The current financial crisis has revealed serious flaws in models, measures and, potentially, theories, that failed to provide forward-looking expectations for upcoming losses originated from market risks. The Proceedings of the Perm Winter School 2011 propose insights on many key issues and advances in financial markets modeling and risk measurement aiming to bridge the gap. The key addressed topics include: hierarchical and ultrametric models of financial crashes, dynamic hedging, arbitrage free modeling the term structure of interest rates, agent based modeling of order flow, asset pricing in a fractional market, hedge funds performance and many more.

Fixed income volatility and equity volatility evolve heterogeneously over time, co-moving disproportionately during periods of global imbalances and each reacting to events of different nature. While the methodology for options-based "model-free" pricing of equity volatility has been known for some time, little is known about analogous methodologies for pricing various fixed income volatilities. This book fills this gap and provides a unified evaluation framework of fixed income volatility while dealing with disparate markets such as interest-rate swaps, government bonds, time-deposits and credit. It develops model-free, forward looking indexes of fixed-income volatility that match different quoting conventions across various markets, and uncovers subtle yet important pitfalls arising from naive superimpositions of the standard equity volatility methodology when pricing various fixed income volatilities.

This book presents both theory of financial data analytics, as well as comprehensive insights into the application of financial data analytics techniques in real financial world situations. It offers solutions on how to logically analyze the enormous amount of structured and unstructured data generated every moment in the finance sector. This data can be used by companies, organizations, and investors to create strategies, as the finance sector rapidly moves towards data-driven optimization. This book provides an efficient resource, addressing all applications of data analytics in the finance sector. International experts from around the globe cover the most important subjects in finance, including data processing, knowledge management, machine learning models, data modeling, visualization, optimization for financial problems, financial econometrics, financial time series analysis, project management, and decision making. The authors provide empirical evidence as examples of specific topics. By combining both applications and theory, the book offers a holistic approach. Therefore, it is a must-read for researchers and scholars of financial economics and finance, as well as practitioners interested in a better understanding of financial data analytics.

There s a buzzword that has quickly captured the imagination of product providers and investors alike: "hedge fund replication." In the broadest sense, replicating hedge fund strategies means replicating their return sources and corresponding risk exposures. However, there still lacks a coherent picture on what hedge fund replication means in practice, what its premises are, how to distinguish di erent approaches, and where this can lead us to.

Serving as a handbook for replicating the returns of hedge funds at considerably lower cost, "Alternative Beta Strategies and Hedge Fund Replication" provides a unique focus on replication, explaining along the way the return sources of hedge funds, and their systematic risks, that make replication possible. It explains the background to the new discussion on hedge fund replication and how to derive the returns of many hedge fund strategies at much lower cost, it differentiates the various underlying approaches and explains how hedge fund replication can improve your own investment process into hedge funds.

Written by the well known Hedge Fund expert and author Lars Jaeger, the book is divided into three sections: Hedge Fund Background, Return Sources, and Replication Techniques. Section one provides a short course in what hedge funds actually are and how they operate, arming the reader with the background knowledge required for the rest of the book. Section two illuminates the sources from which hedge funds derive their returns and shows that the majority of hedge fund returns derive from systematic risk exposure rather than manager "Alpha." Section three presents various approaches to replicating hedge fund returns by presenting the first and second generation of hedge fund replication products, points out the pitfalls and strengths of the various approaches and illustrates the mathematical concepts that underlie them.

With hedge fund replication going mainstream, this book provides clear guidance on the topic to maximise returns.

"Financial Modelling in Practice: A Concise Guide for Intermediate and Advanced Level" is a practical, comprehensive and in-depth guide to financial modelling designed to cover the modelling issues that are relevant to facilitate the construction of robust and readily understandable models.

Based on the authors extensive experience of building models in business and finance, and of training others how to do so this book starts with a review of Excel functions that are generally most relevant for building intermediate and advanced level models (such as Lookup functions, database and statistical functions and so on). It then discusses the principles involved in designing, structuring and building relevant, accurate and readily understandable models (including the use of sensitivity analysis techniques) before covering key application areas, such as the modelling of financial statements, of cash flow valuation, risk analysis, options and real options. Finally, the topic of financial modelling using VBA is treated. Practical examples are used throughout and model examples are included in the attached CD-ROM.

