Book Description
John J. Murphy has now updated his landmark bestseller Technical Analysis of the Futures Markets, to include all of the financial markets.
"If one could read only one book on technical analysis, this should be the one." --Knight-Ridder Financial Products and News (on the first edition, Technical Analysis of the Futures Markets, 0-13-898008-X)
This outstanding reference has already taught thousands of traders the concepts of technical analysis and their application in the futures and stock markets. Covering the latest developments in computer technology, technical tools, and indicators, the second edition features new material on candlestick charting, intermarket relationships, stocks and stock rotation, plus state-of-the-art examples and figures. From how to read charts to understanding indicators and the crucial role technical analysis plays in investing, readers gain a thorough and accessible overview of the field of technical analysis, with a special emphasis on futures markets. Revised and expanded for the demands of today's financial world, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in tracking and analyzing market behavior.
"One way to get started in technical analysis is to read a good book on the subject. One of my favorites is Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets: A Comprehensive Guide to Trading Methods and Applications by John J. Murphy. It's an easy read." Ralph J. Acampora, CMT, Managing Director, Prudential Securities Inc.
Customer Reviews:
Reference.......2007-08-13
If you use the charts to look for trades, you have to buy this book. It's an awesome reference for charting.
Good Even for a Random Walker.......2007-07-22
This book is a very well written introduction to the Technical Analysis of the financial markets. It covers a lot of ground and for a text book style layout, it is surprisingly easy to read. Murphy starts with a solid introduction including the philosophy of technical analysis and a defense against the criticisms from academics and followers of the Random Walk Theory. The meat of the book is a comprehensive treatment of the core components of technical analysis including Trendlines, Reversal and Continuation Patterns, Moving Averages, and Oscillators. The author continues to dig deeper with Point & Figure Charts, Japanese Candlesticks, and Eliott Wave Theory.
As a big fan of Malkiel's "Random Walk Down Wall Street," I started reading this book with some healthy skepticism. While I was not converted to the chartist's philosophy, I felt like I did pick up some tools that could still be useful in a buy-and-hold strategy.
Everything a beginner needs to know.......2007-07-07
John Murphy's book explains nearly everything anyone who is looking to understand the technical side of the market could ask for.
PROS: Easy to follow. Starts from the ground up into the complicated stuff. Feels like a year's worth of college courses finished in a few weeks time. This is far and away the best overall stock book I've read to date. I'm making money now!
CONS: Spends a bit too much time on futures trading (for which the book was originally written) Doesn't get far enough into how much time should lapse as a pattern unfolds. Doesn't get much into the psychology of the trader's mind. Somewhat outdated on computer advances (not a big deal)
Classic Technical Analysis Book.......2007-06-28
I received 4 copies of this book during my course work at the NYIF, its an excellent referance manual for anyone applying Technical Analysis to the financial markets.
Excellent introduction to TA - an easy read.......2007-06-27
This is the first book I bought on TA and, honestly, it looked intimidating. It's not. Open it up and it reads cover to cover very quickly. Not too technical - not too basic. Just right. This is an excellent introduction to technical analysis: easy to read language, large print, nice heavy bright white pages. Oh, and the content is excellent as well: worded well, good organization, understandable examples and illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Not what I thought.......2007-08-26
This book was a lot less than expected. It is basically a book of definitions. It does not offer notes from the book which is what I thought I was getting.
Financial Markets and Institutions-Cram Text.......2007-02-16
Don't get it. It is useless. Elementary style study pack.
Very good for first exposure to financial markets.......2003-12-10
This book is not an advanced book on financial markets, but it is a good introductory book. I use this book for my undergraduate teaching. Both I and students are happy about the coverage of the book. It is well organized and well written. Improvements will be valuable in the derivatives markets and risk management areas.
Good start.......2003-12-04
I've used some version of this book for many years now, and I've seen it evolve. I think, as other reviewers have said, that there are some simplified portions of the book, especially those parts dealing with monetary economics. There are other portions which lay out the principles as only these authors can, and those parts are extremely helpful and valuable. This book allows me to teach my notes and thoughts with a textbook serving as a reference and an introduction -- it doesn't get in my way, in other words. I use it along with several other texts, and I think it gets the job done. Students seem to like it as well, mainly for its clarity. For someone wanting to learn the basics, this is an excellent choice.
This book insults the intelligence of all but newcomers.......2002-11-08
Although this might be a perfect book for those looking for simplicity, I would not advise it to anybody with previous exposure to finance.
