Fragile Finance inquires into the nature of financial crisis in the era of global credit. This book suggests that financial fragility today stems from an explosive combination of financial innovation, over-borrowing, and progressive illiquidity of financial structures. Drawing on the work of Hyman Minsky, the author examines the role played by these three factors in the events that defined the global financial system during the past decade, and draws on their implications for the emerging paradigm of a global financial architecture.

Engineering Asset Management Review focuses on life cycle management of the physical assets required by a private or public firm for the purpose of making products and/or for providing services in a manner that satisfies various business performance rationales. In exploring the wide ranging issues involved in the management of engineered assets that constitute our built environment, this book takes a broad view of the inter- and multi-disciplinary approach which combines science, engineering, and technology principles with human behavior and business practice.

The purpose of Engineering Asset Management Review is to publish research and opinions which explore strategic and tactical issues, as well as technical data and information. It also examines the issues involved in the creation (formulation and design), acquisition (procurement, installation, and commissioning), maintenance, operation, decommissioning, disposal, and/or rehabilitation of physical assets. The range of articles covers all industry sectors and physical asset types (infrastructure, plant, equipment and facilities).

The aim of this volume is to provide a forum for

1. the assembly of a body of knowledge in the emerging field of engineering asset management;

2. knowledge transfer between researchers, scholars and practitioners;

3. cross-disciplinary interaction between engineers, technologists, economists, environmental practitioners, behavioral scientists, and business managers; and

4. the presentation of a wide spectrum of viewpoints and approaches from designers, developers, project managers, owners, operators, users, and vendors.

Money is an important instrument of calculation: as a unit of account and means of payment, it serves the purpose of exchange. Yet, it is increasingly becoming itself an object of exchange and calculation on financial markets, which tend less to the production and exchange of real goods. The question therefore is: has the economy lost its measure?

The explosive growth in computational power over the past several decades offers new tools and opportunities for economists. This handbook volume surveys recent research on Agent-based Computational Economics (ACE), the computational study of economic processes modeled as dynamic systems of interacting agents. Empirical referents for "agents" in ACE models can range from individuals or social groups with learning capabilities to physical world features with no cognitive function. Topics covered include: learning; empirical validation; network economics; social dynamics; financial markets; innovation and technological change; organizations; market design; automated markets and trading agents; political economy; social-ecological systems; computational laboratory development; and general methodological issues.
*Every volume contains contributions from leading researchers
*Each Handbook presents an accurate, self-contained survey of a particular topic
*The series provides comprehensive and accessible surveys

Markov chains have increasingly become useful way of capturing stochastic nature of many economic and financial variables. Although the hidden Markov processes have been widely employed for some time in many engineering applications e.g. speech recognition, its effectiveness has now been recognized in areas of social science research as well. The main aim of Hidden Markov Models: Applications to Financial Economics is to make such techniques available to more researchers in financial economics. As such we only cover the necessary theoretical aspects in each chapter while focusing on real life applications using contemporary data mainly from OECD group of countries. The underlying assumption here is that the researchers in financial economics would be familiar with such application although empirical techniques would be more traditional econometrics. Keeping the application level in a more familiar level, we focus on the methodology based on hidden Markov processes. This will, we believe, help the reader to develop more in-depth understanding of the modeling issues thereby benefiting their future research.

With today's availability of Social Security and Medicare, we typically think of the older years as a stage in life where people are supported financially. However, of the more than 40 million old adults currently living in the US, many are struggling financially living below or near the poverty line. They are lacking the assets necessary to see them through a period of life that is often longer than expected and that requires more health and long-term care. While financial vulnerability can be most pronounced in old age, it is often created across decades, revealing itself in later years when there is little opportunity to reverse a lifetime of disadvantage. The concept of Financial Capability refers to both an individual and structural idea that combines a person's ability to act with their opportunity to act in their best financial interests. In Financial Capability and Asset Holding in Later Life: A Life Course Perspective the concept of Financial Capability is used to underscore the importance of acquiring knowledge and skills while also addressing policies and services than can build financial security. The volume assembles the latest evidence on financial capability and assets among older adults using a life course perspective, arguing that older adults need financial knowledge and financial services in order to build secure lives, and that this process needs to begin before it is too late to make effective changes and choices. Broken into three parts, the chapters in this book written by leading experts in the field blend together empirical findings, economic and social theory, and case studies. Part 1 opens the book with a conceptual and empirical overview of financial capability and assets among older adults using a life course perspective. Part 2 presents chapters addressing financial vulnerability of diverse racial and ethnic groups, people with disabilities, and immigrants. Part 3 includes chapters describing current policies, programs, and innovations, including a review of important issues of working and caregiving in later life, and a detailed assessment of age-friendlybanking principles, banking products, services, and policies.