Aimed at intermediate and advanced level modellers in Excel who wish to extend and consolidate their knowledge, this book is focused, practical, and application-driven, facilitating knowledge to build or audit a much wider range of financial models.

""An excellent book which presents advanced financial modelling tools and simulations, and applies them to modern aspects of financial management. As a renowned expert in modelling, Michael Rees develops efficient techniques for simulation and sensitivity analysis within an Excel and Excel add-on framework using many useful andtransparent applications in the context of company valuation, derivative business and risk management, enabling the reader to develop good models themselves. A unique book which is highly instructive and motivating.""

--Professor Dr Dieter Gramlich, University of Cooperative Education, Heidenheim, Germany

""Mike Rees's book fills an important gap in the literature on how to model financial data. It not only provides a whole host of useful suggestions on how to design, structure, build and analyse models; including tips on how use some of the more advanced functionality in Excel, but also in a clear and concise way explains how to include uncertainty in to these models. During the last few years many business's environment have changed, creating the need to explicitly include uncertainty into their decision making rather than hide behind simple (and often flawed) assumptions of what the future may hold. Mike clearly understands the importance of this area and includes several sections which provide an excellent introduction to anyone starting to apply these types of techniques in their financial models for the first time. It is the combination of best practice modelling techniques, plenty of examples and the basics of some of the more advanced approaches that make this book a useful addition to anyone building financial models.""

--Andrea Dickens, Decision Analysis Group Leader, Finance Excellence Unilever

This book considers the impact of incomplete information and heterogeneous beliefs on investor's optimal portfolio and consumption behavior and equilibrium asset prices. After a brief review of the existing incomplete information literature, the effect of incomplete information on investors' exptected utility, risky asset prices, and interest rates is described. It is demonstrated that increasing the quality of investors' information need not increase their expected utility and the prices of risky assets. The impact of heterogeneous beliefs on investors' portfolio and consumption behavior and equilibrium asset prices is shown to be non-trivial. Heterogeneous beliefs can explain a number of observed phenomena, such as the fact that equilibrium state-price densities are not log-normal, the "smile" in option implied volatility, and the patterns of implied risk aversion reported recently in the literature. It is also demonstrated that financial markets in general do not aggregate information efficiently, a fact that can explain the equity premium puzzle.

Many financial institutions have in recent years failed failed either completely, and gone into bankruptcy, or failed in the sense that they have not achieved what their owners or their customers expected them to deliver. This has had significant and adverse effects on customers, taxpayers, shareholders, and sometimes management. There has been much discussion of what should be done about this, and some action has been taken. But has it been the right kind of action?

Crises of the sort being experienced are low probability but high impact events. This volume, from an international group of scholars, deals with two main issues: firstly, how can the governance of the financial sector by the authorities be improved and secondly, how can the governance of firms and institutions within the sector be improved to render the probability and cost of future crises lower?

Poor governance has been one of the major contributors to the global financial crisis. With better governance of and in the financial sector the financial crisis might well have been avoided altogether and certainly could have been much milder in its impact. This is not simply a case of being wise after the event. These problems were widely discussed before the event, but little action was taken. This book explores not only what the contribution of poor governance was to the crisis and to its depth, but also why it is often difficult to improve governance. The volume offers a positive critique of the measures that are being put in place in the light of the experience of the crisis and suggests how they might plausibly be improved.

This book will be of particular interest to students and researchers of economics and international finance, but will also prove profitable reading for practitioners and the interested public.

