Acclaim for Leo Melamed Escape to the Futures

"A well-written, fascinating memoir of a remarkable man of many parts, who arrived in the United States at age 9, fleeing the Holocaust. Almost single-handedly, he transformed a minor commodity exchange into the leading futures market in the world. His influence was and remains worldwide." —Milton Friedman Senior Research Fellow Hoover Institution, Stanford University

"There are only a few people who have revolutionized big portions of the business world. Warren Buffett did it in investing, Bill Gates in software. Leo Melamed, author of this book, is in that same league. He truly revolutionized futures trading in the United States, and in the world. This book tells how." —Ambassador Clayton Yeutter Past President of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Former U.S. Trade Representative

"A grizzled old Merc trader once assured me that nobody ever lost by being long on Leo. Why that's so, this endlessly fascinating personal history makes clear. It shows how an immigrant boy, after surviving unimaginable horrors, drew on the 'elan, combativeness, and sophisticated conviction' learned from his equally remarkable father to build the CME and to lay the foundations of the modern, Chicago-based, financial services industry." — Merton H. Miller 1990 Nobel Laureate Emeritus Professor University of Chicago Graduate School of Business

"Leo tells it all. To say there would not have been a financial futures industry without Leo is probably only a slight exaggeration!!!" — John Damgard President Futures Industry Association

"Escape to the Futures tells the remarkable story of a young boy's escape from the Nazis and the impact of his life on the financial markets of the world. It also serves as yet another poignant reminder of the immeasurable losses —in the arts, sciences, professions, and everyday life—humanity suffered because of the Holocaust." — Benjamin Meed President American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors

He is one of the most powerful figures in the world of finance—a visionary who pioneered the modern futures industry and launched the International Monetary Market (IMM). Yet, Leo Melamed was not born to wealth and influence. His is an extraordinary rags-to-riches tale of intelligence, drive, savvy, timing, and the overpowering force of a uniquely charismatic personality. Now the inside story of the remarkable life and career of Leo Melamed is revealed in this long-awaited autobiography.

A Holocaust survivor, Leo Melamed had barely begun the first grade in 1939 when he and his parents fled their native Poland one step ahead of the oncoming Nazi juggernaut. Crossing Siberia en route to a brief stay in Japan—just months before Pearl Harbor—the family arrived in the United States to begin life anew. They settled in Chicago, where young Leo became a product of the inner city and embraced his new country and its culture.

Seeking part-time employment while attending law school, Leo Melamed answered a classified ad that would change his life. Hired by what he presumed was a law firm named Merrill, Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Bean, he found himself on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.

"I was Alice stepping through the Looking Glass into a world of not just one Mad Hatter, but hundreds. The shouting among the traders, the movement of their bodies and hands, captivated me like nothing before . . . there was a life force on that floor that was magical and exciting, and though I didn't understand what was going on, I wanted to be a part of it."

Leo Melamed became much more than just a part of it. From modest beginnings as a pork belly trader, he led the Chicago Merc for the next quarter of a century, introducing finance to an industry that was the exclusive domain of agriculture. As his reputation as a financial genius grew, so did the tales of his larger-than-life personality. In Leo Melamed: Escape to the Futures, you'll meet the man behind the legend.

Written with the assistance of award-winning journalist Bob Tamarkin, this enthralling memoir deftly weaves intimate personal details with behind-the-scenes accounts of some of the most momentous financial events of our century—including Leo's role as advisor to the White House after the Hillary Rodham Clinton cattle futures trading episode. You'll read fascinating accounts of his dealings with political powerhouses like Bob Dole, Tip O'Neill, Dan Rostenkowski, and others. Offering penetrating insights into the workings of a multibillion dollar industry, this is a story that has as much to say about human nature as it does about the nature of today's markets.

Hailed as both hero and tyrant, Leo Melamed is undeniably one of the most colorful and intriguing personalities of our time. This intimate, revealing personal account is not to be missed.

