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

In the face of the recent financial crisis there is increased focus on long-term investment strategies. This is particularly true for institutional investors who manage our retirement savings. Simultaneously there is increased demand that financial assets be invested with an understanding of long-term environmental and social sustainability. Responsible investing provides a long-term sustainable investment strategy that values environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in investment decision-making. Responsible Investing has always had a broad mandate. Put simply, it is a long-term sustainable investment strategy that seeks to reduce risk in investment portfolios through managing ESG issues in today 's corporations. The Next Generation of Responsible Investment explores this topic in an edited volume intended for those with an interest in finance and business.

Your Essential Guide to Quantitative Hedge Fund Investing provides a conceptual framework for understanding effective hedge fund investment strategies. The book offers a mathematically rigorous exploration of different topics, framed in an easy to digest set of examples and analogies, including stories from some legendary hedge fund investors. Readers will be guided from the historical to the cutting edge, while building a framework of understanding that encompasses it all. Features Filled with novel examples and analogies from within and beyond the world of finance Suitable for practitioners and graduate-level students with a passion for understanding the complexities that lie behind the raw mechanics of quantitative hedge fund investment A unique insight from an author with experience of both the practical and academic spheres.

Beat the market with the tips and techniques from the best value investors in the world The classic, seminal work in the field, Value Investing has been updated in a new, second edition to include the latest trends and a close look at some of the emerging investors who continue in the value investing tradition of Ben Graham and Warren Buffett. Featuring an exploration of the history of value investing and those that brought this investment approach to the fore, you will also discover the real-world techniques you can use to propel your own portfolio using a sound, proven approach to discovering value. In the modern era, investors are increasingly caught up in so-called hot tips, can't-miss startups, excessive optimism, and short-term speculation. Value investing is the antithesis to these short-sighted approaches, and stresses what Ben Graham the father of value investing referred to as the 'margin of safety' when describing the gap between an equity's price and its value. * Provides an overview of the techniques of value investing as practiced by some of the greatest value investors of all time * Includes an exploration of the history of value investing, including an explanation of underlying principles and successful execution of value investing techniques * Features updates in the new edition that include an analysis of the investment returns of value investing versus growth strategies * Offers profiles of some of the emerging players in the field of value investing, including Andrew Weiss, Joel Greenblatt, Mason Hawkins, and Bill Nygren Value Investing, Second Edition is your guide to implementing value investing principles in your own portfolio, complete with a look at the approaches used by the best value investors past and present.

"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.

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.

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.

Behind the media headlines that chronicle the successes--as well as the charges of fraud, abuse, and ethical misconduct--of today's corporate medical giants lies the story of the Wall Street players who are determining the structure of our future health systems. Independent hospitals and clinics, small medical technology companies, solo practitioners, and consumers alike acknowledge that the big business
principles driving the frenzy of mergers and acquisitions are bringing the long-awaited rewards of accountability and predictability to the fragmented healthcare industry. But at what cost?

Sandy Lutz, a renowned medical business reporter and investment analyst, and Big Six accounting firm partners Woodrin Grossman and John Bigalke provide their insiders' insights into the financial workings of Wall Street's mighty medical corporations--a class the authors refer to as Med Incorporated. With an in-depth study of the most notable leader, Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp., plus illustrative examples of other medical giants, Lutz and her coauthors demonstrate how these Med Inc. companies excel in managing capital, information, risk, and government regulation--the four key success factors to achieving operational efficiency and market dominance. They show how the missions and operations of investor-owned companies compare with their noninvestor-owned counterparts and examine how current technological and market developments will shape the future of health systems.

"Successful options trading requires extensive practice. "Most options books offer theory and strategies, but don't offer the practice needed to prepare for real-world trades, where the wrong split-second decisions can cost you dearly. Expert trader Jeff Augen covers every key scenario you'll encounter in modern options trading, guides you through successful trade executions, and shows how to overcome key pitfalls that trip up most traders. You'll walk through trades designed to profit from changing prices and volatility, time decay, rapid price spikes, and many other factors.This second edition introduces powerful new techniques, and reflects the long-term impacts of the 2009 crash. New problems include:

• New CBOE Weekly Options Expiration options, and their unique pricing dynamics.
• Using collars, covered calls, and covered puts to structure income-generating trades with well-defined risk profiles.
• Using ratio trading, VIX options, volatility ETFs, and variance trading to generate profits from shifts in volatility.