To have a clear picture of developments in public financial management, a multidimensional perspective of the field is needed, since governments--unlike for-profit organizations-- serve multiple and often conflicting interests. This book provides this dynamic approach by integrating insights from economics, business, and political science. Written by some of the leading scholars in the field, this collection presents eleven chapters that run the gamut of public financial management issues. Topics include: Transaction costs in contractual relationships; Uncertain conditions and probability assessment in the bond market; Rational choice and the institutional framework in public investment decision; E-Government financial management models; Budget balance as the building block of public financial strategy. Together the contributors present a robust framework for understanding and analyzing financial decision making in the public sector.

Experiences with Financial Liberalization provides a broad spectrum of policy experiences relating to financial liberalization around the globe since the 1960s. There is a sizable body of theoretical and aggregative empirical literature in this area, but there is little work documenting and analyzing the experiences of individual countries and/or sets of countries. This book is divided into four parts by geographical region - Africa, Asia and Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Aggregative econometric studies cannot substitute for country-wide studies in allowing the researcher to draw lessons for the future, and this volume adds to this relatively small body of literature.

During the last several years, new techniques have emerged to improve treasury management, particularly in the area of interest rate risk. This timely book covers the principles of interest rate management and its accounting, tax, and administrative implications. Particularly valuable explanations are given of the more sophisticated techniques of interest rate swap guarantees, forward rate agreements, and interest rate swap options, with examples of each.

As over half the assets of many major companies are now intangible assets, there is an increasing need to assess more accurately the value of intellectual property (IP) from a wider interdisciplinary perspective. Re-evaluating risk and understanding the true value of intellectual property is a major problem, particularly important for business practitioners, including business analysts and investors, venture capitalists, accountants, insurance experts, intellectual property lawyers and also for those who hold intellectual property assets, such as media, publishing and pharmaceutical companies, and universities and other research bodies. Written by the foremost authorities in the field from Britain, Japan and the US, this book considers the latest developments and puts forward much new thinking. The book includes thorough coverage of developments in Japan, which is reviewing the value of IP at a much quicker pace than any other country and is registering ever-increasing numbers of patents in the course of inventing its way out of economic inertia.

This edited volume brings together finance industry perspectives from top global institutions, which focus on the bottom line for integrating ESG factors into the operations of the finance industry. Executives and senior practitioners answer the question: 'does following sustainable finance principles make commercial sense for a commercially-oriented financial institution, and if so, what evidence is there?' '

Asset price bubbles have been and continue to be an area of major public policy concern in many countries. But while we know that the bursting of such bubbles is exceedingly painful and destructive to the economy, little is known of their causes. Indeed, there is little agreement even on the definition of a bubble and whether, whatever it is, is economically rational or irrational and reflect temporary excessive exuberance. Can bubbles be identified ex-ante before they burst? Often, one person's perceived bubble is another's perceived equilibrium price path. How and when is a bubble recognized? Should asset prices be a concern for monetary or fiscal policy makers and, if so how and when should policy-makers act? Should monetary policy attempt to target and stabilize asset prices the same as product prices? Should monetary policy act quickly at the beginning of the bubble or wait until the perceived bubble has been underway for some time? For how long? Will bubble restraining policies burst a bubble? Would it have burst on it's own? How can the damage done after bubbles be minimized? Does the experience of the U.S. in the 1920s and of Japan in the 1990s provide any lessons and guidelines for these and other countries in the 2000s?

The papers in this volume examine these and other aspects of asset price bubbles from the perspective of different times and different countries. The authors are experts who represent different countries, different economic philosophies, and different backgrounds - academic, government, bank regulatory agency and private. As a result, the papers add greatly to our storehouse of knowledge about asset price bubbles and hopefully will continue to moresuccessful public and private policies for restraining both the bubbles and their consequences and improving economic welfare.

If you know a little bit about financial mathematics but don't yet know a lot about programming, then C++ for Financial Mathematics is for you. C++ is an essential skill for many jobs in quantitative finance, but learning it can be a daunting prospect. This book gathers together everything you need to know to price derivatives in C++ without unnecessary complexities or technicalities. It leads the reader step-by-step from programming novice to writing a sophisticated and flexible financial mathematics library. At every step, each new idea is motivated and illustrated with concrete financial examples. As employers understand, there is more to programming than knowing a computer language. As well as covering the core language features of C++, this book teaches the skills needed to write truly high quality software. These include topics such as unit tests, debugging, design patterns and data structures. The book teaches everything you need to know to solve realistic financial problems in C++. It can be used for self-study or as a textbook for an advanced undergraduate or master's level course.

