This edited volume brings together contributions from experts on a range of food security issues, and examines them through a number of case studies. A Millennium Development goal and important policy concern, food security is experiencing renewed interest due to globalisation, which has led to population affluence, changing consumption, and production and trade patterns. The authors discuss how globalisation brings a new dimension to the discussion on public policy on food security, and consider the extent to which Global Value Chains (GVCs) dominate trade, investment and international agricultural markets. Food Security and Sustainability therefore sheds new light on the nexus of food security and globalization, as well as its implications for investment and financing in the agro-food sector. The volume draws on papers presented at the inaugural Workshop of the Mediterranean Center for Food Security and Sustainable Growth (MED-SEC), an international network of academics focusing on issues of development, sustainability and food security.

This book helps students, researchers and quantitative finance practitioners to understand both basic and advanced topics in the valuation and modeling of financial and commodity derivatives, their institutional framework and risk management. It provides an overview of the new regulatory requirements such as Basel III, the Fundamental Review of the Trading Book (FRTB), Interest Rate Risk of the Banking Book (IRRBB), or the Internal Capital Assessment Process (ICAAP). The reader will also find a detailed treatment of counterparty credit risk, stochastic volatility estimation methods such as MCMC and Particle Filters, and the concepts of model-free volatility, VIX index definition and the related volatility trading. The book can also be used as a teaching material for university derivatives and financial engineering courses.

Security Analysis, Portfolio Management, and Financial Derivatives integrates the many topics of modern investment analysis. It provides a balanced presentation of theories, institutions, markets, academic research, and practical applications, and presents both basic concepts and advanced principles. Topic coverage is especially broad: in analyzing securities, the authors look at stocks and bonds, options, futures, foreign exchange, and international securities. The discussion of financial derivatives includes detailed analyses of options, futures, option pricing models, and hedging strategies. A unique chapter on market indices teaches students the basics of index information, calculation, and usage and illustrates the important roles that these indices play in model formation, performance evaluation, investment strategy, and hedging techniques. Complete sections on program trading, portfolio insurance, duration and bond immunization, performance measurements, and the timing of stock selection provide real-world applications of investment theory. In addition, special topics, including equity risk premia, simultaneous-equation approach for security valuation, and Ito's calculus, are also included for advanced students and researchers.

"Financial Risk Management" provides a rigorous analysis of domestic and international risk management issues. Unlike other texts in the area there is an emphasis on the international dimension of portfolio management allowing the development of an effective, geocentric portfolio strategy.
All chapters represent in-depth reviews of the latest research on the topics under discussion. This ensures that the discussions are comprehensive, thorough and easy to read.
Topics covered include: .
* A comprehensive review of investment developments and strategies.
* Foreign exchange markets.
* Various forms of market anomalies.
Presenting the latest techniques and strategies in domestic and international investment management in a clear way, this is an ideal text for advanced undergraduate and graduate students who use quantitative techniques for investment and portfolio management.

This is a comprehensive guide to the financial markets' most important and often least understoof instruments. This key practical guide examines derivatives traded in the equity, debt, and currency markets, focusing on those product characteristics that emphasize the instruments' specific uses and applications. Particular attention is paid to product evolution, associate risks, valuation, and trading and hedging strategies. The guide seeks to provide practical solutions to numerous risk management problems through its analysis of both asymmetrical and symmetrical risk products.

The treatment of each instrument, be it exchange listed or over the counter, is designed to highlight its particular features and uses. The following products are explored: stock options; stock index options; currency options; exchange-traded interest rate options; caps, floors, and collars; warrants; interest rate financial futures; stock index futures; forward rate agreements; and swaps. Additional features of the book include: summaries at the end of each chapter highlighting the main characteristics of each instrument; a tabular comparison of the features of all the derivatives discussed in the book; and an extensive glossary explaining much of the terminology used in the world's financial derivatives markets. This volume will provide an excellent reference tool for a wide range of financial professionals, including bankers, dealers, investment analysts, corporate treasurers, fund managers, sophisticated private investors, and market researchers.

