Book Description
"An excellent and comprehensive source of information on hedge funds! From a quantitative view Lhabitant has done it once again by meticulously looking at the important topics in the hedge fund industry. This book has a tremendous wealth of information and is a valuable addition to the hedge fund literature. In addition, it will benefit institutional investors, high net worth individuals, academics and anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating and often mysterious world of privately managed money. Written by one of the most respected practitioners and academics in the area of hedge funds." -
Greg N. Gregoriou, Professor of finance and research coordinator in the School of Business and Economics at Plattsburgh State University of New York.
"This is a landmark book on quantitative approaches to hedge funds. All those with a stake in building hedge fund portfolios will highly profit from this exhaustive guide. A must read for all those involved in hedge fund investing."
-Pascal Botteron, Ph.D., Head of Hedge Fund Product Development, Pictet Asset Management
"François-Serge Lhabitant's second book will prove to be a bestseller too - just like Hedge Funds: Myths and Limits. He actually manages to make quantitative analysis 'approachable'- even for those less gifted with numbers. This book, like its predecessor, includes an unprecedented mix of common sense and sophisticated technique. A fantastic guide to the 'nuts and bolts' of hedge fund analysis and a 'must' for every serious investor." -
Barbara Rupf Bee, Head of Alternative Fund Investment Group, HSBC Private Bank, Switzerland
"An excellent book, providing deep insights into the complex quantitative analysis of hedge funds in the most lucid and intuitive manner. A must-have supplement to Lhabitant's first book dealing with the mystical and fascinating world of hedge funds. Highly recommended!"
-Vikas Agarwal, Assistant Professor of Finance, J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University
"Lhabitant has done it again! Whereas most books on hedge funds are nothing more than glorified marketing brochures, Lhabitant's new book tells it how it is in reality. Accessible and understandable but at the same time thorough and critical."
-Harry M. Kat, Ph.D., Professor of Risk Management and Director Alternative Investment Research Centre, Cass Business School, City University
"Lhabitant's latest work on hedge funds yet again delivers on some ambitious promises. Successfully bridging theory and practice in a highly accessible manner, those searching for a thorough yet unintimidating introduction to the quantitative methods of hedge fund analysis will not be disappointed."
-Christopher L. Culp, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Finance, Graduate School of Business, The University of Chicago and Principal, Chicago Partners LLC
Download Description
"An excellent and comprehensive source of information on hedge funds! From a quantitative view Lhabitant has done it once again by meticulously looking at the important topics in the hedge fund industry. This book has a tremendous wealth of information and is a valuable addition to the hedge fund literature. In addition, it will benefit institutional investors, high net worth individuals, academics and anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating and often mysterious world of privately managed money. Written by one of the most respected practitioners and academics in the area of hedge funds." -
Greg N. Gregoriou, Professor of finance and research coordinator in the School of Business and Economics at Plattsburgh State University of New York.
"This is a landmark book on quantitative approaches to hedge funds. All those with a stake in building hedge fund portfolios will highly profit from this exhaustive guide. A must read for all those involved in hedge fund investing."
-Pascal Botteron, Ph.D., Head of Hedge Fund Product Development, Pictet Asset Management
Customer Reviews:
A bit disappointing.......2006-10-16
Honestly I was surprised to see the book is founded on the mainstream economic theory when the hedge fund industry itself is an idealization of alternative thesis. There is no quantitative insight whatsoever into the hedge fund strategies there, even though the author does provide useful information for anyone interested in understanding the bits of this secretive industry. In my humble opinion, the book should have moved beyond those generic topics to how the quantitative models are derived and which fields of knowledge are assisting in that endeavour, ie quantum mechanics, chaos theory, etc. Instead of those interesting insights, I got a recap of what a MBA student learns in her first semester in finance class, coupled with some considerations about how to put upon the microsope the hedge fund historical data.
Notwithstanding all this, I am still confortable with 3 stars here because the area is still a black box and certainly is not easy to write a book on the topic without falling into the trap of vagueness since eventually all successful funds have tight non disclosure agreements with their R&D staff to prevent leaks. At the end, the public is only informed of those strategies and insights have lead to disaster in hedge fund collapse, ie LTCM in 98 while the sucessful quantitivative insights are kept secret at least until they prove unsuccessful.
