These proceedings gather selected peer-reviewed papers from the 11th World Congress on Engineering Asset Management (WCEAM), which was held in Jiuzhaigou, China, on 25-28 July, 2016. These proceedings cover a wide range of topics in engineering asset management, including: * strategic asset management; * condition monitoring and diagnostics; * integrated intelligent maintenance; * sensors and devices; * information quality and management; * sustainability in asset management; * asset performance and knowledge management; * data mining and AI techni ques in asset management; * engineering standards; and * education in engineering asset management. The breadth and depth of these state-of-the-art, comprehensive proceedings make them an excellent resource for asset management practitioners, researchers and academics, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate students.

In Just 18 Months, Nicolas Darvas Turned $25,000 into Over $2 Million...
This is How He Did It...
...and How You Can Do it Too
With just fifty pounds sterling to his name, at the age of 23, Nicolas Darvas fled his native Hungary using a forged exit visa, to escape the Nazis. A dancer by trade, he toured nightclubs and other venues, making a living as a performer.
While on tour in 1952, a Toronto nightclub offered Darvas $3000 worth of stock in a Canadian mining company, instead of his normal cash payment. He accepted the offer, and within two months, made an $8000 profit.
When this happened, Darvas became very interested in the stock market.
Seeing the potential for easy money in the stock market, but realizing that his initial success was based on luck, over the next several years, Darvas became committed to conquering Wall Street. He read as much as he possibly could about the stock market. He analyzed company balance sheets, studied analyst forecasts, and read dozens of investment newsletters.
This book is the result of that study, including how Darvas used his system to take a $25,000 investment and turn it into a $2.25 million fortune in just 18 months.
Nicolas Darvas wasn't a professional stock trader. He was a dancer. Yet, his unique approach to stock trading, which allowed him to make money regardless of whether the market rose or fell, enabled him to make a fortune.
Will this system work for you? Yes
Unlike most stock trading systems, Darvas' unique strategies work, regardless of the economy or other market conditions. In fact, thanks to modern day analysis tools, his system works as well today as it ever has.
Every day, people make money in the stock market. You can too

Praise for "Market Neutral Strategies"

"Elucidates the sources of potential alpha for a breadth of strategies, as well as the origins of prior miscues." --Edgar J. Sullivan, Ph.D., CFA, Managing Director, General Motors Asset Management

"A comprehensive, thought-leading treatment of market neutral investing."--Thomas F. Obsitnik, CFA, Investment Advisor, Eli Lilly and Company

"This excellent and highly relevant publication provides practical answers to practical problems." --Hans de Ruiter, Senior Portfolio Manager, ABP Investments

"A wealth of insights about market neutral investing from a range of real-life practitioners."--Rick Harper, Chief Executive Officer, Superannuation Funds of South Australia

"Bruce Jacobs and Ken Levy blazed the trail for institutional market neutral investing; now they illuminate it."--Richard M. Ennis, CFA, Principal, Ennis Knupp + Associates

"Jacobs and Levy handle the complex subject of market neutral investing at a level the intelligent investor will understand."--Leola Ross, Ph.D., CFA, Senior Research Analyst, Russell Investment Group

"A comprehensive book on market neutral investing, and a roadmap of pitfalls that many would find only by stumbling into them."--Robert D. Arnott, Chairman, Research Affiliates, LLC and Editor, "Financial Analysts Journal"

"A comprehensive review of market neutral strategies, drawing on the theoretical and hands-on knowledge of industry experts.,"--Harry M. Markowitz, 1990 Nobel Laureate in Economics

"Anyone who plans to invest in market neutral strategies should read this book." --Brian Bruce, Editor-In-Chief, "The Journal of Investing"

"Contains intuitive, informative, andinsightful discussions of major market neutral strategies--an invaluable resource."--Professor Narayan Y. Naik, Director, Centre for Hedge Fund Research and Education, London Business School

"Jacobs and Levy are clear, focused, sharp and insightful...a 'must read' for any serious investor."--Les Balzer, Professor of Finance, The University of New South Wales and Head of Research, Hedge Funds of Australia Limited

"A must read. Investors who know how to integrate short positions with long positions are at a major advantage." --Edward M. Miller, Research Professor of Economics and Finance, University of New Orleans

"Transparency is rare in financial markets, but you will find it in this book. I highly recommend it." --Meir Statman, Glenn Klimek Professor of Finance, Santa Clara University

"Jacobs and Levy have provided awesome thought leadership. This book gives readers an insider's look at market neutral investing."--Wayne H. Wagner, Chairman, Plexus Group, Inc.