The book is a way too simple, and reveals huge ignorance on the markets outside the US.
I think the book is very much a benchmark to reveal ignorant finance - teachers.
Book Description
This is the 2007 Edition of the first book in the "Practical Guide" series for the mortgage industry.
Published since 1992, and updated annually, this 198 page textbook was written as an answer to the "sink-or-swim" training methods of many mortgage firms. The format is designed to give the newly initiated loan officer/agent, lender, processor, or other initiate the practical information they need to do the loan officer's job.
The reader learns how to understand rate and point quotes, how to use a financial calculator, how to make basic computations customers require, how to understand loan programs and compare product features. The student progresses through understanding loan specifications - Conventional Conforming, Jumbo, FHA/VA and Sub-Prime program guidelines - to a practical understanding of ratios, income, assets and closing costs, debts and credit history. This is then placed in the context of the loan application - how to collect all the required documents and disclosures and supervise a loan from application to closing. Beyond the basics, students learn how to finance various property types; condos, PUDs, new construction and investment property. A detailed chapter on refinancing addresses the issues which most often confront the loan officer in a period of heavy refinancing - 10 reasons to refinance.
Finally, understanding how loans are made in the secondary market and the basics of interest rate quoting and behavior are covered.
This product is submitted for approval for use in continuing education in all states which have, or are adopting, a requirement. Many companies use this product as a handout to prospective new loan officers. Many loan officers give this product to their referral sources to help educate them to the requirements of the industry.
Customer Reviews:
Great book, but . . . ........2007-05-26
This is a great book and needs to be in your library if you are, or are considering a career in the mortgage industry. But, Mr. Morgan needs to do a better job of describing what is in the tables used as examples. It becomes confusing when looking at a box with numbers in it and little or no quantification of the rows or columns. If this book is truly a "guide to residential finance" then more examples are needed and perhaps some excises with answers, kind of like a text book. Even though this book has been around for several years, a few modifications could make it a well rounded text and an industry standard.
One of the best!.......2007-01-23
If you're new to the mortgage business, then I highly recommend buying this book. It's very detailed and contains all of the practical info that you need to get a start in the mortgage industry.
Other than that, at times it becomes confusing due to a few editing errors.
The Loan Officer's Practical Guide to Residential Finance.......2007-01-05
This is a text book for all loan officers. It is a must read for everyone interested in mortgages. The book is easy to understand and gives all the information in one place. This book will teach you everything you need to know about mortgages. Maximize your knowledge.
Great Info...Poor Editing.......2006-10-24
I agree with many of the previous posters as to the value of the information contained in this book....it is excellent. That being said, the book is evidently updated annually and the author does a VERY poor job of editing from one edition to the next. I believe this to be part of the reason a previous poster found the text to be confusing at times. In addition to typographical errors, there are errors in the page locations of certain topics, and errors with some tables as well.
That being said, I still highly recommend this book. It is not one to be read only, but to be worked through with paper, pencil, and calculator.
Good guide, but can be confusing sometimes.......2005-09-26
This is a good book. It is crammed with lots of information that is specific to the loan industry. It is a comprehensive guide covering most of the aspects of the loan industry. I turn to this guide every now and then to check up on problems and questions that I run into with my loans.
Only problem is that it could be written more clearly. It's difficult to decipher some of the figures and tables because the author doesn't explain them enough beforehand. Also he uses some jargon and other terms that might not be familiar to a new loan officer.
Overall, a good guide with lots of specific, useful information. Drawback is some parts and concepts are not clearly explained. I would still recommend to buy it though as its faults are not overwhelming.
Book Description
This book offers a comprehensive exploration of the revolutionary developments occurring in the world's financial markets and institutions —i.e., innovation, globalization, and deregulation —with a focus on the actual practices of financial institutions, investors, and financial instruments.
KEY TOPICS: Extensive coverage of the markets for derivative securities. Coverage of Depository Institutions is included.
For professionals in the field of financial markets.
Customer Reviews:
Intense Reading.......2007-09-09
I am using this textbook for a MBA course and I just had to stop studying and write a review. The authors must have collectively agreed to make this the most confusing read possible. For every one definition, there are two to three words that can mean the same thing, and they are interchangeably used throughout the text; after several chapters, it is very difficult to remember which term matches with which definition. Besides that, the text book was written for people who ALREADY know all the terms associated with this field. They can take a simple subject and convolute it with jargon that the average user will not understand. The writing style used is VERY technical; instead of writing simple sentences that are clear/easily understood, it appears as though they used every word in the thesaurus. I spend more time in the index and glossary than I do reading the text itself. Why couldn't they have written it more intelligently? A good text book explains itself as it goes and does not jump off the high dive into the deep end of the pool. If you are a Finance Major, this is the book for you, for the rest, I would keep looking. I'm off to wade through the rest of this book and look forward to the last page; will it ever come?