Somewhat misleading title, but good book.......2005-04-02
I bought this book with the hope that finally I would learn how hedge fund strategies should be implemented in a quantitative and practical way. What a delusion I was under! Suffice to say that I regretted this purchase. You will not learn about investment strategies here, so if this is your motivation, look somewhere else (Lhabitant's first book "Hedge Funds: Myths and Limits" is better on investment strategies, but only in a qualitative way). All the same, I have found some use for this book. If you want a review of finance/investment theory like asset pricing models (CAPM, APT), risk and return measurement, regression analysis, etc. the book will do just fine. I recommend looking at the table of contents to see if this book suits your purpose. I have found chapter 5 on hedge fund indices, and the problems with these, very useful. Also, chapter 9 on style analysis is good, as well as chapter 8.5 on hedge funds as option portfolios which summarizes the scientific papers by Fung, Agrawal and those guys. However, you will find most of the book's topics in finance textbooks used in graduate schools, but if you haven't read those, I guess this book will be very useful for you.
Book Description
The 2nd edition of this successful book has several new features. The calibration discussion of the basic LIBOR market model has been enriched considerably, with an analysis of the impact of the swaptions interpolation technique and of the exogenous instantaneous correlation on the calibration outputs. A discussion of historical estimation of the instantaneous correlation matrix and of rank reduction has been added, and a LIBOR-model consistent swaption-volatility interpolation technique has been introduced.
The old sections devoted to the smile issue in the LIBOR market model have been enlarged into several new chapters. New sections on local-volatility dynamics, and on stochastic volatility models have been added, with a thorough treatment of the recently developed uncertain-volatility approach. Examples of calibrations to real market data are now considered.
The fast-growing interest for hybrid products has led to new chapters. A special focus here is devoted to the pricing of inflation-linked derivatives.
The three final new chapters of this second edition are devoted to credit. Since Credit Derivatives are increasingly fundamental, and since in the reduced-form modeling framework much of the technique involved is analogous to interest-rate modeling, Credit Derivatives -- mostly Credit Default Swaps (CDS), CDS Options and Constant Maturity CDS - are discussed, building on the basic short rate-models and market models introduced earlier for the default-free market. Counterparty risk in interest rate payoff valuation is also considered, motivated by the recent Basel II framework developments.
Customer Reviews:
Best book on interest rate models.......2002-12-14
This is the best book available on interest rate models. Very detailed. Much more focused and readable than Rebonato's book. More pragmatic and explicit than Musiela and Rutkowski. Not as theoretical as Hunt and Kennedy. James and Webber also looks very good, but I'm not that familiar with it. All other books have only bits and pieces on interest rates.
The best book I have read on the subject.......2002-05-06
With all the due respect to the other authors I would say that if one is interested in a good theoretical book whihc is also good on the implementation side then the book of Brigo and Mercurion is definetly the best book I have ever read on the subject.
Anyone interested in implementing the LMM/BGM/MSS model in practice is well advised to read it.
I would just say that this is certainly a must have in the field.
New stuff and nice overview: hard to beat!.......2002-01-17
In the late nineties I went through Brigo's innovative work on stochastic nonlinear filtering with differential geometry techniques. I was favorably impressed by results and style, particularly in his dissertation and in his 'geometry in present day science' very readable overview. Interesting results are found and nicely told with accurate - but not pointlessly complicated - advanced mathematics for the problems at hand, I reasoned.
I've followed a similar path from control to finance, and having worked with interest rate models, I couldn't help but order this Brigo-Mercurio book. I had high expectations 'cause these two guys are working in a bank on the real thing.
Sure enough I'm not disappointed.
1-factor models are handled with great care, a ton of formulas and recipes are given. I've never seen this kind of analysis of pricing with Gaussian 1-f models. The new upgrade of the CIR model is interesting and accurate. "CIR++" is now my favorite 1-f model. I like the treatment of lognormal 1-f models and the explanation of Monte Carlo and trees -- the flow-chart for Bermudan swaptions is crystal clear! Plots of market implied structures and volatility calibration are useful additions.
The chapter on 2-f extensions has one of the best discussions on volatility, and two tons of useful formulas/recipes. Two dimensional trees!
The HJM chapter size is OK. I agree - the useful models embedded in HJM are short rate models and market models.
