new ideas from sources beyond organizational boundaries. It occurs when solutions to address clients' needs are developed in collaboration and the resulting products and services are distributed through a flexible network of partners. Daniel Fasnacht's book, the first of its kind, discusses open business models in the context of the financial services industry. He elaborates the drivers for strategic change such as increasingly sophisticated clients or demanding shareholders among other trends, including the recent global financial crisis, and explains why the transition from a closed model of operation to open innovation is vital. Various case studies illustrate how to integrate the client into the firm's innovation process and emphasize the importance of smart client segmentation and a holistic advisory model to serve clients around the globe. Leaders must develop a set of new management practices to be able to invest in multiple strategic directions. They are responsible for giving clients a remarkable experience and for creating social relationship capital based upon an open innovation culture. Open Innovation in the Financial Services provides a much-needed framework for helping to understand industry dynamics in banking and to make the most of organizational energy by using open innovation to sustain profitable growth.

The book comes at the right time and offers a new mindset for business - not only for expansion strategies in general, but especially during turbulent times.

This authoritative two-volume collection brings together a comprehensive selection of over 40 previously published articles which include seminal and recent contributions in the area of speculation and financial markets.The volumes present the key theoretical and applied research in the pricing of assets, market efficiency and behavioural finance. It explores speculative behaviour in finance and the main financial markets including the stock market, the bond market and the market for foreign exchange and derivatives. Speculation and Financial Markets will be an essential source of reference for researchers, students and practitioners. It will also be an invaluable companion to intermediate and advanced texts on financial markets.