Not worth the price........2007-01-02
Spelling and grammatical mistakes.
Personnel from Prentice Hall - Pearson displayed little interest in request for corrections.
Recommend seek books from other publishers.
This book is great, very educational!.......1999-10-12
I use this textbook for my Financial Markets class and I learn so much from it. Fabozzi does a wonderful job of transfering his ideas to students so they can comprehend them and learn. Because of this book, I will definately get an 'A' in my class. I recommend this book to anybody.
Book Description
Jonathan A. Knee had a ringside seat during the go-go, boom-and-bust decade and into the 21st century, at the two most prestigious investment banks on Wall Street--Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. In this candid and irreverent insider's account of an industry in free fall, Knee captures an exhilarating era of fabulous deal-making in a free-wheeling Internet economy--and the catastrophe that followed when the bubble burst. Populated with power players, back stabbers, celebrity bankers, and godzillionaires, here is a vivid account of the dramatic upheaval that took place in investment banking. Indeed, Knee entered an industry that was typified by the motto "first-class business in a first-class way" and saw it transformed in a decade to a free-for-all typified by the acronym IBG, YBG ("I'll be gone, you'll be gone"). Increasingly mercenary bankers signed off on weak deals, knowing they would leave them in the rear-view mirror. Once, investment bankers prospered largely on their success in serving the client, preserving the firm, and protecting the public interest. Now, in the "financial supermarket" era, bankers felt not only that each day might be their last, but that their worth was tied exclusively to how much revenue they generated for the firm on that day--regardless of the source. Today, most young executives feel no loyalty to their firms, and among their clients, Knee finds an unprecedented but understandable level of cynicism and distrust of investment banks. Brimming with insight into what investment bankers actually do, and told with biting humor and unflinching honesty, The Accidental Investment Banker offers a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of the most powerful companies on Wall Street.
Customer Reviews:
Insightful Depiction of Investment Banking.......2007-10-07
Jonathan Knee has penned an insightful and detailed memoir of his investment banking career at Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, both leading Wall Street houses.
The Accidental Investment Banker is helpful in that Knee has rendered the considerable service of describing what investment bankers actually do on a daily basis. Knee also offers a lucid analysis of the economic forces that transformed an industry that prided itself on its long-term advisory relationships into an industry that frequently competes directly against its clients. The rise of transactional investment banking, and the unhappy outcomes that it is capable of creating, is the central theme of Knee's book. Altogether, Knee's memoir is more thoughtful and detailed than Liar's Poker and similar memoirs.
Criticisms: Knee's publisher has left many copy-editing errors in the final manuscript. This volume deserves better. For Knee's part, his narrative tends to extol the virtues of the top MBA institutions and the "white shoe" investment banks, while disparaging MBA education in general and the absurdities and excesses of investment banking in particular. A more generous and accurate view-- and I am surprised that "The Accidental Investment Banker" does not endorse it-- is that talented people and successful businesses are found in many venues, and that pedigree is no guarantee of success.
good book - wildly misleading cover blurb.......2007-09-22
The cover of this is so misleading that you wonder what the publisher was thinking. This book does not do for IB what Liar's Poker did for fixed income trading (no slobbish bond salesmen throw telephones around here - though on a couple of occasions people make inappropriate comments at parties and iritate clients, and towards the end, during the internet bubble, they decide to dress down on Fridays, then, when the bubble bursts, they stop doing it again). What it delivers is a critical assessment of the state of the IB business, framed in terms of the author's own experience and observations of life at Goldman and Morgan, together with an apologia pro vita sua.
Both are pretty good and pretty useful. If you work in any branch of professional services, then there is a lot of interesting stuff here (pitch books are, alas, not unique to IB) and it is also readable. Knee's prose is a bit, um, prosaic, he is not Michael Lewis, but it goes by easily - there is a bit of New-Yorker-itis (people are introduced as 'slim, handsome and elegant', even 'elfin' a couple of times - does no-one read Leonard's rules for writers?), but nothing on the scale of Barbarians at the Gate, which, it if it were not so unreadably, incompetently badly written, would be the Liar's Poker of IB. And there are some definite gems, such as the description of the Goldman IBS team as resembling 'a German olympic swimming team' (which is even better than 'the Chets') which must have made some people wince.