""Market Neutral Strategies" illuminates for the serious investor the techniques, benefits, and risks of various methods of market neutral investing." --Edward O. Thorp, Ph.D., Edward O. Thorp Associates, Author of "Beat the Dealer"

With numerous cogent examples from real estate markets worldwide, Dr. Hines makes it clear that investing in foreign real estate is by no means the same as investing domestically. She shows how, why, and when special strategies must be devised to enter the world market; conveys essential information on global investment opportunities; outlines career opportunities and advancement strategies in international investment; and provides insights into international business in the context of global real estate investing. Her focus on industrial, commercial, and residential real estate reflects both the major investment interests of world-class investment professionals and the diversity of real estate market conditions. Her book is thus an essential resource for professional real estate investors, teachers, and their graduate-level students. Dr. Hines focuses on the general investment strategies that successful and profitable international real estate investors have devised over many years and now follow assiduously. Readers gain knowledge of direct investment in industrial, commercial, and residential real estate and through the purchase of securities, such as real estate investment trusts and mortgage backed issues. After discussing basic international real estate differences and general acquisition strategies, the book moves to functional strategies, such as valuation, land development, construction, financing, and tax strategies. Dr. Hines concludes with a coverage of housing and shopping centers, office buildings, and industrial property investment--all of which allow readers to observe the differences among functional areas and then tie them to the differences among investments invarious types of properties. Her book covers Western, Eastern, and Central Europe; East, Southeast Central, and South Asia; Africa in general, and Morocco in Northwest Africa in particular; plus the Middle East and North and South America.

Discover the Ideal Investment Strategy for Yourself and Your Clients

"To enhance investment results and boost creativity, Jim Ware replaces the maxim know your investments with know yourself. And he gives us specific testing tools to do the job."–Dean LeBaron, Founder, Batterymarch Financial Management, Chairman, Virtualquest.company, and investment author and commentator

"Many investment firms fail, even though they are run by intelligent, qualified professionals, because they lack creativity. This book can rescue you. Jim Ware explains how to organize your business to encourage creative thinking. In five years, your customers will be working with an advisor who read this book, so make sure you are the one who did."–Ralph Wanger, President, Acorn Investment Trust, CFA and author of A Zebra in Lion Country: Ralph Wanger’s Guide to Investment Survival

"Jim Ware has a great knack for understanding people and successful investing. This unusual combination of skills creates a rare find: useful insights to improve investment performance through helping people work together better. Jim’s wit and humor make this a fun read as well!"–Dee Even, Senior Investment Officer, Allstate Insurance Company, Property & Casualty

"The Psychology of Money represents a major step toward development of a portfolio theory that recognizes human dynamics and differences among people. Jim’s content is solid, and his presentation is engaging. This book ought to be on every practitioner’s bookshelf."–Kenneth O. Doyle, University of Minnesota, Author, The Social Meanings of Money and Property: In Search of a Talisman

"Finally, an insightful look at the human side of investing. A step-by-step guide to enhancing management performance to increase returns."– Abbie Smith, PhD, Professor of Accounting.University of Chicago Business School

Dr. Sekhar offers comprehensive knowledge on the mutual fund industry in India and provides ready-made practical information for investors. He presents an overview of investment patterns for both public and private sector mutual funds, and analyses the performance of selected schemes using various measures of risk.

This timely book examines the quiet revolution that is currently unfolding in Latin America and its likely consequences for U.S. trade and investment with and within that region. Receiving meager coverage by America's media, a virtual sea of change has taken place in Latin America during the past few years. Democratically elected leaders have labored to extricate their economies from the debt-laden stagnation of the lost decade by pursuing far-reaching stabilization and liberalization reform programs. Under President George Bush's proposed Enterprise Initiative for the Americas (EAI) and negotiations toward the formation of a North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) with Mexico, U.S. economic policy toward Latin America is now in the midst of a dramatic revision that seeks to rectify the neglect of the past and replace it with active encouragement of economic and political change. The authors investigate the forces behind the lost decade in Latin America, the adjustment efforts that have emerged in its wake, and the enhanced potential of Latin economies as trade partners and investment outlets under the EAI and NAFTA. They look at these developments in the light of regionalizing trends afoot in the global economy at large and argue that stronger ties with Latin America are essential to the future well-being of the United States.

