In this fascinating book, Imad A. Moosa challenges existing preconceptions surrounding normative economics, arguing that what some economists see as undisputed facts of life may be myths caused by dogmatic thinking. With this in mind, Moosa argues that the alleged puzzles found in the economics and finance literature are not puzzles at all, because they can be explained intuitively, without the need for complex models or the extravaganza of econometrics. Plausible explanations are suggested for puzzles in various areas of economics and finance, such as the home bias puzzle, the PPP puzzle and the presidential puzzle. The author explains why some common beliefs are, in fact, myths, including those of the power of the market, inefficiency of the public sector and the use of low-interest policy to combat the depression caused by the Covid-19 outbreak. Controversies in Economics and Finance is a thought-provoking and stimulating read that exposes common flaws in economic analysis. It will be of great benefit to academics, graduate students and policy-makers looking to understand the limits of economic analysis.

The role of a financial manager is to ensure the financial sustainability of a firm by maintaining a firm's profitability, liquidity and solvency. Sales may generate revenue, but it is only when credit sales are converted into cash once debtors settle their accounts that these goals are achieved. As firms attempt to ensure their sustainability, they face competition from other firms, regulation, policy uncertainty and taxation issues, new technologies, as well as a dependency on suppliers and labour, plus challenges from environmental issues and dynamic economic conditions. Finance for non-financial managers explains the long-term goal of creating value, followed by the short-term goals of profitability, liquidity and solvency. A firm has to acquire assets and to finance them at the lowest cost possible. However, the management of these assets is not exclusively in the hands of a financial manager. Other functional departments, especially supply chain management and marketing, play a significant role. Finance for non-financial managers thus provides an understanding of the principles of financial management required to contribute favourably to the long-term sustainability of a firm. Finance for non-financial managers explains the financial goals of a firm, and illustrates how the principles of finance should be applied in creating wealth as opposed to simply maximising profit. With its thought-provoking opening cases and user-friendly content, this book is ideal for anyone who has little or no prior knowledge of accounting or financial management. Finance for non-financial managers is a useful resource for managers involved in marketing, human resources, logistics, supply chain management and information management, and for professionals such as engineers, architects, attorneys and medical professionals in private practice.

This original book examines how investment theory and regulatory constraints are linked to the professional processes of portfolio investments, and how the principles of Islam as defined by sharia fit into these processes. It also explores the measures required to create and grow a global Islamic asset management industry. Established on a foundation of Modern Portfolio Theory, the book extends the theory to include asset management based on sharia. Chapters also consider how ethical investing is quickly becoming the driving force of the $100 trillion asset management industry. Taking a practical approach, John A. Sandwick, M. Kabir Hassan and Pablo Collazzo compare conventional and sharia portfolio performance and risk through measurement tools commonly used in asset management, including Sharpe ratio, standard deviation, Value at Risk, annualized mean return, and correlation. They map conventional portfolio construction and optimization, then reproduce the same processes with real-world, sharia-compliant portfolios. This book will be critical reading for scholars and students of Islamic economics and finance, Islamic studies, and financial regulation. Considering Islamic asset management as a unique function of Islamic finance, this book will also be a useful resource for practitioners and finance professionals.

Following the positive contribution of microfinance to economic development in some parts of South East Asia and Africa, a huge amount of time has been devoted by researchers to understand this concept for sustainable development in Africa, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. The concept of microfinance also has significant positive relationship with microbusiness development. Though there are a few books on the relationship between microfinance and poverty reduction in Africa and some developing countries across world. There is no specific book that explores the relationship between microfinance and sustainable development in Africa. Certainly, the use of microfinance for poverty reduction and economic development in the developing world is growing. However, this concept needs to be expanded to ensure its application with the view to achieving sustainable development in developing countries, particularly in Africa. Therefore, this book seeks to explore how the provision of microfinance to individuals, groups and business organisations facilitates economic growth and sustainable development in Africa. In this regard, this book hopes to examine the complex relationship between receipt of microfinance, poverty reduction, economic growth and microbusiness development, focusing on the provision of small credit facilities as a driver of sustainable development in Africa. This book aims to examine and bring on board the various views and perspectives on the relationship between microfinance and sustainable economic development in Africa through industry experts, experienced researchers and policymakers. The concept of microfinance and its relationship with sustainable development in Africa will be explored by these experts and contributors from different perspectives with the view to forming an opinion on the problems, processes and prospects of microfinance in Africa. The focus here is Sub-Saharan Africa, which has witnessed growing activities of microfinance institutions. Theoretical and empirical insight to be provided in this book will be a priceless resource to microfinance institutions, policymakers, state institutions, managers and non-governmental organisations working in developing countries particularly in Africa. This book is envisaged to also benefit financial institutions that are looking to expand their product portfolio and outreach. The book will offer great insight into theoretical, policy-oriented and practical ways to address some of the challenges of using microfinance for sustainable development in Africa. Given the focus of this book on the nexus between microfinance and sustainable development, there will be a broadening of ideas on how the provision of microfinance can aid sustainable development in Africa.

