Fixed-income synthetic assets are fast becoming the investment vehicles of choice for an increasing number of astute financial professionals. Traders, arbitrageurs, speculators, as well as financial executives are increasingly involved with these new and dynamic products. Fixed-Income Synthetic Assets is the only professional guide to focus exclusively on packaging, pricing, and trading strategies for these complex securities. This authoritative sourcebook covers all fixed-income instruments including derivatives, floating rate notes, STRIPs, mortgage-backed securities, U.S. Treasuries, and much more. It delivers market-proven guidance for applying fixed-income strategies to key areas of finance such as risk management, option pricing and packaging, swaps and swaptions, and fundamental risk/return analysis. Fixed-Income Synthetic Assets begins with a concise overview of the fundamental building blocks used to create synthetic assets. Sophisticated valuation techniques are explored for calculating present value, forward and spot rates, and duration and convexity. A variety of synthetic structures are then considered among money market assets. Securities discussed include certificates of deposit, agency and municipal securities, mortgage-backed securities, Treasury Bill futures, Eurodollar futures, international money markets, and floating rate notes. From here, the guide moves further along the yield curve. Synthetic strategies are provided for a variety of notes and bonds, and modern portfolio theory is applied to the creation of synthetic fixed-income portfolios. The book concludes with a detailed review of the more innovative structures in the marketplace, including promising newcommodity- and equity-linked products. Throughout, Fixed-Income Synthetic Assets supplies a precise and lucid examination of financial engineering practices and strategies, supplemented by accurate, easy-to-follow formulas. Numerous charts and graphs add visual punch to important topics. This essential desktop reference shows issuers and investors how to: package, price, and trade synthetic securities that are more desirable than the assets being replicated; identify investment opportunities among complex, competing financial products; create securities with cashflows and market sensitivities superior to alternative assets; and integrate synthetic securities within any fixed-income strategy. In today's explosive global markets, traditional securities are increasingly used as building blocks of potentially more innovative and profitable assets. By showing how synthetic fixed-income securities are structured, priced, and traded, this practical primer helps fixed-income professionals profit both from the current market environment and future opportunities.

* International approach, with examples and cases from the US, Europe and Africa * Each chapter contains objectives, case studies, discussion questions and further reading suggestions. * PPT slides and data sets available as digital supplements

* International approach, with examples and cases from the US, Europe and Africa * Each chapter contains objectives, case studies, discussion questions and further reading suggestions. * PPT slides and data sets available as digital supplements

Financial Derivatives have long been the subject of conflicting views. For some, they are a useful instrument, too often maligned by those who do not understand them; for others, they are a complete waste of time and money. But which is it? Should we embrace financial derivatives, or fear them? In Financial Derivatives: A Blessing or a Curse? Simon Grima and Eleftherios I. Thalassinos rigorously explore the theory and debates surrounding this controversial topic. First exploring the perceived problems and the uses of derivatives, they study and evaluate the people who use financial derivatives; the impacts of derivatives use; and examples of safe use of derivatives. Looking at real-world examples, Grima and Thalassinos include public case studies on financial firms such as Barings Bank PLC, Allied Irish Bank, and Societe Generale, as well as non-financial firms including Metallgesellschaft AG and Enron. Through these case studies, the roots of firm failure and large losses become clear, asking whether it is the misuse of this financial instrument, rather than the derivatives instrument itself, that is the cause. For students and researchers in finance, or practitioners involved in trading, regulating, or auditing, this is a fundamental text exploring a controversial and relevant concept.