This book introduces the new China (Shanghai) Free-Trade Zone one year after its launch. It examines in depth the economic, strategic and political effects of Chinese economic and financial reform. The results of the analysis are further clarified by comparing Shanghai with analogous counterparts in Singapore and Hong Kong. China has developed a number of special and free-trade zones but the new Pilot Shanghai FTZ includes all previous privileges promoting the area as perfect hub for the Asia-Pacific region. This work represents a valuable business guide for appraising new opportunities in the most promising sectors for business enterprises in China.

"Bayesian Methods in Finance" provides a detailed overview of the theory of Bayesian methods and explains their real-world applications to financial modeling. While the principles and concepts explained throughout the book can be used in financial modeling and decision making in general, the authors focus on portfolio management and market risk management--since these are the areas in finance where Bayesian methods have had the greatest penetration to date.

This book analyzes the set of forces driving the global financial system toward a period of radical transformation and explores the transformational challenges that lie ahead for global and regional or local banks and other financial intermediaries. It is explained how these challenges derive from the newly emerging post-crisis structure of the market and from shadow and digital players across all banking operations. Detailed attention is focused on the impacts of digitalization on the main functions of the financial system, and particularly the banking sector. The author elaborates how an alternative model of banking will enable banks to predict, understand, navigate, and change the external ecosystem in which they compete. The five critical components of this model are data and information mastering; effective use of applied analytics; interconnectivity and "junction playing"; development of new business solutions; and trust and credibility assurance. The analysis is supported by a number of informative case studies. The book will be of interest especially to top and middle managers and employees of banks and financial institutions but also to FinTech players and their advisers and others.

This book is an augmented account of Technology and Regulation: How Are They Driving Our Markets?, a conference hosted by the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College on May 1, 2007. The text includes the edited transcript of the full conference: four panels and the major presentations of three distinguished industry leaders - Ian Domowitz, Managing Director, ITG, Inc.; Erik Sirri, Director of the Division of Market Regulation, US Securities and Exchange Commission; and John Thain, who was CEO of NYSE Euronext at the time of the conference. The book also includes a related paper by Paul Davis, Mike Pagano, and myself: "Divergent Expectations," Journal of Portfolio Management, Fall 2007. My co-editors and I have worked diligently to make this book, like all the other popular books in the series, more than an historical record. John Byrne, Antoinette Colaninno and I have edited the manuscript heavily for clarity and unity of ideas.

Mathematical finance has grown into a huge area of research which requires a large number of sophisticated mathematical tools. This book simultaneously introduces the financial methodology and the relevant mathematical tools in a style that is mathematically rigorous and yet accessible to practitioners and mathematicians alike. It interlaces financial concepts such as arbitrage opportunities, admissible strategies, contingent claims, option pricing and default risk with the mathematical theory of Brownian motion, diffusion processes, and Levy processes. The first half of the book is devoted to continuous path processes whereas the second half deals with discontinuous processes.

The extensive bibliography comprises a wealth of important references and the author index enables readers quickly to locate where the reference is cited within the book, making this volume an invaluable tool both for students and for those at the forefront of research and practice."

Financial institutions need to increase revenues, decrease cost and be compliant in these difficult times. To meet all these challenges they need to consider disruptive innovations. Cloud computing is one of them. It helps in introducing innovative services, re-engineer processes, improve agility and optimize value. The book analyses in depth the cloud computing model and its current and potential use in financial services. Cloud Computing can change the paradigm of the financial institutions. the word "Bank" comes from the Italian word "Banco," since in the 1300s banking was one on a desk in the streets. The new "banco," the new "desk," will be cloud. Financial institutions must use the model of Cloud Computing for their transformation to a new paradigm.
This book is a blend of academic research, consultancy practice and case studies. It helps in considering opportunities and risks, optimize vendor relationships and organize for the best.

With the help of industrialist Andrew Carnegie, the author of this remarkable book spent two decades interviewing hundreds of people renowned for their wealth and achievement. He distills the collective wisdom of Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, John D. Rockefeller, and others, offering priceless advice on positive thinking and overcoming adversity.