This book examines selected actions and investments of the European Central Bank (ECB) from a climate and sustainability standpoint. Shedding new light on the topic from various angles - ethical, philosophical, political, economical and legal - it situates sustainability mainstreaming in the finance and investment field at all levels. The former ECB President Mario Draghi once said that he considered sustainable development and an intact environment to be human rights, and therefore enshrined in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The acting ECB President Christine Lagarde added that the future path for the climate is uncertain, but it would remain within our power to influence it. However, with all that in mind the ECB's policy of buying assets as securities is often questionable. This volume analyzes these actions in connection with sustainability, and puts forward practical recommendations for improving the ECB's investment strategy on its way creating a sustainable financial market.

A comprehensive guide to technical analysis for both the novice and the professional Technical analysis is a vital tool for any trader, asset manager, or investor who wants to earn top returns. Successful Stock Signals for Traders and Portfolio Managers lets you combine technical analysis and fundamental analysis using existing technical signals to improve your investing performance. Author Tom Lloyd Sr. explains all the technical indicators you need to know, including moving averages, relative strength, support and resistance, sell and buy signals, candlesticks, point and figure charts, Fibonacci levels, Bollinger Bands, and both classic and new indicators. Merging these technical indicators with fundamental analysis will keep you in a portfolio of outperforming stocks, sharpen your fundamental buy discipline, and put your sell discipline on autopilot. * Includes case studies applying technical analysis to current trending and hotly debated stocks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Netflix * Offers thorough and straightforward guidance on technical analysis for both professional and individual investors * Covers the vital indicators in the public domain that investors need to know Whether you're an individual investor who wants to beat the indexes, a trader looking for high-risk, high-return positions, or a portfolio manager who wants to take a fundamental approach, this an ideal guide to technical analysis and indicators.

Become a savvy investor in the options market

The New Options Market, Fourth Edition

Referred to as the bible of options books, The New Options Market has groomed two generations of traders and investors for success. Now with this updated and expanded Fourth Edition, Max Ansbacher gives his unique and tested strategies to you! With the help of numerous real-world illustrations, appendices with over thirty Web site suggestions for options traders, and specific advice on option picks, he explains the basics of trading theory and practice. In easy-to-understand, nonmathematical language, The New Options Market, Fourth Edition, is a highly personal, and newly updated guide that is specifically aimed at options traders in need of knowledge that will lead them to success.

"Aimed squarely at the ordinary investor, The New Options Market provides a practical guide to the use and misuse of options as an investment tool. Max Ansbacher’s book is an excellent starting point for investors seeking a clear, nontheoretical introduction to options." –Jack Schwager, Author of Market Wizards and The New Market Wizards

"As a broker on the S & P options floor for the past eight years, I find that The New Options Market, unlike other option books, represents a clear, practical approach to trading options. Both the professional and the novice will benefit from the comprehensive coverage of all aspects of option trading." –Kevin M. Maclean, V.P., Fimat, U.S.A.

"Max Ansbacher is a true professional–one of today’s most experienced option brokers and traders. His expertise stands out in this new edition of his book as it has in the previous editions. The fact that Max is a maestro at writing options is evident in the quality of the chapters on option selling."–Lawrence G. McMillan, President of McMillan Analysis Corp. and author of McMillan on Options

'How many millionaires do you know who have become wealthy by investing in savings accounts? I rest my case.' - Robert G. Allen, investment advisor and author of Multiple Streams of Income In many people's thinking, the financial markets are reserved only for the wealthy or people with financial or economic backgrounds. They discard the idea of becoming involved in trading because they perceive it to be too difficult. But Ross Larter, author of How to Make Money on the Stock Exchange, believes that the markets provide opportunities for everyone to generate income. Learning the skills of trading on the stock market can provide you with the opportunity to generate an income well into your retirement years. To those who have walked the journey for a while, the stock market becomes like an all-you-can-eat buffet, providing opportunity on a daily basis for individuals to make money for themselves and their families. How to Make Money on the Stock Exchange is written for ordinary people, in everyday language, to help them understand how the stock market works, and how to use this knowledge to acquire the necessary skills to generate a secondary (and potentially a primary) income by investing and/or trading on the markets. You don't need to be a financial whizz-kid to make money on the stock market. All you have to do is be willing, and take the time, to learn about it. This book will show you how.

