Praise for "Market Neutral Strategies"

"Elucidates the sources of potential alpha for a breadth of strategies, as well as the origins of prior miscues." --Edgar J. Sullivan, Ph.D., CFA, Managing Director, General Motors Asset Management

"A comprehensive, thought-leading treatment of market neutral investing."--Thomas F. Obsitnik, CFA, Investment Advisor, Eli Lilly and Company

"This excellent and highly relevant publication provides practical answers to practical problems." --Hans de Ruiter, Senior Portfolio Manager, ABP Investments

"A wealth of insights about market neutral investing from a range of real-life practitioners."--Rick Harper, Chief Executive Officer, Superannuation Funds of South Australia

"Bruce Jacobs and Ken Levy blazed the trail for institutional market neutral investing; now they illuminate it."--Richard M. Ennis, CFA, Principal, Ennis Knupp + Associates

"Jacobs and Levy handle the complex subject of market neutral investing at a level the intelligent investor will understand."--Leola Ross, Ph.D., CFA, Senior Research Analyst, Russell Investment Group

"A comprehensive book on market neutral investing, and a roadmap of pitfalls that many would find only by stumbling into them."--Robert D. Arnott, Chairman, Research Affiliates, LLC and Editor, "Financial Analysts Journal"

"A comprehensive review of market neutral strategies, drawing on the theoretical and hands-on knowledge of industry experts.,"--Harry M. Markowitz, 1990 Nobel Laureate in Economics

"Anyone who plans to invest in market neutral strategies should read this book." --Brian Bruce, Editor-In-Chief, "The Journal of Investing"

"Contains intuitive, informative, andinsightful discussions of major market neutral strategies--an invaluable resource."--Professor Narayan Y. Naik, Director, Centre for Hedge Fund Research and Education, London Business School

"Jacobs and Levy are clear, focused, sharp and insightful...a 'must read' for any serious investor."--Les Balzer, Professor of Finance, The University of New South Wales and Head of Research, Hedge Funds of Australia Limited

"A must read. Investors who know how to integrate short positions with long positions are at a major advantage." --Edward M. Miller, Research Professor of Economics and Finance, University of New Orleans

"Transparency is rare in financial markets, but you will find it in this book. I highly recommend it." --Meir Statman, Glenn Klimek Professor of Finance, Santa Clara University

"Jacobs and Levy have provided awesome thought leadership. This book gives readers an insider's look at market neutral investing."--Wayne H. Wagner, Chairman, Plexus Group, Inc.

""Market Neutral Strategies" illuminates for the serious investor the techniques, benefits, and risks of various methods of market neutral investing." --Edward O. Thorp, Ph.D., Edward O. Thorp Associates, Author of "Beat the Dealer"

The summer and fall of 1998 witnessed some of the most turbulent financial markets the world has ever seen. The implosion of the Russian financial markets and investors' ensuing flight to quality propelled the giant hedge-fund, long-term Capital Management, to the brink of collapse and left the investment portfolios of many of Wall Street's major banks and brokerage houses teetering on the brink. The US equity market dropped precipitously at the end of August and continued over the next month to experience levels of volatility not seen since the major crash of October 1987. Yet, within months of the August sell-off, US stocks had bounced back to new highs. How can markets fall so fast and recover so quickly?

Bruce Jacobs sifts through the history of modern finance, from the efficient market hypothesis to behavioral psychology and chaos theory, to determine the cause of recent market crashes. He finds that some investment strategies, especially those based on theories that ignore the human element, can self-destruct, taking markets down with them. Ironically, some strategies that purport to reduce the risk of investing can pose the greater danger.

Of particular concern is a trading strategy that grew out the option pricing model developed by the late Fisher Black and Nobel laureates Myron Scholes and Robert Merton. Used by market professionals, this strategy, known as option replication, requires mechanistic selling as stock prices decline and buying as stock prices rise. When a large enough number of investors engage in this type of trend-following "dynamic hedging," their trading demands can sweep markets along with them, elevating stock prices at some times and causing dramaticprice drops at others.

Dynamic hedging associated with some $100 billion in option-replication strategies caused a US stock market crash in 1987 that wiped out almost a quarter of US equity value and ignited market crashes around the world. Today, the same dynamic hedging underlies hundreds of billions of dollars in institutional and retail products. "Capital Ideas and Market Realities" uncovers the hidden risks these products pose for market stability and investor wealth.

Visit the author's website at http: //www.cimrbook.com for further information.