Significant disruption to the educational sector occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This shed a light on the need for new delivery methods and greater collaboration, which has become urgent and obvious as existing structures and traditional channels have struggled to cope or shut down. Higher education institutions often fail to crowdsource successfully because crowds differ in how they are organized compared to traditional sourcing. Instead of managing, higher education institutions work with external contributors who self-select into the process. Crowdsourcing has significant potential to transform the education space by enhancing existing methodologies and offering innovative possibilities to develop new pedagogical techniques. This offers benefits for practitioners, institutions, students and participants. Drawing on theory and best practice, illustrated with a wide range of the examples and cases, Crowdsourcing for Innovation in Higher Education offers invaluable guidance and will be of interest to researchers, academics, policymakers, and students in the fields of higher education, development studies, organizational studies, management science and knowledge management.

Investment in infrastructure is essential for promoting economic growth, and while countries in Asia have enjoyed higher rates of gross domestic product growth in recent years, the region remains severely deficient in the scale and quality of sustainable infrastructure. Moreover, population growth and climate change continue to put increasing pressure on the need for strategic and farsighted development, calling for policy makers to reevaluate infrastructure governance to ensure sustainable economic growth. Currently, in developing Asia, most investment in infrastructure comes from the public sector. However, with growing fiscal deficits and other budgetary constraints, it is essential to develop alternative sources of investment for infrastructure projects. This presents opportunities to tap into the private sector, which can play an instrumental role in minimizing the funding gap through the development of stronger, more transparent public-private partnerships (PPPs) and incentivizing sustainable infrastructure investment. This book provides a scholarly discussion on the importance of PPPs and approaches to unlock private participation in infrastructure investment based on lessons from across Asia. Among the proposed schemes are government tax incentives, development-based land value capture strategy under PPP land pooling, Viability Gap Funds, Project Development Facilities, and other guarantees. The book aims to assess the impacts and future of sustainable infrastructure investments and examines the role of governments in mobilizing financial resources and new models for unlocking private investment in sustainable infrastructure. This book consists of fifteen original chapters on the experiences of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) and a few other cases for promoting private investment in sustainable infrastructure. The fact that not much has been published previously on this theme makes this book a welcome and timely addition to the much needed knowledge on this subject. 'The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylor fran cis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution- Non- Commercial- No Derivatives 4.0 license.'

* The first primer on investor stewardship, addressing both theoretical frameworks and practical considerations * Based on the renowned ICGN training course on stewardship, also developed by the authors * Includes a detailed case study on Volkswagen's 'Dieselgate' scandal, to highlight real-world corporate governance issues and inspire professionals and students to come up with their own ideas on ESG

With the internationalization of Renminbi (RMB), the gradual liberalization of China's capital account and the recent reform of the RMB pricing mechanism, the RMB exchange rate has been volatile. This book examines how we can forecast exchange rate reliably. It explains how we can do so through a new methodology for exchange rate forecasting. The book also analyzes the dynamic relationship between exchange rate and the exchange rate data decomposition and integration, the domestic economic situation, the international economic situation and the public's expectations and how these interactions would affect the exchange rate. The book also explains why this comprehensive integrated approach is the best model for optimizing accuracy in exchange rate forecasting.

This book analyses the most recent trends in Foreign Direct Investment from the major Asian economies to the EU, focusing on China and Japan's FDIs in the EU, and Poland in particular. The authors assert that, from a European perspective, there is a strong need for further Asian FDIs into EU nations, which will establish mutual benefits. This is the first book to explore the outflow of FDI from Asian nations to other countries, especially to EU member states, whereas the extant literature focuses on the inflow of FDI to Asian nations. The authors analyse a multidimensional range of issues, covering macroeconomics, finance, technology, and examine the governments, local authorities, and institutions that support such investments. FDI has an instrumental role in the development of host countries. Large-scale capital flow becomes a vehicle for providing foreign technology, knowledge, skills, and other inputs for the integration with international marketing, production, and distribution networks and for improving the economic competitiveness of firms and economic performance of the host country. The analysis in the book is presented using statistical and econometrical approaches, emphasising a profound level of investigation, which will be particularly useful for graduate and PhD students of International Economics, Business and Trade.