Market models - these three chapters alone are worth the book. You'll find yourself nodding as you read the guided tour. They make it look easy all the time. The exposition is focused, clear, intuitive, detailed. There's also new stuff, just check the calibration discussion! Smile modeling begins with a brilliant tour and ends with Brigo-Mercurio's new approach - the mixing dynamics - deserving a whole chapter if expanded.
The detailed explanation on products is a much welcome original addition. Cross currency derivatives!
Quotes - as in Brigo's old work - are a pleasant diversion while reading. The 500 and more pages are a treat given the competitive price.
Still there's room for improvements - more "CIR2++"! Something on 3-f models. Historical estimation of the correlation matrix and low-rank optimized approximations. Expand smile modeling! More hedging. Something on structured products. Cross currency libor model. chapter 9 - other interest rate models - sounds out of place and can be suppressed for other things.
This book rings true and has useful teachings for students, academics and practitioners. Although it requires some background in stochastic calculus, it's hard to beat on the pricing front. Kudos to Brigo and Mercurio! It only harms there aren't enough books like this.
Nicely written overview of interest rate models.......2001-12-15
This recent book, written by two Italian "quants" Mercurio & Brigo, gives a nice and accessible overview of interest rate models which is a compromise between the practitioner viewpoint, expressed for ex. in Rebonato's book "Interet Rate option models"
and the theoretical viewpoint such as the one in Musiela & Rutkowski.
The authors, themselves PhDs in quantitative finance/ applied maths, wrote this book while working as quants in an Italian bank and this first hand contact with the market gave them a
practical view on the subject which markes this book very interesting.
The book contains a "rational" catalogue of models used in practice ( as opposed to models which are impossible to implement!).
In contrast with academic books on interest rate modeling which deal with HJM formulation, there is a lot of emphasis here on LIBOR and Swap market models
(BGM -Jamshidian models) which reflects the current market practice. This is a positive point since there are not many books with details on implementing and using these "market models".
Part II: Interest rate models in practice is particularly useful because it deals with implementation and calibration which, as any practitioner knows, are important and usually delicate issues.
However calibration issues are dealt with somewhat lightly, especially recent developments on modeling cap/swaption smiles
are not included here.
This book can also be used for a graduate level/PhD course on interest rate models.
There are a lot of numerical examples in the book and mathematics is kept to the necessary level while keeping the
approach both rigorous and understandable.
Overall, it is one of the best books written on the subject.
I highly recommend it to PhD students, quants and researchers interested in this field.
Well written and useful book.......2001-11-04
In my humble opinion, this is the best book on Interest Rate modeling out there. The writing style is clear and focused and the appendices are fantastic. The book is rigorous but someone with some background in Stochastic Calculus will find it easy to follow. If you need refresher, dont worry the authors have you covered, see the appendix on Stochastic Calculus. Not an introductory book. Very exciting book.
Customer Reviews:
Good.......2007-09-27
Its a really good book for starters, especially with a weak background in math.. it may be little too exhaustive but overall I think its a good deal!!!
Good in theory, short on examples.......2007-02-20
First all, everyone wishing to learn probability comes from different background, math level, and motivation. There is no book that suits all. Recently I needed to know something about moment generating functions. With all my advanced engineering background though, I find it difficult to get into probability.
So I bought the following supposedly introductory texts: Ross, DeGroot, Stirzaker, Bersekas & Tsitsiklis. To me, Ross seems like a review lesson to cram for finals; it's choke full of examples but fairly spare in exposition. DeGroot is the opposite, long on descriptions but short on examples; by the time it finishes describing the problem, you have forgotten how to solve it. Probability is set up more as a prelude to statistics in the second half of the book. Stirzaker calls his book "elementary" the way Sherlock Holmes dismissed a case after slogging all night through the English bogs. It is more for the well-drilled boys from elite British "public" (private actually) schools. Bersekas comes closest to what I look for in a text, straightforward in prose with a judicious selection of examples to explain theory.
For beginners, the best approach I found, in the end, was to go the local community college and buy the text used for Finite Math. Usually, there are 3 to 4 chapters that introduce probability.