"In Direct Foreign Investment," scholars from business schools in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Latin America reflect on the relationship of foreign investment to the development process, examining the experience of foreign investors in a variety of national settings. They explore the complex issues relating to foreign investment and present the pros and cons of various approaches. The volume begins with general administrative ways to encourage or discourage foreign investment. There are detailed discussions on specific countries and their experiences with foreign investment, including a large Asian developing country, countries in Latin America and Europe, and Japan. Following these regional experiences are general articles examining the costs and benefits of in the international marketplace.

The Ultimate Guide to Buying and Selling Property Like the Experts
How do the world's most successful developers--from Donald Trump to Sam Zell--make the most of every real estate transaction? The answers are found throughout Maverick Real Estate Investing. In this one-of-a-kind book, you'll learn the secrets to making a good deal, using other people's money, establishing cash flow targets, finding the best locations, getting top legal and tax counsel, overcoming negative responses, selling at the right time, and much more. It's must reading for every aspiring real estate titan, and will give you the tools necessary to make every deal a profitable one.
"Steve Bergsman's profiles of some of the most successful investors of our time give an illustrative and illuminating insight into how the best in the business have consistently managed their risk . . . and raised their returns. If you want to make it in the competitive world of real estate investing, read this book "
--Dale Anne Reiss, Global and Americas Director of Real Estate, Hospitality, and Construction Services, Ernst & Young
"For the novice--and even the experienced--investor in real estate, Steve Bergsman's book contains lots of worthwhile ideas. Better still, it clearly explains how to implement them. Easy to read and insightful, it's one of the better how-to investment guides around."
--Richard Rescigno, Managing Editor, Barron's
"I have been reading Steve Bergsman's insightful real estate reporting and commentary for over a decade. He is one of the best real estate writers in America, as evidenced by his captivating analysis in Maverick Real Estate Investing, where he melds personalities and investing principles into a very good read."
--Jonathan L. Kempner, President and Chief Executive Officer Mortgage Bankers Association

Every futures, options, and stock markets trader operates under a set of highly suspect rules and assumptions. Are you risking your career on yours? Exceptionally clear and easy to use, The Mathematics of Money Management substitutes precise mathematical modeling for the subjective decision-making processes many traders and serious investors depend on. Step-by-step, it unveils powerful strategies for creating and using key money management formulas—based on the rules of probability and modern portfolio theory—that maximizes the potential gains for the level of risk you are assuming. With them, you’ll determine the payoffs and consequences of any potential trading decision and obtain the highest potential growth for your specified level of risk. You’ll quickly decide: What markets to trade in and at what quantities When to add or subtract funds from an account How to reinvest trading profits for maximum yield The Mathematics of Money Management provides the missing element in modern portfolio theory that weds optimal f to the optimal portfolio.

For four decades Professional Investor and its predecessor, Investment Analyst, the journal of The Institute of Investment Management and Research, has been publishing sound investment advice on topical issues from leading experts in the field.
The articles in this collection cover financial subjects ranging from the first introduction computers to mathematical techniques into finance, through the oil crisis years, to the valuation of brands, intellectual property and goodwill. Each article provides a fascinating insight both into the subject concerned and into contemporary thinking at the time of writing. All the articles have been selected for their significance to the financial world today. These fascinating articles are as relevant today as when first written.
The Institute of Investment management and Research (IIMR) is the professional Examining body for investment analysts and fund managers in the UK. It provides the 'Threshold Competence' examination for fund managers and analysts, in addition to a six paper Associate examination.
The Institute was founded in 1955 as the Society of Investment Analysts and changed its name in 1992. It was a founding member of EFFAS and has close links with AIMR in the US.
Professional Investor is the journal of the IIMR and is published ten times a year.

Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS)-securitizations of mortgage loans backed by commercial real estate-have become compelling devices for fixed income investing. This title, edited by renowned financial expert Frank Fabozzi, describes the structure, valuation, and performance of CMBS, illustrates an empirical framework for estimating CMBS defaults, instructs how to value prepayment and credit risks of CMBS, and more.