After outlining the emergence of global economic regionalism and its likely impact upon the United States and Latin America, the authors trace the origins of the latter's lost decade to the debt crisis of the early 1980s, the inadequacy of past international strategies to manage it, and the adoption of strenuous adjustment programs by Latin nations to deal with both debt repayment and the legacy of misguided development approaches. They show how the EAI is meant to accelerate the movement toward reliance upon free-market forces in Latin America and how the United States is likely to benefit from closer economic ties with the countries of that region. A full account of NAFTA's proposed liberalization of trade between the United States and Mexico follows, as the authors investigate its origins, examine Mexico's adjustment record, and list the gains that both nations are likely to realize under a free-trade accord. They then look at two sets of Latin economies, the first of which is formed by Chile, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Colombia and the second comprised of Brazil, Argentina, and Peru. While the former are prepared for economic integration with the United States, major problems impair the ability of the latter to become full-fledged participants in an economic pact with the United States. The analysis presented in the book should be of substantial value to businessmen, students of world affairs, as well as those with a specific interest in U.S.-Latin relations.

THE WILD INSIDE STORY OF CRYPTO'S GET-RICH-QUICK UNDERBELLY

Nat Eliason had six months to make as much money as possible before his first child was born.
So, he turned to where countless others did in 2021: crypto.

Within a year, he'd made millions writing code holding hundreds of millions of dollars of other people's money. He'd been hacked. He'd sold a picture of a monkey for two hundred grand. He'd become an influencer, speaking at conferences, and writing a weekly newsletter to tens of thousands of fans. Best of all, Nat had amassed a small fortune. But how much of this money was even real? And how many times can someone double down before they eventually lose everything?

Crypto Confidential is Nat's unfiltered, insider's account of the hyperactive, hyper-speculative, hyper-addictive, nearly unregulated, completely insane world being built on the blockchain. A story of getting rich, going broke, scamming and getting scammed - and how we can all be more educated participants during the inevitable next bull run.

The editors of this volume provide a comprehensive and in-depth collection of articles on financial and investment issues in emerging capital markets. The collection offers coverage of all major emerging countries as well as all major topics related to emerging market finance.

By presenting general, conceptual essays as well as technical, specific essays in a coherent framework, the book attempts to broaden the traditional finance and international finance literature to include emerging market countries where markets are more rigid, segmented, or fragmented than developed market countries. Researchers, graduate students, finance professionals, investors, and policy makers will find this volume useful.

We're all familiar with "choice overload," whether on a trip to the grocery store, or while flipping through satellite TV channels. And while it's human to want all of the options, the surprising truth is that the more choice we have, the less satisfied we are. And nowhere is this more true - or more dangerous - than in our investments. Despite the troubled global economy, there are tens of thousands of mutual funds, hedge funds, exchange-traded funds, and other vehicles waiting to take your money. For help, individual and institutional investors alike turn to financial managers, though they are often no better equipped than the average person to assess and manage risk. In "The Investor's Paradox," hedge fund expert Brian Portnoy explains how to sift through today's diverse investment choices and solve even the most daunting portfolio problems. Drawing on cutting-edge research in behavioral economics, social psychology and choice theory, Portnoy lays bare the biases that interfere with good decision-making, and gives readers a set of basic tools they can use to tell the good from the bad. Along the way, he demystifies hedge funds, cuts through the labyrinth of the modern financial supermarket, and debunks popular myths, including the idea that mutual funds can "beat the market."

With real case stories, Wells and Ahmed bring to life both the hopes for and the failures of international guarantees of property rights for investors in the developing world. Their cases focus on infrastructure projects, but the lessons apply equally to many other investments. In the 1990's inexperienced firms from rich countries jumped directly into huge projects in some of the world's least developed countries. Their investments reflected almost unbridled enthusiasm for emerging markets and trust in new international guarantees. Yet within a few years the business pages of the world press were reporting an exploding number of serious disputes between foreign investors and governments. As the expected bonanzas proved elusive and the protections weaker than anticipated, many foreign investors became disenchanted with emerging markets. So bad were the outcomes in some cases that a few notable infrastructure firms came close to bankruptcy; several others hurriedly fled poor countries as projects soured.
In this book, Louis Wells and Rafiq Ahmed show why disputes developed, point out how investments and disputes have changed over time, explore why various firms responded differently to crises, and question the basic wisdom of some of the enthusiasm for privatization. The authors tell how firms, countries, and multilateral development organizations can build a conflict-management system that balances the legitimate economic and social concerns of the host countries and those of investors. Without these changes, multinational corporations will lose profitable opportunities and poor countries will not gain the contributions that foreign investment can make toward alleviating poverty.

Do you want to feel more confident about your investment decisions?

Do you need to have a better understanding of how the stock markets value a business?

Do you want to know what the key ratios are that drive share price performance?