Such a text is aimed an audience from wider academic and language backgrounds, as community colleges are mandated to do. Therefore, probability is taught in simple, plain-spoken language crafted through multiple editions. One such is Finite Math, by Karl J. Smith; however, many others like it will do. For self-study, one might start in the chapter on probability to understand the author's approach, then go back a chapter or two to pick up the permutation and combinatorial math needed to calculate probability. Another alternative is just to enroll in a Finite Math course at a community college. Generally, such a course stops at Markov's chain which is enough to get you jump started in probability.
In any case, a good Finite Math text gives plenty of examples with clear, succinct, and layman-like explanation to help you tackle Ross' book or supplement any other at a higher level. If you plan to apply probability to your work, then shop around for another text after you get the basics. The thicker tomes delve more into theory which is good because real life problems are seldom like the examples given. However you can't go wrong by planting your feet solidly on a good Finite Math text first
A Lucid Introduction to the Underlying Math.......2007-01-11
DeGroot's text is an introduction to the mathematical side of probability and statistics. Of the books on that subject, it is by far the most lucid I have seen. Its intended audience will likely find it useful for self study or for supplemental study in comparable courses that use other textbooks.
This book is not an applied, take-you-by-the-hand tutorial on applied statistical techniques, nor is it a failed take-you-by-the-hand tutorial on applied statistical techniques. It is not a text for the social scientist who wishes to learn statistics at home.
DeGroot's text is what it is, and I recommend it enthusiastically in its intended contexts.
Do Not Use For Self Study.......2006-10-30
This book is not meant for self study. This book is too theoretical, and it does not give enough basic examples. It is too abstract. I do not recommend this book to anyone.
Good Book ? Yes....For Self Study? NOOOOO !!.......2006-03-09
I am doing a self study and do not have any facility to get help of any instructor. I purchased the book after got good reference from some of my friends. The content of the book is pretty good...BUT when it comes to the problems...there are a very very few worked out examples (as usual they are the easiest ones)...Addition to that the publisher decided to earn every bits of pennies. So they created a Student's solution manual. No where in the publisher's site anything mentioned about the manual. But when I purchased , found that the manual has solution for ONLY Odd numbered solution (for them the answers are given in the original book). I was wondering whether they have another solution manual for EVEN numbered problems...!!!
The instructor's manual is out of stock and you cannot download it from the publisher's site (unless you are an Instructor which I am not).
Now I am wondering how I can get help on the even numbered problems....any idea???
Book Description
In its first edition, Statistics set a new standard for introductory texts, written in accessible language that teaches students how to think about statistical issues through real-world examples, such as political polls and Galton's regression paradox, and in terms of models that underlie statistical inference. Retaining these core strengths, the Fourth Edition adds a diverse body of new examples, exercises, and data sets, and has been thoroughly updated to reflect the most recent developments in the field.
Customer Reviews:
Math can be fun! :-).......2007-07-16
I generally agree with what others are saying. What's so unique about this book is that... get this: you'll get one of those rare math textbooks that are *fun* to read. Well... in a nerdy sense. I wish it was updated more recently though, because most of the samples use data back from 70s or early 90s at best, which, of course, does not make the book less correct or helpful.
I am re-learning some of my school classes (graduated with BS in Applied Math in 98) and I wish I saw this book when I took statistics back in college.
The perfect tool...for some jobs.......2006-11-06
D. Messer asks how his/her review can be so different from Alice's. That's easy. They're both right. They are looking at the same book through different lenses.
If the goal is to explain what's really going on "under the hood" in an introductory class, there's no better book than FPP. However, it works its magic by discarding things that don't matter--like mathematical notation. I would argue that students who take a course using FPP would be able to successfully tackle problems that would cause others to shrug their shoulders from lack of comprehension.
However, it comes at a price. Students do not see the mathematical notation that is necessary to pursue the subject at advanced levels. Imagine, if you will, being an instructor with a class of students who had completed an introductory course with excellent grades and wouldn't recognize the formula for Student's t statistic in standard notation.
I've used FPP in a university setting. It works fine, BUT there has to be careful coordination with teachers of follow-up classes so that they can adapt their methods accordingly, that is, for a class who has a deeper understanding of the principles of statistics without having been exposed to the usual formulas in the traditional way.
Don't Ask Alice.......2006-06-24
I'm not sure what book Alice read, but I find it hard to believe it was this one.
