At the age of 26, Warren Buffett founded Buffett Partnership Limited, which lasted from 1956 to 1970. During this time he wrote 33 letters to his small but growing group of partners. These letters chronicle his thoughts, approaches and reflections in the period immediately prior to his Berkshire Hathaway tenure - one that saw an unprecedented record of investing success. This early period was astonishing: in 1968 he beat the Dow by more than 50%. Because Buffett wanted to ensure that his partners understood his process, he wrote letters. In them, he sets out what he termed "ground rules" for investing that remain startlingly relevant today for every type of investor - from beginners to sophisticated pros. Warren Buffett's Ground Rules brings together, for the first time, and with Buffett's blessing, the key investment principles and teachings the letters reveal. Here you will find the basis for Buffett's contrarian diversification strategy, his almost religious celebration of compounding interest and his tactics for bettering market results by at least 10% annually. Quoting extensively and directly from Buffett, equity research expert Jeremy Miller introduces us to the timeless advice the letters contain, demonstrating a set of highly effective investment strategies that continue to resonate today.

Since the publication of the 2nd edition of The Credit Risk of Complex Derivatives in 1997, the world of derivatives has gone through a period of dramatic change in the external operating environment, product and market characteristic and risk management techniques. In the light of these changes, the text has been substantially reorganized, updated and expanded. Several new chapters have been added including: derivative losses risk governance and risk management efforts regulatory initiatives and advances credit risk portfolio models Aimed at clients, intermediaries and regulators, this new edition will be focussed clearly on risk education, risk management and risk disclosure in order to make participation in derivatives more secure, transparent, efficient and beneficial. MARKET 1: Senior Managers; Risk Managers; Compliance Managers; Consultants; Trading and Sales Staff; Quantitative Analysts; Credit Analysts; Regulators MARKET 2: MBA courses

The book aims to prioritise what needs mastering and presents the content in the most understandable, concise and pedagogical way illustrated by real market examples. Given the variety and the complexity of the materials the book covers, the author sorts through a vast array of topics in a subjective way, relying upon more than twenty years of experience as a market practitioner. The book only requires the reader to be knowledgeable in the basics of algebra and statistics.

The Mathematical formulae are only fully proven when the proof brings some useful insight. These formulae are translated from algebra into plain English to aid understanding as the vast majority of practitioners involved in the financial markets are not required to compute or calculate prices or sensitivities themselves as they have access to data providers. Thus, the intention of this book is for the practitioner to gain a deeper understanding of these calculations, both for a safety reason - it is better to understand what is behind the data we manipulate - and secondly being able to appreciate the magnitude of the prices we are confronted with and being able to draft a rough calculation, aside of the market data.

The author has avoided excessive formalism where possible. Formalism is securing the outputs of research, but may, in other circumstances, burden the understanding by non-mathematicians; an example of this case is in the chapter dedicated to the basis of stochastic calculus.

The book is divided into two parts:

- First, the deterministic world, starting from the yield curve building and related calculations (spot rates, forward rates, discrete versus continuous compounding, etc.), and continuing with spot instruments valuation (short term rates, bonds, currencies and stocks) and forward instruments valuation (forward forex, FRAs and variants, swaps & futures);

- Second, the probabilistic world, starting with the basis of stochastic calculus and the alternative approach of ARMA to GARCH, and continuing with derivative pricing: options, second generation options, volatility, credit derivatives;

- This second part is completed by a chapter dedicated to market performance & risk measures, and a chapter widening the scope of quantitative models beyond the Gaussian hypothesis and evidencing the potential troubles linked to derivative pricing models.

Praise for Stock Index Futures & Options "Everything you wanted to know about global stock indexes in one place." —Tom Basso CEO, Trendstat Capital Management "With twenty years of professional experience behind her, Susan Abbott Gidel is the perfect person to present this intricate overview of today’s futures and options markets. Included is everything a beginner needs to know to understand the world of derivatives." —Robert R. Prechter Jr. President, Elliott Wave International

This book analyzes Africa's unprecedented economic growth, the state of its financial sector, and the varied opportunities for Islamic finance investors. It considers the role - potential and realized - of Islamic finance in fostering financial inclusion in areas such as banking, microfinance, capital market development, insurance, and private equity business. The book stresses that investing in Africa through Islamic finance will open new markets, ensure higher profit margins, diversify risk, and create business competition; and that these changes that will provide financial products that can satisfying the desires and beliefs of all consumers and unlock the real potential of the continent's financial system. The book also looks into the rise of international interest in Africa and concludes by scrutinizing the challenges impeding further economic growth, as well as the specific barriers that need to be addressed in order to promote the implementation of Islamic finance. Investors, policymakers, and academics ready to confront these challenges will find much of value in this book.