In fact there is one possible reference to BatG here, where Knee describes the final negotiations in the sale of West, where he and his team successfully engineered that the 'right' bidder won an open auction, albeit at an extra cost of 50-100m (exhibit A in the 'apolgia'), to be compared and contrasted with the climax of BatG, where Felix Rohatyn efficiently extracted an extra 230 million dollars from KKR. Rohatyn would point out, in his defence, that there were no 'right' bidders for RJR, there were just different packs of predatory carnivores, and RJR was a public company, etc. True, but the parallel is still striking.
Neither Goldman nor Morgan come out of the book looking very good, but Goldman definitely comes out far ahead of Morgan.
What else? Knee crashed into the middle ranks, and moved up fast, so he does not say a lot about the endless diet of midnight pizza and the regular crashing under your desk in your suit which also go with the job, at least in my - very occasional - experience. There are also some interesting notes about Hank Paulson, which must have been written just before he left GS to be Treasury Secretary - Knee is, shall we say, not so impressed.
In conclusion: Definitely worth reading, but not for the jokes, or the madcap anecdotes - there aren't any. Knee comes across convincingly as an honorable, intelligent and likeable man and he delivers a lot of useful information and analysis. Finally, I can also reassure him that his somewhat self-conscious author's pic at the back is enough to guarantee that no-one will ever describe him as 'elfin'.
Great I-Banking Read.......2007-09-17
Though-provoking and pleasurable read that will be greatly appreciated by anyone who has/is working in the realm of high finance or wants to know more about it. A must read for any young, up-and-coming banker. While most i-banking books have their share of good vignettes and war stories, what separates this book apart is the thought-provoking analysis of internal politics with crucial underlying dictums.
Positives:
-Great description of the how the latest boom-and-bust period and other factors have (negatively) affected i-banking.
-Candid opinions and vignettes of people currently or recently active on the Street.
-Edifying/applicable i-banking politics analysis.
-Laugh-out-loud war stories.
Negatives:
-Knee's own importance is likely overstated in some parts, but cut him a break, he's an investment banker!
-Knee's joy in waxing poetic about the 'old days' of investment banking is undeniably in part a pitch for his newer role at Evercore, but again, you have to cut the author a little slack here.
-Some controversial political analyses - I don't have inside information to argue whether Knee's view is the 'true' view or not. At a minimum he is willing to put forth views on matters where, in this day and age, the vast majority of writers are too chicken to attempt.
The book ties together (1) Knee's career path, (2) Knee's most entertaining war stories, (3) Analyses of the rise-and-fall of several key figures on the Street and (4) Knee's main story: the changing roll of investment banks and the reasons for this change. While some have argued that certain parts are off topic, I would say that these stories and analyses are crucial to understanding the time and Knee's reasons for taking his particular view of i-banking. Moreover, we are all wiser and further entertained for its inclusion.
There's one point on which I take issue with Knee. He asserts that his primary reason for staying in investment banking is to influence decision making at the top ranks of corporations; however, if this is one's primary interest, I believe that this goal is better served by a career in private equity. I think this is a view that Knee, whether or not he agrees with it, should have addressed. That said, my zeal for this point is largely driven by my own career decisions, so I'd probably have a hard time claiming to be entirely without bias myself!
Learning: The fun way.......2007-09-04
This book is what banking professors want to recommend as Summer Reading for their students. This story educates people about all the processes and industry terms that are only available through experience or from a drab textbook.
You will learn about the author's education, how he got into banking, and how he has ended up where he ended up. Along the way, you will probably be startled to learn how much he and other top bankers make in a year. The new industry terms are fairly well defined so that people foreign to the industry are not left baffled.
The vocabulary is not too challenging. I would think that this book would be more entertaining than educational for an industry professional.
While not a world-mover, this book was terribly interesting and definitely educational. Although, that might just be my opinion.
On the Money.......2007-08-15
As far as I'm concerned, Jonathan Knee's book is the best of the "life on Wall St" books out there. It isn't the most shocking (Monkey Business), nor about the biggest deal (Barbarians). But it tells the true story of his climb up the ladder (and the trends shaping the industry) with engaging, self-deprecating humor. I worked at DLJ during the "monkey business" years and never encountered any of the unethical frat boy moments recounted in Troob's book (guess I wasn't invited to the cool parties; ha).