Computational Finance Using C and C#: Derivatives and Valuation, Second Edition provides derivatives pricing information for equity derivatives, interest rate derivatives, foreign exchange derivatives, and credit derivatives. By providing free access to code from a variety of computer languages, such as Visual Basic/Excel, C++, C, and C#, it gives readers stand-alone examples that they can explore before delving into creating their own applications. It is written for readers with backgrounds in basic calculus, linear algebra, and probability. Strong on mathematical theory, this second edition helps empower readers to solve their own problems. *Features new programming problems, examples, and exercises for each chapter. *Includes freely-accessible source code in languages such as C, C++, VBA, C#, and Excel.. *Includes a new chapter on the history of finance which also covers the 2008 credit crisis and the use of mortgage backed securities, CDSs and CDOs. *Emphasizes mathematical theory.

* Provides an easy-to-access guide to what sustainable investing is and how it can influence investment decisions. * Written by experienced investment professionals, the book covers the full scale of Responsible Investment approaches and asset classes. * The book is based on global best practice and definitions as set by the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), which is today the leading institution for responsible investors.

* Provides an easy-to-access guide to what sustainable investing is and how it can influence investment decisions. * Written by experienced investment professionals, the book covers the full scale of Responsible Investment approaches and asset classes. * The book is based on global best practice and definitions as set by the UN-backed Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), which is today the leading institution for responsible investors.

"This handbook is essential reading for all investors in the private markets. It is especially helpful in understanding the mechanics of portfolio construction and challenges of performance measurement of private equity and venture capital investing."
--Susan J. Carter, President and CEO, Commonfund Capital, Inc.

"An invaluable handbook."
--Sir Ronald Cohen, Chairman of The Portland Trust, Portland Capital LLP, and Bridges Ventures

"Private equity fund investing is often viewed as more art than science, though in reality it requires an even blend of both skills. This book focuses on the science behind the art. It covers all the major concepts while introducing some great new ones, and must be required reading for serious private equity market participants."
--Chihtsung Lam, founder and Managing Director of Axiom Asia Private Capital

"The authors have created a simple and pragmatic handbook for a very complex asset class. Their collective experience is invaluable. This is a fantastic read for new private equity investors as well as experienced portfolio managers looking for additional tools that can be used in monitoring their current investments and in the process of screening new opportunities. Inside Private Equity is a great foundation for investors looking to improve their analysis of an exciting asset class."
--Timothy B. Moore, Director of Alternative Investments, PERA of Colorado

"A real practitioner-focused contribution bringing performance measurement down from the theoretical to the practical."
--Jesse E. Reyes, Reyes Analytics

"Inside Private Equity clearly explains, without oversimplifying, the hard work of managing private equity portfolios. Full of cogent advice from an experienced team. Great work "
--Lawrence M. Unrein, Managing Director and Head of the Private Equity Group for J.P. Morgan Asset Management

"A handy guide to address the pitfalls and issues of investing in private equity that most institutional investors have wrongly ignored. Well done "
--Dory Wiley, President and CEO of Commerce Street Capital and Trustee and Chairman of the Investment Committee at Teachers Retirement System of Texas

Hedge Funds are one of the fastest growing sectors of asset management. The industry has changed from being a small number of firms that features big name players such as George Soros and Julian Robertson, to a large market involving many thousands of companies.

Press reports of the spectacular success and failure of firms such as the Quantum Fund, the Tiger Fund and LTCM have led to many misconceptions concerning hedge funds, their power and their influence. This state of affairs is not helped by the fact that they are exempt from regulation and little is known about them.

This book dispels several misconceptions about hedge funds' operations and provides an impartial, up to date and comprehensive blend of theoretical and practical analysis of the market. The book also shows readers the fundamental concepts needed to understand strategies used by the funds and their potential positive and negative contributions to investment portfolios.

The Financial Times Guide to Investing is the definitive introduction to the art of successful stock market investing. This investing bible debunks the myth that only the wealthy can afford to buy shares and shows you how you can be just as successful trading on your own as you would be employing a fund manager. You’ll discover that investing can be both profitable and fun and have all the tools you need to build a successful personal portfolio.