"Corporate Governance" is a new text which considers the problems surrounding governance and proposes solutions to help restore investor confidence in the corporate world. The book is intended for board members, corporate executives, regulators, auditors, creditors and analysts seeking a concise analysis of the governance issues facing financial and nonfinancial corporations round the world. The book is fully international in context and includes real life examples and cases to emphasize the practical nature of governance problems and solutions.

Service activities such as banking, insurance, telecommunications, business auditing, distribution, trading, and other services have been at the forefront of the transformation process in East Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. These reforms, though far from complete, are now sufficiently advanced to draw lessons and to identify strategic options for foreign service firms expanding in the region. In this volume, leading analysts and practitioners offer an appraisal of the service markets and the challenges related to foreign entry into the services sector in Central and Eastern Europe during the "second wave" of transformation. What is the emerging pattern of change? What is the outlook for promising business in the area of services? Which entry strategies have proven particularly successful? How do the leading service providers from the West deal with the challenges confronting them in service markets of the region?

This collective volume used case studies, field research and industry studies to consider strategic options for foreign service firms in East Central and Eastern Europe for the late nineties and beyond.

A through guide covering Modern Portfolio Theory as well as the recent developments surrounding it

Modern portfolio theory (MPT), which originated with Harry Markowitz's seminal paper "Portfolio Selection" in 1952, has stood the test of time and continues to be the intellectual foundation for real-world portfolio management. This book presents a comprehensive picture of MPT in a manner that can be effectively used by financial practitioners and understood by students.

"Modern Portfolio Theory" provides a summary of the important findings from all of the financial research done since MPT was created and presents all the MPT formulas and models using one consistent set of mathematical symbols. Opening with an informative introduction to the concepts of probability and utility theory, it quickly moves on to discuss Markowitz's seminal work on the topic with a thorough explanation of the underlying mathematics.Analyzes portfolios of all sizes and types, shows how the advanced findings and formulas are derived, and offers a concise and comprehensive review of MPT literatureAddresses logical extensions to Markowitz's work, including the Capital Asset Pricing Model, Arbitrage Pricing Theory, portfolio ranking models, and performance attributionConsiders stock market developments like decimalization, high frequency trading, and algorithmic trading, and reveals how they align with MPTCompanion Website contains Excel spreadsheets that allow you to compute and graph Markowitz efficient frontiers with riskless and risky assets

If you want to gain a complete understanding of modern portfolio theory this is the book you need to read.

This book provides a comprehensive overview for various segments of the global credit default swap (CDS) markets, touching upon how they were affected by the recent financial turmoil. The book uses empirical analysis on credit default swap markets, applying advanced econometric methodologies to the time series data. It covers not only well-studied sovereign credit default swap markets but also sector credit default swap indices (i.e., CDS index for the banking sector) and corporate credit default swap indices (i.e., Markit iTraxx Japan CDS index), which have not been fully examined by the previous literature. The book also investigates causality and co-movement among several credit default swap markets, or between CDS and other financial markets.

This book mainly addresses the general equilibrium asset pricing method in two aspects: option pricing and variance risk premium. First, volatility smile and smirk is the famous puzzle in option pricing. Different from no arbitrage method, this book applies the general equilibrium approach in explaining the puzzle. In the presence of jump, investors impose more weights on the jump risk than the volatility risk, and as a result, investors require more jump risk premium which generates a pronounced volatility smirk. Second, based on the general equilibrium framework, this book proposes variance risk premium and empirically tests its predictive power for international stock market returns.

Shareholder activism in Korea has been commended by Western economists. A prominent leader is the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD), a civil society organization. How could the activism led by a civil society organization grow and thrive in the poor soil of Korea to become the success story of corporate governance reform in developing countries? This book examines shareholder activism and investigates three elements of social movement theory - political opportunity, framing process and resource mobilization - to explain this phenomenon.