The Accidental Investment Banker doesn't dwell on the gutter moments of banking, nor does it glorify the industry. If you're considering a career in banking or just want to understand how the Street works (and laugh along the way), I highly recommend this book.
Vince Scafaria
CEO, DealMaven Inc.
Average customer rating:
- Good Companion Book
- Good book
- Very thoughtful and clear explanation of financial math
- sophisticated maths
- Remarkable Introduction to Serious Math, Serious Finance, and Real-World Applications
|
Introduction to the Mathematics of Financial Derivatives
Salih N. Neftci
Manufacturer: Academic Press
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Similar Items:
-
Options, Futures and Other Derivatives (6th Edition)
-
Principles of Financial Engineering (Academic Press Advanced Finance)
-
Financial Calculus : An Introduction to Derivative Pricing
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Heard on the Street: Quantitative Questions from Wall Street Job Interviews
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Stochastic Calculus for Finance II: Continuous-Time Models (Springer Finance)
ASIN: 0125153929 |
Book Description
This popular text, publishing Spring 1999 in its Second Edition, introduces the mathematics underlying the pricing of derivatives. The increase of interest in dynamic pricing models stems from their applicability to practical situations: with the freeing of exchange, interest rates, and capital controls, the market for derivative products has matured and pricing models have become more accurate. Professor Neftci's book answers the need for a resource targeting professionals, Ph.D. students, and advanced MBA students who are specifically interested in these financial products. The Second Edition is designed to make the book the main text in first year masters and Ph.D. programs for certain courses, and will continue to be an important manual for market professionals.
Customer Reviews:
Good Companion Book.......2007-08-29
good companion book for the other book "Principles of Financial Engineering" by the same author
Clear and easy to understand treatment. The author does not assume a high level of math knowledge of the reader.
Good book.......2007-05-09
As title states this is a good Introduction to the mathematics of derivatives.
If you're looking for some book with C/C++/C#/Java code samples this isn't the book. Indeed a good mathematical introduction; its pre-requirements are a good mathematical and statistical ones.
Very thoughtful and clear explanation of financial math.......2007-02-05
I turn to this book after I get frustrated with Tomas Bojork's book "Arbitrage Theory in Continuous Time." As I am not from a strict math background, this Neftci's book makes much more sense to me. What I particularly like about this book is explanation in plain English of why the mathematical formulae are so, and how they are connected to the bigger picture. Also Neftci has a good grasp of how many real-life examples included in this book so that it doesn't lose its focus on the real math in finance.
sophisticated maths.......2006-06-16
Neftci takes us on a mathematically sophisticated tour of financial derivatives. The treatment is on a level akin to a senior-level undergrad text on physics or engineering. Indeed, to a reader who might come from that background, there will be a lot of similarities and familiar ideas.
For example, partial differential equations arise naturally in the pricing of derivative assets. But unlike many places in physics, here it is not sufficient to assume smoothly varying variables. The inherently discrete nature of most financial variables means that derivatives have to be approximated numerically.
Neftci also describes the various types of options, like basket, knock-out, multi-asset and so on. Each has a slightly different modelling. Another key idea involves the time aspect of pricing. So Wiener processes naturally arise, and the text shows how to handle these.
Much more is covered in the book. Perhaps just as importantly, it gives you enough maths preparation that you should be able to analyse other new types of financial instruments. Maybe even ones that you create yourself.
Remarkable Introduction to Serious Math, Serious Finance, and Real-World Applications.......2006-06-14
Neftci's book is easily grouped into a large number of texts that provide graduate level (considerable more rigorous than the MBA version) introductions to mathematical finance. Some are written for MBA with want to be exposed to as little math as possible without short changing the financial and valuation aspects and with considerable attention to a broad range of financial products and applications (Hull's classic comes to mind). Others are extremely implementation driven and are more a hybrid of finance and computer programming (Duffy, London, Wilmont). Still others are math books that speak above the heads of almost all practitioners and cover the finance topics poorly (or not at all).
Netfci's book is a rare gem in this field. Excellent coverage of financial topics and fundamentals (Arbitrage Theorem, Forwards Futures, Equity Derivatives, Interest Rate Derivatives), serious graduate level review of financial math and mathematical techniques (Probability, Numeric Processes, Binomial Methods, Stochastic Calculus, Finite Difference, Martingales, Monte Carlo methods), and applications (Bond Pricing, Term Structure Modeling, Exotic Options, Rare Event Modeling).