Bestselling author Glen Arnold takes you from the basics of what investors do and why companies need them through to the practicalities of buying and selling shares and how to make the most from your money. He describes different types of investment vehicles and advises you on how to be successful at picking companies, understanding their accounts, managing a sophisticated portfolio, measuring performance and risk and setting up an investment club.

The fourth edition of this investing classic has been thoroughly updated and will give you everything you need to choose your shares with skill and confidence.

"Building wealth is about managing our careers and the money we make. It all starts with the understanding that we build wealth primarily for two reasons: 1) to build prosperity and 2) to afford a comfortable retirement. Saving and investing to build prosperity is what we do to improve the quality and independence in our lives. Each of us measures quality and independence in our own terms-to some it means being able to afford big-ticket expenses, such as a dream home or supporting a favorite charity. To others it might mean making money work for us so that we don't have to work for it."

We save and invest for retirement because, at some point in the future, we will choose to stop working and will need to replace the salary we currently earn. Saving and investing to afford a comfortable retirement is an obligation we have to ourselves. It is important to realize that we have no choice but to get on track saving and investing for retirement. We will be depending on it for survival in the later years of our life-considering how much longer people live with every passing decade, saving and investing is becoming increasingly more important.

Written by two of the leading figures in responsible investment and fixed income. Uncovers this significant aspect of investment to transform our ability to move to a sustainable world. A very under researched, but crucial, element of responsible investment. Written in a way that will be accessible for practitioners as well as students of responsible investment.

Written by two of the leading figures in responsible investment and fixed income. Uncovers this significant aspect of investment to transform our ability to move to a sustainable world. A very under researched, but crucial, element of responsible investment. Written in a way that will be accessible for practitioners as well as students of responsible investment.

The complete guide to investing in the biotech industry

"Clear, never condescending, and with abundant references to biotech firms and their work in progress, The Biotech Investor’s Bible is a book that had to be written. Essential for the investor, fascinating even for armchair students of the industry, it’s a valuable reference, a guide to what is coming, and an irresistible read . . . it will be a definitive reference in the field."––Andrew Allentuck, globetechnology.com

"The Biotech Investor’s Bible outlines sensibly and with balance the opportunities and challenges of an industry that will change our lives. A must read guide for the individual investor."––William A. Haseltine, Ph.D., Chairman, CEO, and Founder, Human Genome Sciences, Inc., Editor-in-chief, E-Biomed: The Journal of Regenerative Medicine

Investors with a practical understanding of biotechnology share a remarkable opportunity: the chance to invest in an industry on the threshold of tremendous growth. With the long-term potential to cure most major diseases and to revolutionize industries as diverse as pharmaceuticals and forestry, petrochemicals and agriculture, the possibilities for biotech––and its investors––are limitless.

The Biotech Investor’s Bible provides you with the strategies and proven techniques to reduce risk and increase returns, including:

• The steps you must know in order to assess the biotech market •
• A comprehensive look at 185 major biotech companies •
• Guidelines to follow when planning your biotech portfolio •
• An overview of the latest biotech therapies and breakthroughs •
• Tips on how to find sound and promising companies in the sector •
• An easy-to-understand introduction to the science and technology in the field •

The terms venture capital and private equity may differ across countries. This book discusses venture capital not only as risk capital toward unlisted companies with the aim to enhance the investee firm, but also analyses broader forms of entrepreneurial investment: from early stage financing to buyout and turnaround transaction. This book is divided into four sections. The first section aims to shed light on the terminology and offers a comparison between private equity/venture capital, and the traditional banking sector as financing sources. The second section details the differences between private equity and venture capital transactions on the basis of firm life cycle, and summarizes the main characteristics of both private equity and venture capital investors and investee firms. The third section illustrates the evolution of the private equity and venture capital industry before and after the financial crisis by looking at three fundamental aspects: fundraising, investment and divestment, all in terms of volume and trends. The last section discusses the basic elements of corporate valuation applied to private equity and venture capital industry, with some practical examples.