The three volumes of Interest Rate Modeling present a comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of techniques and models used in the pricing and risk management of fixed income securities. Written by two leading practitioners and seasoned industry veterans, this unique series combines finance theory, numerical methods, and approximation techniques to provide the reader with an integrated approach to the process of designing and implementing industrial-strength models for fixed income security valuation and hedging. Aiming to bridge the gap between advanced theoretical models and real-life trading applications, the pragmatic, yet rigorous, approach taken in this book will appeal to students, academics, and professionals working in quantitative finance. Volume I provides the theoretical and computational foundations for the series, emphasizing the construction of efficient grid- and simulation-based methods for contingent claims pricing. The second part of Volume I is dedicated to local-stochastic volatility modeling and to the construction of vanilla models for individual swap and Libor rates. Although the focus is eventually turned toward fixed income securities, much of the material in this volume applies to generic financial markets and will be of interest to anybody working in the general area of asset pricing.

During the past few decades, private equity (PE) has attracted considerable attention from investors, practitioners, and academicians. In fact, a substantial literature on PE has emerged. PE offers benefits for institutional and private wealth management clients including diversification and enhancement of risk-adjusted returns. However, the lack of transparency, regulatory restrictions, and liquidity concerns that exist for some PE options limit their attractiveness for some investors. Private Equity: Opportunities and Risks offers a synthesis of the theoretical and empirical literature on PE in both emerging and developed markets. The book examines PE and provides important insights about topics such as major types of PE (venture capital, leveraged, buyouts, mezzanine capital, and distressed debt investments), how PE works, performance and measurement, uses and structure, and trends. Readers can gain an in-depth understanding about PE from academics and practitioners from around the world. Private Equity: Opportunities and Risks provides a fresh look at the intriguing yet complex subject of PE. A group of renowned experts take readers through the core topics and issues of PE, and also examine the latest trends and cutting-edge developments in the field. Additionally, discussion of research on PE permeates the book. The coverage extends from discussing basic concepts and their application to increasingly complex and real-world situations. Thus, this volume spans the gamut from theoretical to practical, while offering a useful balance of detailed and user-friendly coverage. This fresh and intriguing examination of PE is essential reading for anyone hoping to gain a better understanding of PE, from seasoned professionals to those aspiring to enter the demanding world of finance.

Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world. Taking into account also its endowment and potential economic resources, the Islamic banking industry in Indonesia was expected to take on an important role in facilitating more financial resources and to contribute to the internationalization of the Islamic mode of financing particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. However, the reality is far from the expectation. This book aims to clarify the causes and fundamental constraints leading to the extraordinarily low level of Indonesia's Islamic financial deepening. The authors draw on the traditions of Institutional Economics which are concerned with the rules or mechanisms of creating the 'incentive' and 'threat' for economic players because the rules (institutions) would matter as the determinant for economic development and economic efficiency. This book offers a fairly new analytical lens by hypothesizing that Islamic banks must earn additional profit- the authors coined as 'Islamic bank rent' - to maintain their franchise value as prudent Shari'ah-compliant lenders when compared to conventional banks. The authors argued that insufficient provision of the Islamic bank rent opportunity may have caused the Indonesia's Islamic banks the opportunity to learn and improve their skill and capacity for the credit risk management. The book also offers evidence in support of implementing economic and affirmative policy necessary for incubating and developing the Islamic banking industry in Indonesia and making Indonesia an international Islamic financial hub in the Asia-Pacific region. This book will be a useful resource for policy makers and researchers interested in Islamic banking in Indonesia.

A comprehensive guide to the continuously evolving world of securitization

The "Second Edition" of "The Securitization Markets Handbook" is a valuable resource for both experienced money managers trying to put a securitization strategy into place as well as newcomers looking to acquire a broad and strong foundation in this discipline. This edition takes a close look at the pre- and post-crash mortgage market and the mortgage-backed securities based on those mortgages, as well as other asset-backed securities including commercial paper or credit cards.