I won't bother repeating what so many others have said in other reviews, as I find them to be in alignment with my own opinion. However, I find Alice's review puzzling. How can so many other reviewers find this book to be so helpful, yet an instructor of the topic found it difficult to use as a course text? I actually feel like we read different books, as her description doesn't agree with my experience.
not the best preparation for my students to move up.......2006-04-28
I'm fascinated by the rave reviews for this text. I used it for a community college stats course and once I was in the classroom with it, I became aware that I had some problems. It is true that it's written in a friendly style and has plenty of exercises, but I found it to be poor preparation for my students who will be going on to higher levels of statistics in behavioral science courses.
I found myself explaining, more times than I wish to recall, how formulas look different in other statistics books, and I was disconcerted at the lack of use of symbols that one usually sees in beginning statistics courses. Simple terms most commonly used in statistics were not introduced at all, and most statistical tests were not mentioned. Many students found it to be cumbersome and a bit overwhelming.
It's my own fault, really. I did not spend enough time perusing texts. And my familiarity with statistics prevented me, when looking it over, from realizing how much was really missing. I realized that my students would enter bachelor's programs lacking some very basic information that is always used in statistics for the behavioral sciences. Most of my students plan to earn graduate degrees; I had to spend quite a bit of time preparing notes for them as well as lectures explaining formulas, symbols, and terminology that "some of" their higher courses might use. And with nary a mention of ANOVA or any other higher level tests, I felt I really had done my students a disservice.
I began to wonder - have I been out of school so long that things have changed this much and I'm not aware of it? But - as I am teaching at a state college, stats texts started trickling in from other publishers. I saw that it was not me. This massive text, costing my students $120, is lacking quite a bit that they should be exposed to - to better prepare them for future statistics studies in the behavioral sciences. This was certainly a bitter lesson for me! I had to waste far too much time putting together information that was missing just so my students would have the course they should have.
I recommend Sally Caldwell's text, "Statistics Unplugged" for beginning students - at least in behavioral sciences programs. It's a third the cost, a third the SIZE, and much more reader-friendly. And it contains the information that I had to supply to my students just so they would get what they paid for.
I do not recommend this book. I'll certainly be much more careful in future when choosing textbooks.
A must!!!.......2006-02-17
This is perhaps one of the most enjoyable textbooks I have ever laid my hands and eyes upon. And to think that it is meant to teach you statistics. The authors use an unconvential approach to the subject, but manage very successfully to hit the heart of the matter. In other words, they go beyond formulas and mathematical conceptions and push you to understand the logic behind statistics. What does represent? How should we interpret? What are the possible fallacies? All of this while guided by the simple, entertaining yet thorough language employed. A must have for all that want to be introduced to the strangely wonderful world of statisitcs. Simply read the praises on the back cover to get a sense of the book's power.
Book Description
In the numbers explosion all around us in our modern-day dealings, the buzzword is data, as in, “Do you have any data to support your claim?” “The data supported the original hypothesis that . . .” and “The data bear this out. . . .” But the field of statistics is not just about data. Statistics is the entire process involved in gathering evidence to answer questions about the world, in cases where that evidence happens to be numerical data.
Statistics For Dummies is for everyone who wants to sort through and evaluate the incredible amount of statistical information that comes to them on a daily basis. (You know the stuff: charts, graphs, tables, as well as headlines that talk about the results of the latest poll, survey, experiment, or other scientific study.) This book arms you with the ability to decipher and make important decisions about statistical results, being ever aware of the ways in which people can mislead you with statistics. Get the inside scoop on number-crunching nuances, plus insight into how you can
- Determine the odds
- Calculate a standard score
- Find the margin of error
- Recognize the impact of polls
- Establish criteria for a good survey
- Make informed decisions about experiments
This down-to-earth reference is chock-full of real examples from real sources that are relevant to your everyday life: from the latest medical breakthroughs, crime studies, and population trends to surveys on Internet dating, cell phone use, and the worst cars of the millennium. Statistics For Dummies departs from traditional statistics texts, references, supplement books, and study guides in the following ways:
- Practical and intuitive explanations of statistical concepts, ideas, techniques, formulas, and calculations.
- Clear and concise step-by-step procedures that intuitively explain how to work through statistics problems.
- Upfront and honest answers to your questions like, “What does this really mean?” and “When and how I will ever use this?”