You've successfully started your own business and have created a comfortable lifestyle. What's next? How do you get there? In Show Me the Money, author Chia-Li Chien shows you how to strategically innovate your business foundation and enable you to position your company to get the value you deserve.

Show Me the Money illustrates why you should expect a return on your investment after the years of sweat equity and stress involved in being a business owner. Step by step, Chien demonstrates how to spend more time working on your business and not just in it. This book:

$ Empowers you to concentrate on your business
$ Shows you how to become an investor of your business
$ Prepares you to proactively select the right exit channels and recognize the right window of opportunity to cash out
$ Guides you in strategically safeguarding your return on investment
$ Teaches you business value drivers-driving the right future investors to you
$ Enables you to achieve financial independence and continue to be part of the virtual business cycle

Show Me the Money will help you avoid being the one-third of all businesses that close without the owners receiving their deserved cash and value.

Let me introduce what I call the G.U.P., my unofficial secret formula for success.

G.U.P. consists of three sets of variables that all of us must discover and use in order to obtain the successful status that represents a successful life - by one's own definition. That includes building a successful business and completing a successful exit from your business to realize your dream. This is the full cycle an entrepreneur goes through. G.U.P. helps you use your internal North Star or road map to get there. Read on to learn how to be successful and realize your dream of financial independence.

For centuries, the Chinese have believed that success hinges on three variables. All three variables must line up, just like a slot machine at a casino. When that happens, you've hit the jackpot and, in layman's terms, you're successful. This could be in any profession, any career, or anything in general that people describe as success. That is, you have to be in the right place at the right time, with the right people

The rapidly changing structure of financial markets is leading to a radical shift in the way in which privates sector financial institutions and firms, and public regulators, are coping with risk. With markets displaying a high degree of innovation and volatility, the responsibility for risk management is being placed increasingly on private sector operators. Following assessments of the extent of market volatility and risk financial markets, this volume presents examples of how private institutions are developing new risk management techniques and case studies from specific markets including securities markets and retail banking. In addition, senior central bankers discuss their changing attitude to risk and regulation and the implications for exchange rate and monetary policies. The papers are written by authors from many countries covering a wide range of country experiences: by players in leading banks and companies; by public officials; and by academics, providing three differing perspectives on the financial markets of the 1990s. The four main sections address central bank perspectives, volatility and risk, institutional issues and practices, and the policy implications. The volume includes the 1995 Prix Marjolin essay and concludes with the 1995 Marjolin Lecture, given at the 19th Colloquium of the Societe Universitaire Europeenne de Recherches Financieres (SUERF) in Thun, Switzerland, from which the papers are selected. The contributions will be of considerable interest to those in banks, securities houses, company treasuries, central banks and regulatory bodies as well as to academics.

This book examines the dynamics of terrorist financing, including a discussion about the importance of money from both the terrorist and the counter-terrorist perspective. Targeting Terrorist Financing argues that it is not the institutions that have failed the war on terrorist financing; rather it is the states that have failed the institutions. The measures contemplated by the world community to interdict terrorists and their financial infrastructures are sufficient to debilitate the terrorists both militarily and financially. However, what has been increasingly lacking is political will among the states, and this has overwhelmed the spirit of cooperation in this very critical front against terrorism. This volume assesses the need for international cooperation and the role of institutions and regimes in targeting terrorist financing. After the 9/11 attacks, there was an expression of global willingness to target terrorism generally, and terrorist financing in particular. The institutional mechanisms that grew out of this are explored in detail here, with a critical examination of the progress made by the international community. The impact of these measures is considered with respect to changes in the nature of the terrorist threat, money confiscated, adoption of international conventions, and global standards by states, and levels of compliance, among others. This book will be of great interest to students of terrorism, international organisations, international security, and IR in general. Arabinda Acharya is Research Fellow, Manager of Strategic Projects and Head of the Terrorist Financing Response Project at the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Innovation in banking should be directed at improving the infrastructure that fosters efficient financial services and international trade. In this work, innovation theory is used to show how modern payment systems have transformed the technology of banking and facilitated changes in the strategy and structure of financial services organisations. Design, implementation and dissemination of payment systems are described and the analysis of their costs and benefits is combined with case studies of banks undergoing change. By studying firm capabilities, competencies, and resources, the approach is extended to services in general and linked to the ability of firms to compete and promote national economies. Payment systems vary and advanced and developing economies face obstacles in their legal and technical infrastructure, and maturity of banks. By adopting an international perspective, the book offers a unique comparative analysis that shows what kind of investments are likely to be effective.