The crash of the subprime market and the failure of the asset-backed markets offer an opportunity to learn about banking finance, specifically off-balance sheet finance, and the many costly mistakes that resulted in one of the most severe downturns in financial markets. With this book, you'll discover why certain mortgage and asset-backed securities imploded and others didn't. This new edition examines why the market failed and how the next crisis can be averted or made less severe. It also explains why securitization remains a primary source of capital for the mortgage market, credit card market, home equity market, auto loan market, and segments of the commercial paper market.Offers an informed overview of how the securitization market works, how to make money in it, and what's next for asset- and mortgage-backed securities after the crisisContains new chapters on CDOs and SIVs, along with a history of the growth and crash of the subprime market, asset-backed securities, and home equity lines of creditWritten by securitization experts Charles Stone and Anne Zissu

Updated to reflect the current market environment, the "Second Edition" of "The Securitization Markets Handbook" offers clear, comprehensive guidance to these complex markets.

The economic climate is ripe for another golden age of shareholder activism

"Deep Value: How Shareholder Activist Hedge Funds Battle for Control of The World's Leading Corporations" is a must-read exploration of deep value investment strategy, describing the evolution of the theories of valuation and shareholder activism from Graham to Icahn and beyond. The book combines engaging anecdotes with industry research to illustrate the principles and methods of this complex strategy, and explains the reasoning behind seemingly incomprehensible activist maneuvers. Written by an active value investor, "Deep Value" provides an insider's perspective on shareholder activist strategies in a format accessible to both professional investors and laypeople.

The Deep Value investment philosophy as described by Graham initially identified targets by their discount to liquidation value. This approach was extremely effective, but those opportunities are few and far between in the modern market, forcing activists to adapt. Current activists assess value from a much broader palate, and exploit a much wider range of tools to achieve their goals. "Deep Value" enumerates and expands upon the resources and strategies available to value investors today, and describes how the economic climate is allowing value investing to re-emerge. Topics include: Target identification, and determining the most advantageous endsStrategies and tactics of effective activismUnseating management and fomenting changeEyeing conditions for the next M&A boom

Activist hedge funds have been quiet since the early 2000s, but economic conditions, shareholder sentiment, and available opportunities are creating a fertile environment for another golden age of activism. "Deep Value: How Shareholder Activist Hedge Funds Battle for Control of The World's Leading Corporations" provides the in-depth information investors need to get up to speed before getting left behind.

FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED THIRD EDITION Investing expert Andy Bell shows you how to plan your financial future in this updated edition of his bestselling guide to do-it-yourself investing. Andy shows you how to build a long-term investment portfolio using a range of low-cost, tax-efficient strategies. He provides expert guidance and industry insights suitable for first-time investors and those who are more experienced. The DIY Investor teaches you the skills and strategies you need to take control of your investments and manage your money in the years ahead.

This unique and authoritative study of the investment management business focuses on the use of capital requirements for investment managers as a means of investor protection. Commissioned by the Investment Management Regulatory Organization and drawing on extensive discussions with investment managers themselves, it provides an account of this burgeoning sector that is both comprehensive in its coverage and penetrating in its analysis. The authors review the way in which the investment management business is organized and its inherent risks; they examine the causes and incidence of market failures as well as the dangers to investors through mismanagement and malpractice. The book includes an extensive treatment of fraud, with a full listing of fraud cases in the UK since the early 1970s. The report concludes with a summary of the evidence on the nature and scale of the risks faced by investors and recommendations for appropriate forms of protection; and, on the basis of existing regulatory structures in the UK and USA, sets out a proposed structure in accordance with the thrust of the authors' analysis. While specific in its coverage, much of the argument presented here is closely applicable to other financial sectors in which regulation is a crucial issue; and it is especially pertinent to current debates on financial regulation in the run-up to the completion of the European internal market in 1992.