Chances are, Statistics For Dummies will be your No. 1 resource for discovering how numerical data figures into your corner of the universe.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent overview and/or review.......2007-09-21
Statistics for Dummies is an excellent overview of the fundamentals of statistics for those who have forgotten some of what they previously learned, those whose instructors left them dazed and confused, or those who just need a quick reference. Like all of the "for Dummies" books, it's not really intended to be a comprehensive instructional program or a definitive reference book. In my view, the book does exactly what it's intended to do.
Several reviewers have mentioned the lack of examples or exercises. They're right; however, there is a companion volume by the same author, Statistics Workbook for Dummies, that solves that problem. Why didn't they do it all in one book? Probably because it would have totaled over 600 pages.
So, this book won't teach you statistics from scratch, but it is a very good introductory level overview of the subject. Like all of the Dummies books, the format is attractive, the organization is clear, and the information is presented in small, easily digestible blocks. More importantly, the author uses just the right approach. She is both thorough and authoritative, but she doesn't assume much expertise among the readers. At the same time, she's never condescending.
This book is well worth the cost, and I recommend it highly.
Really concise.......2007-07-17
I recommend this book for all of those that, like me, need a way to start or remember basic principles of statistics. All the concepts are very clearly explained and come in blocks that can be read in a non-linear way.
Liked it very much.
"Consumer" should be in Title.......2007-07-15
While the book is useful, it should be made clear that this book is aimed at the consumer who has to interpret statistics that he/she reads about. This will be useful for the general public who are baffled by stuff that that is thrown at them, but I was hoping for something to help me get started with my own research problems. Only about 10% of the book does that.
It makes it simple.......2007-07-03
I struggled with statistics in college and could just not seem to grasp the relationships between the various pieces. This goes a long way toward explaining both what those pieces mean and how they fit together. Would recommend this book to anyone who needs or wants more than a superficial understanding of statistics.
Statistics for Dummies.......2007-05-13
Book was very informative and easy to understand. However it did not discuss many of the concepts needed for my statistics class.
Book Description
Designed to form the basis of an undergraduate course in mathematical finance, this book builds on mathematical models of bond and stock prices and covers three major areas of mathematical finance that all have an enormous impact on the way modern financial markets operate, namely: Black-Scholes’ arbitrage pricing of options and other derivative securities; Markowitz portfolio optimization theory and the Capital Asset Pricing Model; and interest rates and their term structure. Assuming only a basic knowledge of probability and calculus, it covers the material in a mathematically rigorous and complete way at a level accessible to second or third year undergraduate students. The text is interspersed with a multitude of worked examples and exercises, so it is ideal for self-study and suitable not only for students of mathematics, but also students of business management, finance and economics, and anyone with an interest in finance who needs to understand the underlying theory.
Customer Reviews:
Mathematics for Finance: A useful tool for the unskillled investor.......2007-03-19
I enjoyed reading the book and solving exercises in it. I have a Ph.D.in chemistry and my wife and I did our his and her's MBA in the 1990s. I wanted to learn more concepts in finance and needed an easy entry, something I could enjoy, and without spending much money. The book by Capinski came recommended from a friend who teaches Economics at Cal State. I can speak for myself: I feel reasonably informed and I feel the book gave me concepts I can use to handle my own portfolio.
In the future, this text should be offered with an interactive CD that contains Xls, matrix, calculus, and graphing capabilities so one (I) can visualize the outcomes of proposed solutions.
Incoherent.......2007-01-18
Anyone can scribble a bunch of equations on paper and call it a book. Without sufficient context, they are useless.
Insufficient and disappointing. Not even a good introductury text........2006-05-15
As a graduate student in Financial Engineering I have found this book useless.
The title of the book is "Mathematics for Finance", but can you find in it even an elementary introduction to the stochastic processes? No. Ditto for the Ito's lemma and many other topics. The derivation of the Black Scholes formula is just sketched, and the insight that you can get from it is very limited.
Nevertheless, I wouldn't mind these limitations if this book provided a clear introduction to more advanced topics: unfortunately this book is not good even in that. In comparison to other textbooks the theorems and definitions are convoluted and do not go straight to the point. For example, in Shreve's "Stochastic Calculus for Finance" or Baxter & Rennie "Financial Calculus" the Fundamental Theorem of Asset Pricing is stated in this way: "In a market with risk neutral probability there is no arbitrage". Can you find such a simple and explanatory definition in Capinski's book? Not at all. The theorem at page 83 (you can see it yourself by searching inside the book) basically says the same thing using 8 lines of text and little financial intuition.