The Financial Times Guide to Making the Right Investment Decisions is the insider’s guide to how the market examines companies and values shares.  It helps you understand the factors that drive long term wealth creation as well as highlighting the key risks that lead to value being destroyed.

Originally published as Analysing Companies and Valuing Shares, this new edition has been fully revised and includes a new and easy to follow framework for understanding valuation.  Perfect for investors at all levels, it guides you through the investment maze, and highlights the key issues you need to consider to invest successfully.

The Financial Times Guide to Making the Right Investment Decisions:

• Gives you an easy to follow framework to  guide your decision-making
• Explains clearly and concisely key financial concepts and how they drive valuation
• Shows you the key ratios to monitor and how they affect share prices
• Illustrates the key risks and warning signals that will help you avoid losses
• Identifies the qualities of company management and governance that differentiates winners from losers
• Brings the issues and numbers to life with real examples and case studies

Income Investing Today

Income Investing Today details a safe alternative to the downside risks inherent in the stock market--income securities that can provide a 7% to 8% annual cash income. With this book, fixed income expert Richard Lehmann outlines income investing concepts you need to understand, various investment vehicles, and investment strategies that will help you build a safe, diversified portfolio of investments.

The investment vehicles he explains range well beyond traditional fixed income securities or creditor instruments such as bonds, to include hybrids, REITs, mutual funds, and more. He shows that the key to building a steady, growth-oriented income portfolio is to diversify over a variety of securities that depend on different drivers--that is, portfolios that are not vulnerable to any one specific economic factor such as interest rates.

The ideal guide for individual investors saving for retirement and seeking more safety in their portfolios, Income Investing Today shows how a diversified collection of income securities can equal or exceed the returns from common stock with much lower risk.

Examine the high yield market for a clear understanding of this evolving asset class High Yield Debt is the one-stop resource for wealth advisors seeking an in-depth understanding of this misunderstood asset class. The high yield market provides a diverse opportunity set, including fixed and floating rate debt, high and low quality debt issues and both short- and long-term duration; but many fail to understand that not all high yield exposure is the same, and that different market segments and strategies work best at different points in the economic cycle. This guide addresses the confusion surrounding high yield debt. You'll find the information you need to decide whether or not to buy in to a high yield fund, and how to evaluate the opportunities and risks without getting lost in the jargon. The U.S. corporate high yield market is worth $2.4 trillion more than the stock markets of most developed countries. Market growth has increased the number of funds with high yield exposure, as well as the types of debt products available for investment. This book breaks it down into concrete terms, providing the answers advisors need to effectively evaluate the opportunities on offer. * Understand the high yield asset class * Learn the debt structures, performance and defaults * Evaluate risk and investment opportunities * Penetrate the jargon to make sense of high yield investment Over 300 publicly traded funds provide exposure to U.S. high yield, but despite it's size and ubiquity, understanding of the asset class as a whole remains somewhat of a rarity even among participants. A lack of transparency is partially to blame, but the market's evolution over the past fifteen years is the larger issue. High Yield Debt explains the modern high yield market in real terms, providing a much-needed resource for the savvy investor. "Rajay Bagaria has written the first book that captures a 360 degree view of the high yield debt market. Whether you are an investor, investment banker, corporate lawyer, CFO or layperson simply trying to gain insights into the fundamentals of high yield debt, this book translates financial and legal concepts, trends and structures of high yield bonds and leveraged loans into a simple, understandable format. Mr. Bagaria s book is a valuable resource for anyone involved in the new issue or secondary leveraged finance markets." Frank J. Lopez, Co-Head Global Capital Markets, Proskauer "Bagaria does a great service for both high yield professionals and beginners by providing an accessible, well-written, insightful market primer." Steven Miller, Managing Director, S&P Capital IQ, Leveraged Commentary & Data "High-Yield Debt - An Insider s Guide to the Marketplace is a comprehensive book that provides an in-depth understanding of the history, growth, basics and details of high-debt and the high-yield market. The author gives insights that only an experienced professional can provide. The book will be invaluable to readers both starting out and knowledgeable about an important segment of corporate finance, dealing with concepts, structures and performance." Arthur Kaufman, Retired Partner, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP / Member of Adjunct Faculty, Columbia Law School

Value-Based Working Capital Management analyzes the causes and effects of improper cash flow management between entrepreneurial organizations with varying levels of risk. This work looks at the motives and criteria for decision-making by entrepreneurs in their efforts to protect the financial security of their businesses and manage financial liquidity. Michalski argues that businesses exposed to greater risk need a different approach to managing liquidity levels.