"A virtual bible of how economic indicators are constructed and used. Important tidbits of history are mixed with present-day nuances to explain why we should care about all the economic indicators."
?Allen Grommet, Senior Economist, Cambridge Consumer Credit Index

"This book is an indispensable resource for anyone that wants a practical understanding of the economy and how it is measured. The information is clear, concise, and will help investors at all levels leverage the vast amount of economic data available."
?Jesse Harriott, PhD, Vice President of Research, Monster Worldwide, Inc.

This updated guide to economic indicators -- what they are and what they really mean -- covers all major economic indicators, from GDP to the consumer price index. You'll not only learn what key economic measurements are and how to read and interpret them, you'll discover how to use them to make better, more-informed financial, trading, and investing decisions.

"Foreign Capital and Technology in China" brings together both Chinese and non-Chinese policy-makers, managers, and scholars to examine the role of private foreign business in China. Seventeen specialists review China's policies toward foreign capital and technology, the experience of various countries in managing the entry and performance of foreign firms, and the applicability of this experience to China. With its comprehensive coverage and expert contributors, this volume is essential reading for anyone interested in U.S.-China trade relations, international business, and international finance, as well as to practitioners who desire greater understanding of the Chinese view of foreign business.

Praise for Measure What Matters to Customers: Using Key Predictive Indicators

"From his wit to his insights, Ron Baker has done it again! As one of the best management thinkers of our time, he has taken on the field of measurement and given us the gift of knowledge so we may move ahead as well."
--Reed Holden, founder, Holden Advisors Corp., www.holdenadvisors.com, coauthor, The Strategy and Tactics of Pricing

"Baker's book evolves the rationale for defining the success of a business the same way the customer does. With impeccable logic, he leads the charge for effectiveness over efficiency by shining the spotlight on the realities of today's knowledge economy. Measure What Matters to Customers is a Rosetta stone for leaders who are trying to translate what they measure into value for the customer."
--Thomas Finneran, Executive Vice President, American Association of Advertising Agencies

"I have read literally hundreds of business books and no author has entertained, educated, challenged, and extended my thinking more than Ron Baker. Ron is a gifted storyteller who, in a disarmingly simple way, shares with his readers an extraordinarily powerful message. In Measure What Matters to Customers, Ron provides us with an elegant justification, together with a practical framework, for developing metrics that truly reflect what's important to the people who, at the end of the day, determine the destiny of any organization--its customers. If you play a role in contributing to the success of any entity, whether it is a for-profit or nonprofit, you and the organization you serve will benefit immensely from this book."
--Ric Payne, President and CEO, Principa, www.principa.net

"We have known since the 1960s, when Xerox did extensive research, that employee satisfaction - customer satisfaction - profitability, yet the vast majority of companies measure only the latter. Why? Because we have a learning disability, that's why! In Measure What Matters to Customers, Ron Baker slaps us in the face with a generous dose of logic to help us correct our blind wandering through the labyrinth of lagging indicators like revenue and profitability, in favor of key predictive indicators that define success the same way our customers do. Hmmm, maybe we will get it this time?"
--Ed Kless, Director, Partner Development and Recruitment, Sage Software

"Ron Baker has done it again--this is the most helpful business book that I have read. In it, Ron continues his relentless focus on customer value, challenging the reader to rethink their definition of success. It provides both a solid theoretical foundation and proven practical steps that can be implemented in your business today to become a truly customer-focused organization. Lead your organization to the next level by measuring what matters to customers."
--Brendon Harrex, Chairman, Ward Wilson Ltd., Invercargill, New Zealand

"Yet more insights from Ron Baker that force us to challenge conventional norms--norms that keep us missing the really important stuff. Read this book and discover that there absolutely is an opportunity to move way beyond where you are now, into new realms of real relevance--indeed into new ways of delivering a far better customer experience. Yet again, Ron Baker provides a fabulous pathway."
--Paul Dunn, founder and CEO, ResultsNet Australia, www.resultsnetaustralia.com, coauthor, TheFirm of the Future: A Guide for Accountants, Lawyers, and Other Professional Services