The global value of trading in index futures is about $20 trillion per year and rising and for many countries the value traded is similar to that traded on their stock markets. This book describes how index futures markets work and clearly summarises the substantial body of international empirical evidence relating to these markets. Using the concepts and tools of finance, the book also provides a comprehensive description of the economic forces that underlie trading in index futures. Stock Index Futures 3/e contains many teaching and learning aids including numerous examples, a glossary, essay questions, comprehensive references, and a detailed subject index. Written primarily for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students, this text will also be useful to researchers and market participants who want to gain a better understanding of these markets.

A state-of-the art treatment offering scientific procedures that require no special scientific expertise, Murphy's unusual new book provides a unified framework for the evaluation of investment assets and strategies--a particularly useful way to conduct security analysis, portfolio management, and trading, and for other general investment applications. Murphy covers practical methods for credit analysis and demonstrates ways to value equities using a pro forma model that integrates forecasting with the detailed use of financial statements and footnotes.

"Scientific Investment Analysis" explains how to evaluate both fixed income securities and equities, as well as options, futures, and investment companies. It illustrates the use of practical dynamic software for valuing complex call, conversion, and other option features embedded in security contracts. The valuation concepts he presents are well grounded in theory and empirical investigation and explained within the context of international portfolio management. The effects of trading, tax, and regulatory environments on market prices and investment strategies are thoroughly discussed. This is an important resource for investment analysts, researchers, advisers, and brokers, an as excellent text for students in advanced investment or portfolio management at upper university levels.

The dramatic increase of Japanese direct manufacturing investment in the United States since the 1970s has brought with it many questions about the Japanese investment decision-making process. Japanese Direct Manufacturing in the United States is the first book to investigate this process, explaining the behavior of both the micro- and macro-level actors involved in it and examining such issues as government-business interaction. Based on interviews with Japanese executives and government officials, this book provides an up-to-date and intensive look at this investment phenomenon for Japanese and American policymakers as well as researchers and students interested in Japanese multinational business.

This book provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the major economic indicators in the US and the Euro Zone. Following an introduction to the construction of indicators and the basic concepts behind their use, the specific characteristics of the two currency areas are analyzed, and the most important economic indicators and their significance are explained. The author has developed a unique rating system for economic indicators that enables readers to establish the relative importance of 'market movers'. The book also contains an extensive overview of the Datastream mnemonics, making it an essential tool for those conducting investment research.

"Foreign Direct Investment in the United States" examines the factors that have motivated foreign firms to invest in the United States. Foreign direct investment (FDI) has changed from being a one-lane country road, handling a modest flow of financial traffic to a two-way superhighway carrying huge amounts of capital into, and out of, the country. There is an explanation regarding how this has all come about, through a multidimensional/multidisciplinary approach to the subject, applying both microeconomic and organizational theory. Cultural and political factors associated with FDI are considered whilst two full chapters are devoted to an analysis of the effectiveness of public policies (both federal and state) in attracting capital to the U.S. The book contains data that tracks FDI since 1950 by industry and by country of origin. Of special interest is the discussion of the relationship between the U.S. and Japan and how the chronic current account surplus of Japan became FDI to the U.S.

Despite Keynes' achievement in developing his theory of monetary economy, he failed to integrate some important real effects investment into his analysis. Specifically, he neglected the role of replacement investment, although his anticipations of the q-theory laid the groundwork for a theory of replacement investment.;This book integrates Keynes' observations about the q-theory into a coherent theory of replacement investment. It demonstrates why, in the absence of a significant post-war depression, business was relieved of the need to replace obsolete capital goods, thereby leading the economy into a period of prolonged stagnation.;Michael Perelman is the author of several books including "Karl Marx's Crisis Theory - Labor, Scarcity and Fictitious Capital".