Elgar Advanced Introductions are stimulating and thoughtful introductions to major fields in the social sciences, business, and law, expertly written by the world’s leading scholars. Designed to be accessible yet rigorous, they offer concise and lucid surveys of the substantive and policy issues associated with discrete subject areas. Through detailed discussion of the central principles of behavioral finance, this enlightening Advanced Introduction provides a balanced exploration of the broad issues within the field. Chapters explain the continuous development of the discipline and provide a useful differentiation between behavioral finance and standard finance. Key Features: Illustrates the various challenges and opportunities facing behavioral finance Provides clear definitions of key terms within the subject area of behavioral finance Investigates applications of behavioral finance in financial decision-making, including within corporate finance Explains why blending behavioral and standard approaches would likely improve financial understanding and lead to better decision-making This illuminating Advanced Introduction will be valuable for academics, researchers, and practitioners interested in behavioral finance. Students researching behavioral economics, economic psychology, and financial economics will also find it informative.

From an Islamic perspective, although the ownership of wealth is with God, humans are gifted with wealth to manage it with the objective of benefiting the human society. Such guidance means that wealth management is a process involving the accumulation, generation, purification, preservation and distribution of wealth, to be conducted carefully in permissible ways. This book is the first to lay out a coherent framework on how wealth management should be conducted in compliance with guiding principles from edicts of a major world religion. The book begins by defining wealth from both a secular perspective, and an Islamic perspective, before describing how wealth needs to be earned in lawful ways, preserved and used to benefit the needs of community, with a small part of the wealth given away to charity, and the remainder managed in accordance with laws and common practices, as established by a majority consensus of scholars of the religion in historical times. Each section of the book has relevant chapters that discuss the theory, as well as the application and the challenges in Islamic wealth management in real and financial markets. This book will appeal to students and researchers of Islamic wealth management, certainly Islamic economics and finance in general; policy makers; and a range of industry practitioners, such as investment managers, financial planners, accountants and lawyers.

This book will help you become the trader you want to be, but it won't happen automatically. You won't be immediately successful the moment you finish reading.

Earning money with day trading is possible, but it takes time, discipline, effort and commitment on your part.Let me explain. Throughout the book, you will learn key concepts that you can apply to your trading right away. The knowledge you accumulate is essential because it is what you base your trading decisions on, the decisions that will determine your ultimate success or failure.

One of my key goals in this book is to help you expand your tradingknowledge to make informed decisions. I will provide you with many valuable resources to help you learn what you need to know.At the end of each chapter you will find "Action Actions", exercises related to the topics recently covered. If you want to get the most out of this book, take a few minutes to complete these Actions. The results you will get will, in most cases, be directly proportional to the effort and commitment you invest in creating them.

I am committed to helping you become the best trader you can be, but I will need your help to do so.

Crypto is red-hot right now.

Media outlets are giving crypto unprecedented airtime while the general public has been captivated by the staggering price rises seen across the board. When measured in US dollar terms, Bitcoin ballooned by over 10 times in the 2017 calendar year alone.

Beyond the tremendous increases in value, crypto has received so much attention because of the challenging questions it raises about money and the role of central authorities such as banks and governments - roles which were taken for granted in the past.Before the start of the crypto revolution, government-issued banknotes and coins seemed to be the only conceivable forms of money. We had never known any other way in our lifetime, nor in that of our parents.

Fast-forward to today, and many members of the crypto community ardently believe that crypto is destined to replace government-issued money, just as the personal computer replaced the typewriter. If this vision is even halfright, the implications are hard to overstate. At the very least, crypto promises to substantially weaken the monopoly power of centralized institutions.

But these are still early days for crypto. And most members of the public find crypto to be, well, cryptic. As United States Senator Thomas Carper said: "Virtual currencies, perhaps most notably Bitcoin, have captured the imagination of some, struck fear among others, and confused the heck out of the rest of us."1 Perhaps some readers can relate to that sentiment.

Truthfully, few people have an accurate understanding of how crypto works, and many are highly skeptical. The Crypto Intro has been written to explain everything and respond to the tough crypto questions.But we may be getting ahead of ourselves. Before taking a look at how crypto functions, let's make sure we understand what we're talking about.