Best of all, it start assuming very little, builds aggressively, and progresses logically.
The biggest drawbacks are a lack of coverage for credit modeling and credit derivatives, Merton-model and contingent claim models for distressed equity, and more common financial engineering applications (hedging, rebalancing).
It is also remarkable well-written.
Book Description
The dramatic changes in the financial services industry have had a great effect on profitability, forcing financial institutions to change their management focus. Increased competitive pressures, tightening interest rates spreads and declining deposits balances have made goals even more difficult to achieve. The Financial Services Industries Consulting Practices at Ernst & Young LLP have developed this perfect guide to help readers reach those increasingly difficult goals. This reliable source of guidance has insight on asset/liability management, branch profitability and complete bank-wide performance program. It looks at all aspects of profitability, including hands-on approaches to: profitability philosophies and structures; balance sheet, revenue and expense components: transfer pricing of funds; planning and budgeting; performance measurements.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent, both on banking and project management aspects.......1998-12-03
This is the only book that covers all of the aspects of performance management in banking : 1. the analysis of performance measurement is very good even though, the coverage of financial data is overweight with respect to the rest of the book 2. the project approach is excellent and the various "pitfalls" described are so true that the people that wrote it necessarily had a good project experience, only problem is that the system architectures described did not evolve with the new edition (the word "data warehouse" is evoked once or twice) 3. As usual with this type of books, the "using the information" chapters are a bit a dry, even thought some interesting ideas are described regarding "customer information" In summary, a must read for any person trying to implement a performance indicators or Balanced Scorecard systm in its bank ("financial institutions" in the title is actually retail or commercial banking) PS : I am not an E & Y employee ... so this is not an advertising review
Book Description
The credit derivatives market is booming and, for the first time, expanding into the banking sector which previously has had very little exposure to quantitative modeling. This phenomenon has forced a large number of professionals to confront this issue for the first time. Credit Derivatives Pricing Models provides an extremely comprehensive overview of the most current areas in credit risk modeling as applied to the pricing of credit derivatives. As one of the first books to uniquely focus on pricing, this title is also an excellent complement to other books on the application of credit derivatives. Based on proven techniques that have been tested time and again, this comprehensive resource provides readers with the knowledge and guidance to effectively use credit derivatives pricing models. Filled with relevant examples that are applied to real-world pricing problems, Credit Derivatives Pricing Models paves a clear path for a better understanding of this complex issue.
Dr. Philipp J. Schönbucher is a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, and has degrees in mathematics from Oxford University and a PhD in economics from Bonn University. He has taught various training courses organized by ICM and CIFT, and lectured at risk conferences for practitioners on credit derivatives pricing, credit risk modeling, and implementation.
Customer Reviews:
read this before going for it.......2007-04-25
The book covers the basics of credit risk modeling and derivative pricing (both structural and intensity type of models), explained in a clear style with enough detail to enable implementation (a rarity in financial literature!). Basics of the theory of stochastic processes and risk-neutral pricing are also covered. Calibration methods for the models are clearly explained. Due to the limited scope, some topics are given only cursory coverage (Copula function methods, role of interest-rates models etc.), but even then, enough references are provided. A very useful, concisely written tome!
Very bad presentation. I was bored to death before I finished the first 20 pages.......2007-04-16
The author should rewrite this book. The presentation and organisation are terrible. Often you will see formulas come out without an explanation.
Would definitely not recommend it.
Grab any papers wrote by the market-practitioners, you will find they are much easier for you to understand the concepts of various credit derivatives models than the book could.
BTW, I wrote a negative review in amazon.co.uk, but was deleted twice.
Great but Incomplete Tech for Quantitative Credit Traders / Analysts.......2006-12-06
Schonbucher's book has major strengths:
1) the bredth and un-biased approach to a broard range of methods for pricing and identifying (pseudo-)arbitrage opportunities including approaches based on reduced form / intensity models, structural/statistical/Merton-like models, and credit rating based approachs to modeling and trading credit.
2) The emphasis on implementation issues -- issues and problems bootstrapping and fitting credit curves, impact of product and market specific risk premium in credit spread than inflated market-implied default probabilities -- is very good and his chapters on modeling market-implied recovery assumptions and recovery modeling are also very good.