Investment and risk management problems are fundamental problems for financial institutions and involve both speculative and hedging decisions. A structured approach to these problems naturally leads one to the field of applied mathematics in order to translate subjective probability beliefs and attitudes towards risk and reward into actual decisions.

In Risk and Portfolio Analysis the authors present sound principles and useful methods for making investment and risk management decisions in the presence of hedgeable and non-hedgeable risks using the simplest possible principles, methods, and models that still capture the essential features of the real-world problems. They use rigorous, yet elementary mathematics, avoiding technically advanced approaches which have no clear methodological purpose and are practically irrelevant. The material progresses systematically and topics such as the pricing and hedging of derivative contracts, investment and hedging principles from portfolio theory, and risk measurement and multivariate models from risk management are covered appropriately. The theory is combined with numerous real-world examples that illustrate how the principles, methods, and models can be combined to approach concrete problems and to draw useful conclusions. Exercises are included at the end of the chapters to help reinforce the text and provide insight.

This book will serve advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and practitioners in insurance, finance as well as regulators. Prerequisites include undergraduate level courses in linear algebra, analysis, statistics and probability.

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Backing the Bold is a primer on the venture capital industry, business, and profession in Southeast Asia. The goal of the book's thirteen chapters has initially been to guide students of the Insignia Ventures Academy - Asia's first experiential venture capital accelerator - in their exploration of the venture capital industry and profession, specifically in the context of Southeast Asia's startup ecosystem and from the perspective of Insignia Ventures and its portfolio founders.Rather than being a book in the traditional sense of the word, such an origin and context for Backing the Bold has inevitably made this book a dynamic piece of literature, continuously growing and improving thanks to every new group of people who become part of the VC accelerator - as organizers, mentors, or participants.Now in print and in distribution, this first edition is available for all as a snapshot of Backing the Bold's progress as a continuously evolving repository of insights, best practices, and frameworks. It is for readers of any background or motivation to gain a better understanding of the venture capital investment process, portfolio management, and profession in the context of Southeast Asia's fast-growing technology markets.

The Micro Cap Investor
Learn how today's smartest investors are discovering opportunities--and reaping profits--ahead of the Wall Street pros
Micro cap stocks are all but ignored by professional investors who can't risk losing their companies' clients--and their own careers--to the sudden volatility and price swings that are common to the micro cap market. But it is just that volatility, plus their proven record for outperforming large cap stocks over the long term, that makes micro caps perfect for independent investors looking for market-beating returns.
The Micro Cap Investor takes a behind-the-scenes look at this exciting sector to:
* Detail a market-tested process for uncovering and investing in micro caps with the greatest potential to outperform the market
* Reveal the ten key catalysts that take under-the-radar micro caps and propel them into the public spotlight
* Explain how smaller investors can use the "information advantage" to actually gain a sizable edge over institutional investors

Let The Micro Cap Investor show you how to uncover today's most promising companies, and use the power of micro cap investing to dramatically improve your long-term investment performance.

Sheldon Natenberg is one of the most sought after speakers on the topic of option trading and volatility strategies. This book takes Sheldon's non-technical, carefully crafted presentation style and applies it to a book--one that you'll study and carry around for years as your personal consultant.

Learn about the most vital concepts that define options trading, concepts you'll need to analyze and trade with confidence. In this volume, Sheldon explains the difference between historical volatility, future volatility, and implied volatility. He provides real inspiration and wisdom gleaned from years of trading experience.

Th is book captures the energy of the spoken message direct from the source.Learn about implied volatility and how it is calculatedGain insight into the assumptions driving an options pricing modelMaster the techniques of comparing price to valueRealize the important part that probability plays in estimatingoption prices