This book integrates socially responsible investment into modern portfolio theory from a multi-criteria perspective. Socially responsible investment is a "new deal" championed by the institutional investment and bank sectors, agents that influence mutual funds and other collective investment schemes and which fear that financial strategies without ethical constraints can harm sustainable growth and prosperity. The book shows how to combine financial criteria such as profitability and risk with non-financial criteria such as the protection of the ecosystem, responsible consumption of energy, and healthcare campaigns. The book's first part presents critical issues in ethical investment, while the second explains in detail the application of goal programming techniques for SRI funds, illustrating their use in actual cases. Part three demonstrates how compromise programming can be applied in the contexts of portfolio selection and risk management. Finally, in its fourth part the book examines the application of other decision-making support methods like the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) framework, the Reference Point Method, and soft computing techniques for portfolio selection.

In the wake of the recent financial crisis, many will agree that it is time for a fresh approach to portfolio management. "The Complete Guide to Portfolio Construction and Management" provides practical investment advice for building a robust, diversified portfolio.

Written by a high-profile investment adviser, this book reveals a practical portfolio management framework and new approach to portfolio construction based on four key market forces: macro, fundamental, technical, and behavioural. It is an insight that takes the focus off numbers, looking instead at the role of risk and behavior in finance.

As we have seen with the recent finance meltdown, traditional portfolio management techniques are flawed. Investors need to understand those flaws and learn how to incorporate risk management and behavioral finance into their asset management strategies.

With a foreword by industry leader Francois-Serge L'habitant, this is your one-stop guide, with new ways for you to manage, grow and preserve your investment portfolio, even in uncertain markets.

Acclaim for Bernie Schaeffer's expert approach to options trading.

"Bernie Schaeffer's penchant for contrary investing is terrific, and his market calls on that strategy have been excellent. He shows how to apply contrary thinking—and many other types of 'expectational analysis'—to option strategies. All option traders should enjoy reading this book." —Lawrence G. McMillan President, McMillan Analysis Corp. Author, Options as a Strategic Investment and McMillan on Options.

"A superb book that will benefit both stock and options investors. It blends technical analysis, fundamentals, investor psychology, and strategy to come up with an excellent approach to the markets. A good read for the investor seeking new trading ideas in today's fast moving markets." —Leo Fasciocco Stock Market Columnist, Investor's Business Daily.

"A breath of fresh air for options traders. Most options books are textbook in nature. Schaeffer cuts right to the chase and provides solid ideas on how to use options effectively for both conservative and trading-oriented investors. It's innovative and fresh. Get a copy." —Thomas J. Dorsey President, Dorsey Wright & Associates Author, Point & Figure Charting.

"Hercule Poirot once observed that 'the methods of detection change, but the crimes, they remain the same.' Bernie Schaeffer has proved this basic truth anew by using contrary opinion analysis brilliantly to navigate a stock market that has left most other 'contrarians' foundering on the rocks. The insight his book offers into how he has managed this feat makes The Option Advisor very timely as well as very valuable." —Paul Macrae Montgomery Analyst, Legg Mason Wood Walker Inc.

When nationally renowned options expert Bernie Schaeffer talks, everyone listens. A "Market Maven" on CNBC, a frequent guest on CNN, and a top-rated Timer Digest market timer for the past decade, he has also been a featured speaker at numerous investment conferences. His views on the stock market and the economy are regularly quoted in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Barron's, and Investor's Business Daily. Thousands of subscribers eagerly await each issue of his Option Advisor newsletter, and when he distills his decades of knowledge and experience—as he does in this remarkable book—savvy investors everywhere pay close attention.

In The Option Advisor: Wealth-Building Strategies Using Equity and Index Options, Schaeffer offers his own carefully tested, prudent, and profitable strategies for trading options. He begins by dispelling outdated folklore and beliefs about the options world, and reveals instead how options can be used as an inexpensive, leveraged vehicle for profiting from the movement in an equity. With clarity and logic, he explains the basic principles of options trading, emphasizing, in particular, why options cannot be traded like stocks—a very common and potentially very costly mistake.

Schaeffer delves into the psychology of options trading, demonstrating how to distinguish between "high" and "low" expectation stocks, how to measure sentiment, and how to master the valued Contrary Opinion Theory for successful trading. He shares his wealth-building techniques for selecting the right stocks, assessing risk, managing your options portfolio, and, most important, for reading market timing indicators. What The Option Advisor boils down to is expert guidance on managing your money, while avoiding the most common errors of options trading.