The only good thing that I can say about this book is that all exercises are resolved.
Overall, "Mathematics for Finance" has been a big disappointment: it doesn't have either the mathematical depth of Shreve's books or the conciseness in explaining financial concepts of Baxter & Rennie.
Whatever is the level of education that you are pursuing, graduate or undergraduate, I don't see any point in using it.
Great Book for Undergrad Quants.......2005-08-29
Mathematics for Finance (An Introduction to Financial Engineering) is a book intended for undergrad students "IN MATHEMATICS" or other discipline with a relative high mathematical content.
The book assumes some basic notion of Calculus and Probability Theory and it is focused more on the mathematics than in its theory and application of Finance. If you are looking to dwell into the mathematics (Proof of Equations) this is a great book, but if you are looking for a book that is rich in theory and in application then you should consider "Option, Future and Other Derivatives" or "Quantitative Methods for Finance" as an alternative. Both books are "a most" for any finance student and are of great help. Now if you want an introduction into the mathematics behind Finance then this book is a perfect purchase.
Important to state that all the problems presented in this book are solved meaning that it is great for self teaching. Marek Capinsi and Thomas Zastawniak have done a great job on this book.
I gave it four stars, because it has room for impovement.
Joining the chorus.......2005-08-03
I can only echo the other reviewers. As far as I can tell this book has no serious competition. This is an excellent introduction to mathematical finance for those with a solid undergraduate level understanding of higher math but without graduate level exposure. I agree that it is ideal for self study as that is exactly what I am using it for. The price is right especially in contrast with its overpriced brethren. Five stars!
Customer Reviews:
Carry This Book with You.......2007-10-01
If a marketer really wants to be a good business person, then they should carry this book with them. I dislike hearing recent graduates say "Buy One Get One Free" when asked for promotion ideas. If you understand the financial consequences of that type of promotion then it's OK to suggest it. But the point is this book helps you think about the many types of measurements. At one point in my career I had three Product Managers work for me. This book would have been one that I insisted they read.
Is it Really About Metrics..But There's More To it Than That.......2007-09-05
I think this book is an important tool in terms of measuring marketing and trying to ensure that you have the opportunity to understand your marketing outreach.
I also liked the newly released book, "Value Acceleration" by Mitchell Gooze and Ralph Mroz and think it should serve as a companion to this book in terms of truly identifying how marketing and sales can successfully work together and in terms of lean process, keeping the global competitive edge way beyond metrics.Value Acceleration: The Secrets to Building an Unbeatable Competitive Advantage
Looks great.......2007-07-05
It's still early to rate as I just got the book, but it's definitely valuable.
Whatever is most important can, indeed must be measured...accurately and consistently........2007-05-09
Obviously, it is highly desirable to measure what matters and that is especially true of marketing initiatives. Here's the challenge which many (most?) readers will face after they finish reading this volume: Which metrics are the most appropriate for their specific organization? Co-authors Paul W. Farris, Neil T. Bendle, Phillip E. Pfeifer, and David J. Reibstein offer 50+ and in an ideal business world, every executive can - and will - master all of them. That is possible but highly unlikely. Fortunately, the authors offer a wealth of information and observations that can guide and inform the selection of those metrics that will enable executives to "gather and analyze basic market data, measure the core factors that drive their business models, analyze the profitability of individual customer accounts, and optimize resource allocation among increasingly fragmented media.
To the authors' substantial credit, they make effective use of a number of reader-friendly devices which enliven what would be an otherwise dull textbook and they do without compromising the integrity of research-driven insights which so many books on marketing lack. These devices include definitions, formulas, and brief descriptions of various metrics. They also include within individual chapters several sections, such as "Construction" (e.g. metrics issues concerning their formulation, application, interpretation, and strategic ramifications), "Data Sources, "Complications, and Cautions" (i.e. an analysis of the limitations of the metrics under consideration, and their potential inadequacies once executed), and "Related Metrics and Concepts" (briefly surveyed). This is by no means an "easy read" but will generously reward those who absorb and digest its material with appropriate rigor.