Richard H. Lawrence, Jr. founded Overlook Investments in Hong Kong in 1991. Since inception, Overlook has grown at 14.3% per year for three decades-a remarkable record of growth that is testament to a consistent ability to find and invest in Asia's best companies. This raises two important questions: How did Overlook achieve its success; and how can Overlook best ensure future success? Now, in a level of detail never before disclosed, Richard and the Overlook executive team turn the lens inward to analyse The Overlook Model. They describe the philosophies, practices and people that drive Overlook's outperformance. Welcome to The Model . The Model is composed primarily of stories-of the people, companies, executives and events that have punctuated three decades at Overlook. There are stories of success, but also stories of problems and failure. This is how Overlook learned and grew. The two principal stories are a pulsating case study of the voracious 1997/98 Asian Crisis; and an extended review of TSMC, Asia's finest public company. A sharp focus is also placed on the constituent elements of The Overlook Model: Overlook's Investment Philosophy and Business Practices, which add up to Overlook's Margin of Safety. This analysis of investment theory-how an investment management company should be run-illustrates how Overlook is able to say with confidence that it can nearly guarantee delivery of outperformance to its investors. And where would Overlook be without China? Overlook's experiences in Asia reflect the ways that Overlook's methods of investing have succeeded while Asia grew and matured over the past three decades. For this reason, The Model contains a series of chapters charting Overlook's path in China. Finally, the Overlook executives provide a series of delightful chapters including The Art of Selling; an interview with Jeffrey Lu Minfang; a panel discussion on Overlook's home city of Hong Kong; and thoughts on ESG. The Model is a celebration of three decades of success in investing in Asia. It gives Richard Lawrence, along with James Squire, Leonie Foong and William Leung, the opportunity to answer: Just how did Overlook do it; and can Overlook keep doing it in the future?

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.

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".

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.

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.

Solid Forex strategies for capturing profits in today's volatile markets

"How to Make a Living Trading Foreign Exchange" puts the world of Forex at your fingertips. Author Courtney Smith begins with an introduction to the Forex market-what it is and how it works. He then delves into six moneymaking techniques for trading Forex, including his unique Rejection Rule that doubles the profit of basic channel breakout systems. In addition to two specific methods for exiting positions at critical levels, Smith also discusses powerful risk management techniques and successful trading psychology strategies that will keep you one step ahead of the game.Reveals the secrets of the Forex market and how to create a lifetime of income trading itOffers advice on maximizing profits during the volatile swings that have increasingly become the normOther titles by Smith: "Option Strategies, Third Edition, Seasonal Charts For Futures Traders, Commodity Spreads, " and "Profits Through Seasonal Trading"

Make more from today's Forex market with "How to Make a Living Trading Foreign Exchange."

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.

This book aims to explore if and how securitization changed financial intermediation and lending behaviour by reviewing the pre- and post-financial crisis theoretical and empirical literature. The book's distinctive feature is bringing the growing post-crisis empirical evidence to the attention of a wider audience by critically appraising it against pre-crisis arguments. With its thought-provoking insights, this book is of particular interest for students, practitioners and academics.

The authors provide the reader with an extensive tool set for active and successful management of fixed income portfolios as well as for credits. The focus of discussion is on quantitative and, for credits, qualitative methods of portfolio management. These strategies may be employed for portfolio diversification and in order to outperform the benchmark. Methods applicable for different risk factors - duration, yield curve, basis, volatility and credit management - are illustrated in detail using a top-down and bottom-up approach.

This book reports on foreign investments in transitional economies and the corporate governance of international strategic alliances in China. It throws new light on the relationship between ownership, corporate governance, international technology transfer, organizational learning and the performance of such alliances. The book reviews the problems encountered by these international strategic alliances, provides significant empirical evidence of foreign investment decisions and profiles corporate governance and organizational learning in strategic alliances. Based on research into 1000 firms in China, it draws important conclusions for theory and practice.

This practical guide on the theory and practice of Investor Relations combines the art and science of marketing, financial analysis and financial communications in a single source. It offers expert advice and helpful tips to be used in real business life by corporate executives, financial analysts, students, and anyone competing for capital.