Over the past few decades, finance has been subject to an accelerated process of change and innovation. These changes have often been understood as a distortion to a self-equilibrating economic system. This volume, however, aims to investigate the financial sphere in the wake of deregulation, as an emergent driving force in shaping the nature of capitalism into the new century.
This edited volume unravels the complexity and fragility of contemporary finance. It explores the role played by international finance in reconfiguring power structures, and explains the inner workings and mechanisms of global finance in the wake of deregulation. It aims to deepen our understanding of the interconnectedness of the processes and mechanisms of financial expansion. Elucidating the effects of this expansion in the global political economy, the book looks at the central question of how financial power works today.
The volume brings together perspectives from political economy, finance, accountancy, law and sociology. Together, the contributors develop an appreciation of the novel constitutive role of finance in globalizing capitalism.

The editors and contributors tackle a timely subject, and present rigorous research and analysis to demonstrate counter-intuitive results. In so doing, they reinforce the connections between organization and policy in the banking industry and its impact on entrepreneurship, through lending and credit to small and medium-sized businesses. The editors present a carefully organized manuscript that presents both literature reviews and the results of original empirical research that will be of interest to academics and professionals in finance, economics, and policy. The authorship and coverage are global. One of the authors, Michele Fratiani, has close ties to Springer, by virtue of his being a founding editor of Open Economies Review and co-editor of the book series, European and Transatlantic Studies.

Recent years have seen a number of introductory texts which focus on the applications of modern stochastic calculus to the theory of finance, and on the pricing models for derivative securities in particular. Some of these books develop the mathematics very quickly, making substantial demands on the readerOs background in advanced probability theory. Others emphasize the financial applications and do not attempt a rigorous coverage of the continuous-time calculus. This book provides a rigorous introduction for those who do not have a good background in stochastic calculus. The emphasis is on keeping the discussion self-contained rather than giving the most general results possible.

In 1958 an academic paper on corporate finance written by two professors (Merton Miller and Frances Modigliani, who were later awarded the Nobel prize for their research efforts) was published in The American Economic Review. One prime conclusion of their paper was that the exact form of a firm's capital structure did not affect the firm's value.

Later papers by the same two authors and by many others modified the assumptions and changed this conclusion. We now think that capital structure decisions do affect a firm's value and corporate managers should understand better the financing alternatives that are available.

One of the most important financial decisions is the decision to buy or lease assets. The leasing industry is large and getting larger. Unfortunately, it is very easy for a firm to evaluate incorrectly lease alternatives (see Chapter 12).

The capital structure decision is one of the three most important financial decisions that management make (the distribution of earnings and the capital budgeting decisions are the other two contenders). Managers should increase their understanding of capital structure alternatives and remember that choosing the best capital structure is an art and not an exact simple calculation. But applying the art can be improved with understanding.

Written by an experienced risk manager, this innovative new book explores the core concepts of risk management, including in-depth coverage of its scope, rationale, and practical applications. In addition to being fundamentally important to risk managers, this text will also be invaluable to senior executives, directors, regulators, and capital markets professionals. Students, lay readers, and others interested in finance will find a vast subject made engaging and accessible. Written with unusual clarity, "The Shape of Risk" makes use of graphics, case studies, and questions. The author encourages readers to develop their own intuition and judgment for identifying and managing risk. This is an excellent starting point for a new generation of readers who increasingly need a both practical and conceptual understanding of risk management.

This book asks a fundamental question, that is, whether "somebody in charge" could have prevented or solved the problem leading up to our current financial crisis. This book explores and answers that question from a scholarly and academic economic viewpoint.

In this comprehensive, step-by-step guide, author Sandy Bradley draws on her many years of experience as an organizer and auctioneer for nonprofits and arts organizations. Learn how to
- determine what kind of event is best for your organization
- find an ideal location
- hire an effective auctioneer
- develop a strategy to get your supporters to attend
- solicit donations of good and services to sell
- generate a catalog and bid sheets
- train volunteers so the event will run smoothly
- set up your event for maximum profits
- wrap up for guaranteed success at your next auction

The main objective of Credit Risk: Modeling, Valuation and Hedging is to present a comprehensive survey of the past developments in the area of credit risk research, as well as to put forth the most recent advancements in this field. An important aspect of this text is that it attempts to bridge the gap between the mathematical theory of credit risk and the financial practice, which serves as the motivation for the mathematical modeling studied in the book. Mathematical developments are presented in a thorough manner and cover the structural (value-of-the-firm) and the reduced (intensity-based) approaches to credit risk modeling, applied both to single and to multiple defaults. In particular, the book offers a detailed study of various arbitrage-free models of defaultable term structures with several rating grades.