In a detailed section on applications, Schaeffer gives you practical, hands-on advice on how to use a full array of real-world trading strategies, including quick trades, aggressive trading strategies, conservative approaches, portfolio protection, and the increasingly popular Long-term Equity AnticiPation Securities (LEAPS). With characteristic thoroughness, Schaeffer also offers invaluable information on selecting an options broker, opening an options trading account, and doing research on the Internet.

From the novice to the experienced investor, The Option Advisor offers a gold mine of information on how to achieve success in options trading.

Purchase the power to trade smart Knowledge is power in any endeavor, and in the quick-action world of day trading--with roller-coaster markets, trade wars, and new tax laws inflating both opportunity and risk--being expertly informed is what gives you the power to trade fast with a cool head. The fully updated new edition of Day Trading For Canadians For Dummies--the first in almost a decade--gives you that knowledge, taking you from the basic machinery of short-term markets to building and sticking to a plan of action that keeps your bottom line sitting pretty. In an easy-to-follow, no-jargon style, award-winning business journalist Bryan Borzykowski provides a complete course in day trading. He covers the basics--such as raising capital and protecting one's principal investments--as well as specialized skills and knowledge, including risk-management strategies and ways to keep your emotions in check when you're plugged into an overheating market. You'll also find sample trading plans and important Canada-specific information, such as the best online brokerage firms, useful local resources, and an overview of the unique tax issues faced by Canadian traders. Evaluate strategy and performance Read market indicators Know your crypto Get your options For day traders, every second counts: With the help of Day Trading For Canadians For Dummies, you'll know where you want to be and how to get there--and how best to profit--fast.

Achieve higher returns with lower risk and take your profits globally.

A leading hedge fund trader offers a solid and profitable trading approach to the world markets.

"This is the best stock market book that I have read in a long time. Boucher lays it out clearly, concisely, and in a most interesting manner. A 'must read' for anyone who invests in the equities market." —Dan Sullivan Editor, The Chartist

"A leading practitioner offers rich theoretical insights and sound practical advice based on years of successful trading. Mark Boucher is that rare investment analyst who knows what really works in trading and can communicate it with authority and grace." —Nelson Freeburg Editor and Publisher, Formula Research, Inc.

The Hedge Fund Edge is an indispensable guide for any investor or trader who wants to consistently profit from the markets without having to undergo huge risks. Mark Boucher, hedge fund manager and well-known speaker on trading, provides readers with a solid methodology for achieving market-beating, long-run returns with risk that is substantially below the long-run risk of U.S. and global equities.

Boucher first looks at the limitations of traditional stock and bond investing, and then explains how to determine the safest and most profitable periods for investing in stocks in any country. He explains this strategy both conceptually and with an objective model that has been used to manage money successfully since the 1950s. He shows how to allocate funds among global equities at any given time while following safe, reliable, and profitable trends. The book also provides a thorough discussion of the Austrian Liquidity Cycle, an original combination of Austrian Economics, Economic Alchemy, and Liquidity Cycle Theory. Boucher explains how to use this theory to understand the major moves behind the markets and determine the most profitable market in which to invest.

The Hedge Fund Edge provides critical valuation and technical models as well as essential information on stock selection techniques to help readers identify which markets and stocks are both lower-risk and higher-performing. Boucher also describes, in detail, the impact of governmental policies on the markets and the connection between macroeconomic performance and investment performance. Also included are essential timing models for determining when to invest in gold, bonds, commodities, and other asset classes, as well as methods for allocating a portfolio with the goal of investing in the very best trends at any one point in time across all asset classes. The book emphasizes the power of diversification among asset classes, such as arbitrage funds, global hedge funds, different types of futures funds, distressed bonds, and other market-uncorrelated investments. Boucher explains how this diversification can be used to build a bullet-proof and highly profitable portfolio that returns consistently high profits with much lower than market risk. Boucher provides examples from his own real-time hedge fund trading experience and offers his performance as proof of what can be achieved via these techniques.

The Hedge Fund Edge melds market timing, vehicle selection, risk management techniques, economic insight and understanding, and tactical asset allocation into a totally new philosophy and approach that has been proven to produce spectacular gains with relatively low risk.