The major drawbacks are that is
1) It is sufficiently mathematical, but not strong enough in explaining the mathematics, such that anyone who can undedrstand the book probably already has a good handle on the space.
2) It spends a good deal of time on interesting but only marginally relevant modeling approachs (like the credit rating discussions and modeling counter-party risk) but misses key opportunities (like cash-cds convexity and basis trading) that many need for their day jobs.
3) Recent innovations like recovery products, loan and preferred CDS, and greater liquidity in basket and coorelation products either post-date the text or are not covered well enough to be of practical use.
That said, it is still one of the two four and five texts I have seen in the space (if you are considering the book also look at Geoff Chaplin's excellent text. Many people rave about Credit Derivatives by George C. Chacko et al. but I haven't yet read this, so don't have an opinion other than people I have high regard for like the book a lot.)
excellent book but hard to understand.......2006-11-11
The book is written by a Professor in a insightful way.
The reader needs to be well prepared in knowledge, and be ready for frustration.
Excellent intermediate book.......2005-10-20
The book is a look at credit risk through the glasses of mathematics, and is not a beginner's book. It is a bit dry in the beginning, yet after that I discovered lots of valuable intuitive explanations. While it does require a certain level of probability knowledge, the author walks you through most necessary steps for the presented models. The book covers almost everything needed for an intermediate course on credit modelling. The lack of numerical implementation menthods took the last star.
Book Description
A number-one bestseller from coast to coast, Den of Thieves tells, in masterfully reported detail, the full story of the insider-trading scandal that nearly destroyed Wall Street, the men who pulled it off, and the chase that finally brought them to justice. Pulitzer Prize winner James B. Stewart shows for the first time how four of the biggest names on Wall Street -- Michael Milken, Ivan Boesky, Martin Siegel, and Dennis Levine -- created the greatest insider-trading ring in financial history and almost walked away with billions, until a team of downtrodden detectives triumphed over some of America's most expensive lawyers to bring this powerful quartet to justice.
Based on secret grand jury transcripts, interviews, and actual trading records, and containing explosive new revelations about Michael Milken and Ivan Boesky written especially for this paperback edition, Den of Thieves weaves all the facts into an unforgettable narrative -- a portrait of human nature, big business, and crime of unparalleled proportions.
Customer Reviews:
Den of Thieves.......2007-05-01
This book was very insightful about the misgivings of some powerful financial magnates. However, the writing is poor and the author rushes through parts of the story that leaves the reader with more questions than answers. It is written by a professional journalist and not a novelist, so it reads like a newspaper article, which can be highly condensed for space. I would recommend the predator's ball. It is a much better account. And if you are interested in what Micheal Milken is up to these days check out The Milken Institute. The guy is still a billionaire.
A cluster of information and innuendo reporting.......2007-03-07
This book is a useful source of what happened in certain corners of Wall Street in the 80s, whith an emphasis of only the bad and ignoring some of the positive effects that the same characters had in and out of the business community and while committing - and occasionally allegedly committing - crimes.
Unfortunately, there are simply too many instances where motives or instances assumed to have occured in a certain fashion are explained as fact.
I recommend that people interested in this topic read Predators' Ball first.
Difficult to understand for a non investment banker.......2007-03-07
The book takes you deep into the investment banking world . If you dont know your Morgan Stanley from your Goldman Sachs then this book will make little sense to you. There is a laundry list of investment banking firms and bankers mentioned hastily throughout the book. They all just blended into one thing since I did not have any deep understanding of what these firms actually do and how they are different from each other . So I would not recommend this for the layman.
The chronicles of a decade of greed .......2007-02-22
This book comes almost straight out of the courtroom and newspapers. The author mixed it with imagination and good writing into something that looks more like a good movie script than a story about corruption. James is a Wall Street Journal reporter and he knows his work very well; everything in the book is fact based and documented from public sources. Den of Thieves is an extensive collection of stories that follow individual destinies coming together in one of the most extraordinary decade in Wall Street history. When you read the book you feel more like you sit in front of a TV and someone is playing in front of you pieces of recordings made skilfully over a period of several years. In fact, you get into an intriguing action from the very beginning and the suspense keeps you awake for quite a while. There is so much detail that you will be amazed at of how James managed to put all together so well.