A fully up-to-date, cutting-edge guide to the measurement and management of liquidity risk

Written for front and middle office risk management and quantitative practitioners, this book provides the ground-level knowledge, tools, and techniques for effective liquidity risk management. Highly practical, though thoroughly grounded in theory, the book begins with the basics of liquidity risks and, using examples pulled from the recent financial crisis, how they manifest themselves in financial institutions. The book then goes on to look at tools which can be used to measure liquidity risk, discussing risk monitoring and the different models used, notably financial variables models, credit variables models, and behavioural variables models, and then at managing these risks. As well as looking at the tools necessary for effective measurement and management, the book also looks at and discusses current regulation and the implication of new Basel regulations on management procedures and tools.

Offshore finance has transformed many small jurisdictions into high income economies and has facilitated the growth of global financial markets, deregulation and the convergence of economic policies worldwide. However, the volatility and fickle nature of global capital has also become apparent. This major new multi-disciplinary and international collection explores the development of offshore finance and is an extremely valuable resource for all those considering the issues involved in this important area.

The risk process commonly used in the corporate world to deal with risks may be suitable for non-catastrophic events, but not for extreme events. By analyzing a series of past disasters and the relevant 'lessons learned', this books proposes a series of prescriptive measures to cope with future disasters.

In the recent past, Islamic finance has made an impressive case on the banking scene by becoming an alternative to the popular conventional financial systems, spurring a lively academic debate on how the Islamic finance industry can expand its services to cover the poor. Several propositions have been aired which suggest that the Islamic finance industry should consider developing an efficient Shari?a compliant microfinance model.

This book brings together original contributions from leading authorities on the subject of Shari?a Compliant Microfinance (Islamic Microfinance) to propose innovative solutions and models by carefully studying experiments conducted in various countries. Where critiques of the current microfinance concepts, methods, regulatory measures and practices have often revolved around its practice of charging very high interest, this book discusses the several models that draw on both theory and case studies to provide a sustainable Shari?a compliant alternative. Arguing that while Islamic finance might have made a remarkable contribution in the financial markets, there remains a big question with regards to its social relevance, the book provides new perspectives and innovative solutions to issues facing the Islamic microfinance industry.

A comprehensive reference book for anyone wanting to learn more about Shari?a Compliant Microfinance, this book will also be of use to students and scholars of microfinance, Islamic finance, and to anyone interested in learning about ethical and socially responsible businesses.

This work provides an integration of the financial and economic aspects of the interest rate. It depicts how the interest rate operates in the macro-economy to set the supply and the allocation of capital and how it functions on the micro-economic level to optimize capital decision-making. It describes the function of the financial markets in setting the supply and cost-of-funds to various users, of estimating a reasonable cost of capital for operational purposes of business firms and public sector authorities, and the application of discounting and present-value methods to financial and investment decisions and strategies.

This work is unique in presenting seamless coverage of the function of the interest rate across varying markets. It will be of interest to scholars and students in economics and finance.

In June 2010 IE Business School, with King Abdulaziz University, gathered in Madrid some of the world's foremost scholars, academics and practitioners of Islamic Economics and Finance. These highlights of the symposium and original articles specifically address the post-crisis application of this growing and relevant economic philosophy in Europe.