Holger Markmann studies covered bonds and their market behaviour upon the announcement and implementation of outright covered bond purchases by the eurosystem. After introducing the covered bond market, its reaction to the global financial crisis, and the functionality of unconventional monetary policy to a broad audience, the author analyzes the impact of these purchases. The first Covered Bond Purchase Programme (CBPP1) has lowered covered bond spreads by 3-4 basis points in the short-term, 10 basis points in the medium-term, and increased emission volumes by EURO 103 billion. CBPP2 and CBPP3 have not led to similar effects. However, the programs' effectiveness relies on the market's expectations and its prevalent health. About the Author Holger Markmann is PostDoc at the Real Estate Management Institute (REMI) of EBS Universitat fur Wirtschaft und Recht and Managing Director of a real estate investment firm. His research focuses on real estate capital market financing, bank funding, and unconventional monetary policy. Prior to his current roles, he worked for a bulge bracket investment bank, advising financial institutions on their M&A- and capital market activities.

This book presents selected papers on the factors that serve to influence an individual's capacity in financial decision-making. Initial chapters provide an overview of the cognitive factors affecting financial decisions and suggest a link between limited cognitive capacity and the need for financial education. The book then expands on these cognitive limitations to explore the tendency for overconfidence in decision-making and the interplay between rational and irrational factors. Later contributions show how credit card companies benefit from limitations in consumer financial literacy, how gender and cognition intersect to play an important role in financial decision-making, and how to improve financial capacity through financial literacy and education campaigns, including those addressing developed marketplaces. This comprehensive collection of papers will be of value to all readers who seek to better understand the multi-factorial and complex nature of personal financial management in today's economic climate.

The rapid development of Asian countries has met with mixed reactions among economists. Most economists understand that a genuine development is underway; but, since the process has been a complex one, each has been able to apply favorite explanations to the situation. In Eastern Asia, regional interdependence has been important to developing countries. This work discusses the interaction between the regional economies through trade and foreign direct investment, relating interaction to economic growth and development.

This is a thorough exploration of the evolution of the commercial property investment and development markets from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. It explains how the current investment scene emerged and fills an important gap in the literature on the property market.

This book focuses on the impact of high-frequency data in forecasting market volatility and options price. New technologies have created opportunities to obtain better, faster, and more efficient datasets to explore financial market phenomena at the most acceptable data levels. It provides reliable intraday data supporting financial investment decisions across different assets classes and instruments consisting of commodities, derivatives, equities, fixed income and foreign exchange. This book emphasises four key areas, (1) estimating intraday implied volatility using ultra-high frequency (5-minutes frequency) currency options to capture traders' trading behaviour, (2) computing realised volatility based on 5-minute frequency currency price to obtain speculators' speculation attitude, (3) examining the ability of implied volatility to subsume market information through forecasting realised volatility and (4) evaluating the predictive power of implied volatility for pricing currency options. This is a must-read for academics and professionals who want to improve their skills and outcomes in trading options.

A psychological and fi nancial perspective on investment strategy andthe reality of market behavior.This groundbreaking book offers a unique perspective on theopportunities, dangers, and false representations facing the investor, by combining a view of both fi nancial and psychological realities. Itprovides the essentials of investing and reveals ways to protect andincrease hard-earned savings under one's own direction, with neither theexpensive drain nor possible unreliability or malfeasance of professionaladvisors. Sad tales of encounters with the markets are legion. Crashingfi nancial losses, gradually depleted savings, growth forgone, fear, anger, depression, and suicide are needlessly commonplace. One mayglimpse how to build one's savings with ease and serenity, for it is notthat diffi cult.

Contrary to other developed economies, Australia has experienced a long-term deterioration in housing affordability even between housing price booms. The house price boom that came after the global financial crisis has intensified the stress on Australian housing affordability to yet higher levels, and is likely to continue to be a concern for some time to come. This book reviews a range of available approaches for the measurement of housing affordability, and examines recent empirical evidence on housing affordability in Australia. It begins by explaining the relevance of housing to governments at different levels, the emergence of the housing affordability problem, and the global importance of housing affordability. It then explores the causes of the recent explosion in the number of institutions offering home loan products, analysing features such as the size, composition and changes in total lending and home lending in Australia. The author goes on to investigate the consequences of the two most recent rounds of financial deregulation, as well as the trends in interest rate and property prices, and recent changes in typical borrower behaviour. The book concludes by reviewing a range of available approaches in the measurement of housing affordability. It assesses whether there is a level of adjustment in housing affordability, and finally analyses which housing market segment represents the better investment opportunity during housing boom periods.