The book is divided in two parts: Above the Law and The Chase. You get to see both sides of the story, both of them full of drama. I did not realise that the prosecutors had such a hard time until I read this book. It is not only a matter of legal technicality that explains some of the difficulties the law enforcements officers experienced in putting their case together (so they act "legally"), but it is also a matter of political interests that played such an important role in obstructing the application of the law. There are names more or less popular, some of them bordering celebrity status that come together and clash in a fight driven by conflicting interests. You read about people like Michael Milken, the guru of junk bonds, Ivan Boesky, the mysterious arbitrageur, Rudolph Giuliani, the famous mayor of NY, Martin Siegel, the investment banker that perfected the "poison pill" and many others. The law prevailed in the end but with such a great effort and pain, that one could not really imagine winners getting any joy out of this, maybe just a sense of relief that was all over.
Overall this is a good book, it is easy to read, fast paced, and not technical at all. I wish it had more clarity in marking the dates. Sometimes is difficult to understand the succession of events and see clearly what caused what. You will need occasionally to go back a few pages just to get the sequence straight. Although the story is about people and James made an effort to build characters by putting thoughts into their heads as the events unfold, I had the impression that some sections where very much taken from court archived notes. Overall, Den of Thieves is a good book that you can use to travel back in time and understand what happened during 80's, the decade of greed.
Definitive.......2007-02-07
I totally got the whole feel of the era, the industry and the crime that happened. My only complaint is its too long. Could have dropped a good 100 pages.
Customer Reviews:
Great book for beginners!.......2007-09-02
This is a very good introductory book. The authors go into explaining the details of the various derivatives in depth and give concrete numerical examples how they can be priced. However only elementary pricing techniques are considered -- a practitioner will not find much use of them.
I am giving the book 4 stars because the book contains many typos and errors which can be quite confusing to a beginner (e.g. mislabeled graphs). With four authors on the cover they could have done a better job at this.
Distracting typos.......2007-06-20
Decent and accessible read, but has many typographical errors. I mean guys, this is a text book, show your readers some respect by doing adequate proof reading. 1 example:
Fig 3-15, page 99 y axis should be default prob., not credit spread as labeled.
My copy is poorly published.......2007-06-11
For the first 150 pages, I thought this was a useful product. Not too deeply mathematical and clearly written. I would have given it 4 stars.
Then I noticed that it jumped from page 150 to 189. And repeated some pages after 180 again later in the book. Useless.
Should be mandatory reading for all financial practitioners.......2006-11-11
During the course of the last several years, I have had only a passing knowledge of credit derivatives. I have encountered the subject on occasion, but in little more depth than something equivalent to reading, "Credit derivatives are an important component of the modern economy." This book certainly reaches the level expounded in the title, namely being an excellent primer on what they are and the important role they play.
The first chapter explains exactly what credit derivatives are. Using mathematical modeling techniques, an accurate estimate is made of the true credit risk based on the likelihood of partial or total default. This allows the holder of a debt to sell it to someone willing to assume the debt for a price that both agree is reasonable. The seller then gets immediate payment and the buyer has enough margin to make a profit.
After credit derivatives are defined and examples given, precise definitions of credit and credit risk are given. Very sophisticated mathematics is used in the models that describe how the values are derived. Probability theory is also used in the computations, as most of the results are based on the likelihood that the debtor will repay the debt.
This book is not easy to read as you need a significant background in microeconomics and must be able to read and understand formulas. However, it is well worth the effort to read and understand it. Credit derivatives are a very important tool that can be used to generate significant capital quickly, reduce your credit risk or to make significant profits. Like nearly everything else, none of this is possible without the knowledge necessary to do it right. This book will provide that knowledge; I learned a lot while reading it.
A Primer to Bring we Older Folk up to the Current MBA lLevel.......2006-11-02
A key to evaluating this book is in the sub-title. It is a primer on the new field of evaluating credit. And the good thing is that it remains true to this primer concept throughout the book.
Derivatives are among the newest of the financial instruments. They are far removed from the old traditional stocks and bonds, so even though this is a primer, don't expect to get by without learning a whole lot of new terms and acronyms. Here is discussion on total return swaps, credit spread options, credit linked notes, CDSs and CDOs. (See what I mean.)
The intended audience for the book is the financial practitioner, either on the buying or the selling side. The subjects are covered in as basic a sense as possible without getting so simple or so complex as to be useless. As the book says: 'Simple, yet rigorous explanations: no credit derivatives experience necessary.' I'd add though that you'd best have some credit experience and be knowledgable with the various debt instruments that back derivatives. This is one of those subjects that the young folk coming out of MBA school are likely to have studied. We older folk have to use books like this one just to keep up with them.
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