Proven currency-specific trading strategies from one of today's top currency analysts

"If you trade currency, then you need to have this book on your desk. It's the only book you need for technical analysis of the fastest-moving market on the planet."
--Rob Booker, Currency Trader, W.R. Booker & Company

"In plain English, Schlossberg lays out the basics in using technical analysis to trade foreign currencies, from the fundamentals of how the FX market works to the variety of technical strategies and trade management techniques traders can employ. Along the way, he offers entertaining examples and observations as well as simple, easy-to-read charts and diagrams. Anyone interested in getting started in the hugely popular FX market would do well to begin with this book."
--Sarah Rudolph, Executive Editor, SFO Magazine

"Boris Schlossberg has done a fabulous job with this book. It's packed with insightful tips and strategies that are sure to save traders a lot of time and money."
--Cory Janssen, CoFounder, Investopedia.com

"Schlossberg's book is a great resource for traders just starting out in currency markets. His focus on simplicity is critical for a new trader's education on how to make money."
--Andrew B. Busch, Global FX Strategist, BMO Financial Group

A detailed, multi-disciplinary approach to investment analytics Portfolio Construction and Analytics provides an up-to-date understanding of the analytic investment process for students and professionals alike. With complete and detailed coverage of portfolio analytics and modeling methods, this book is unique in its multi-disciplinary approach. Investment analytics involves the input of a variety of areas, and this guide provides the perspective of data management, modeling, software resources, and investment strategy to give you a truly comprehensive understanding of how today's firms approach the process. Real-world examples provide insight into analytics performed with vendor software, and references to analytics performed with open source software will prove useful to both students and practitioners. Portfolio analytics refers to all of the methods used to screen, model, track, and evaluate investments. Big data, regulatory change, and increasing risk is forcing a need for a more coherent approach to all aspects of investment analytics, and this book provides the strong foundation and critical skills you need. * Master the fundamental modeling concepts and widely used analytics * Learn the latest trends in risk metrics, modeling, and investment strategies * Get up to speed on the vendor and open-source software most commonly used * Gain a multi-angle perspective on portfolio analytics at today's firms Identifying investment opportunities, keeping portfolios aligned with investment objectives, and monitoring risk and performance are all major functions of an investment firm that relies heavily on analytics output. This reliance will only increase in the face of market changes and increased regulatory pressure, and practitioners need a deep understanding of the latest methods and models used to build a robust investment strategy. Portfolio Construction and Analytics is an invaluable resource for portfolio management in any capacity.

"Dark Pools" is a practical text dealing with the increasingly important topic of dark pools, or non-displayed, off-exchange trading and liquidity. It discusses the development of the equity trading marketplace over the past two decades and how dark pools may evolve in a post-financial crisis world.

Asset management has become central to the development of the financial industry, both in the United States and Europe. The increasing number of cross-border merger and acquisition operations and the extremely high valuations that are put on those operations are evidence of the major financial establishments' desire to invest in a sector that they consider to be essential to their strategy of globalising and "financialising" their activities.

Asset management's transition from an "art and craft" to an industry has inevitably called integrated business models into question, favouring specialisation strategies based on cost optimisation and learning curve objectives.

Faced with an abundance of tools and academic references, it is important to place all the practices, empirical studies and innovations in their context, given that they are always described as "major" by their promoters in the area of portfolio theory.

"Portfolio Theory and Performance Analysis" allow the professionals, whether managers or investors, to take a step back and c learly separate true innovations from mere improvements to well-known, existing techniques; puts into context the importance of innovations with regard to the fundamental portfolio management questions, which are the evolution of the investment management process, risk analysis and performance measurement; takes the explicit or implicit assumptions contained in the promoted tools into account and, by so doing, evaluate the inherent interpretative or practical limits.

This book connects each of the major categories of techniques and practices to the unifying and seminal conceptual developments of modern portfolio theory, whether theseinvolve measuring the return on a portfolio, analysing portfolio risk or evaluating the quality of the portfolio management process.