Although I believe this volume can be of substantial value to executives in almost all organizations (regardless of size or nature), I think it will be of greatest benefit to those - probably in larger companies -- who have an urgent need for accurate and consistent measurement of, for example, the dynamics behind their market share; the profitability of producing, pricing, selling, distributing, and servicing what they offer; and the ROI of marketing initiatives within the framework of enterprise financial metrics.
Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out Enterprise Architecture As Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson as well as Ram Charan's Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't, Lynda Gratton's Hot Spots: Why Some Teams, Workplaces, and Organizations Buzz with Energy - And Others Don't, Robert J. Herbold's Seduced by Success: How the Best Companies Survive the 9 Traps of Winning, Jack Alexander's Performance Dashboards and Analysis for Value Creation, and Michael Useem's The Go Point: When It's Time to Decide--Knowing What to Do and When to Do It.
A must for marketing people.......2007-05-07
The marketing people fails almost all the time, trying to meet the expectations or demands of the financial officers. Today you can not make marketing based in feelings or genialities, this book really helps to fill the gap between the good ideas and the hard facts needed by the high direction.
Book Description
A practical guide to building fully operational financial cash flow models for structured finance transactions
Structured finance and securitization deals are becoming more commonplace on Wall Street. Up until now, however, market participants have had to create their own models to analyze these deals, and new entrants have had to learn as they go. Modeling Structured Finance Cash Flows with Microsoft Excel provides readers with the information they need to build a cash flow model for structured finance and securitization deals. Financial professional Keith Allman explains individual functions and formulas, while also explaining the theory behind the spreadsheets. Each chapter begins with a discussion of theory, followed by a section called "Model Builder," in which Allman translates the theory into functions and formulas. In addition, the companion CD-ROM features all of the modeling exercises, as well as a final version of the model that is created in the text.
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.
Customer Reviews:
Good Intro to Cash Flow Modeling.......2007-09-20
Anyone needing to learn how structured finance cash flow models work will benefit from going through this book and building the spreadsheet-based model it describes. It will be faster if you are already good at using Excel for complex modeling or pricing, but there is a fair amount of Excel advice for those who need it. The book models a single pool of mortgages that can be described by weighted average statistics incorporating both prepayment and default scenarios. Great care is taken to make the model flexible in terms of the kinds of mortgages in the pool. On the liability side the model allows for the creation of a single senior class and a sub class with an interest rate swap and a reserve. While very good for learning the cash flow consequences of sequential and pro rata payment waterfalls, this model cannot describe the structures actually issued in the market. The skills learned, however, should allow the reader to build models capable of modeling issued structures.
The writing is clear and the examples are explained well. The flow of cash into and out of the structure is emphasized by clear inputs, cash flow modeling and summary outputs.
Excellent introduction to MBS modeling.......2007-08-13
Keith's book saved me hours of trial-and-error effort with Excel for modeling structured transactions. This book takes a simple, step-by-step approach to help the reader understand the mechanics of building the cash flow model for Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS).
Once you understand the basics of model creation and cash flow, then it is a matter of refining your skills by revere-engineering more MBS transactions out there. You will find all the basic tools to become proficient in that task by following this book.
Excellent Hands-On Introduction to Structured Finance.......2007-06-03
In structured finance, there is a tremendous discrepancy between academic literature and practice. In purporting a generalizable, scientific approach, many textbooks avoid explaining the intracacies of actual structured finance deals. The fundamental issue is that the implicit value of deal transparency required for issuer and investor tends to be overlooked by authors approaching the field from an academic background. Technical pyrotechnics that suit liquid markets fail when fees, interest rates, and other deal specifics are malleable constructs negotiated among a handful of parties. At the same time, basic bond math on an unsegregated pool of loans cannot accurately describe how assets generate cash flows and the risks faced by investors.
MFSC is the *only* book (afaik) that demonstrates how real structured finance pros bridge the void between these 2 common pitfalls made by other structured finance books. For one, the calculations that belie each component of a structured finance deal is integrated into a single model rather than considered separately. Other books may describe how cash flows pay out in a senior-sub structure, but they won't, for example, take the time to step through how funding costs and triggers affect the cash flows. The primary model also gives the user flexibility to stress the model and enables the user to treat the model as a base for all structured finance deals. Through a neatly organized inputs sheet, each component in the primary model described painstakingly anticipates the gamut of variations common to these types of deals.
All this in a book that's easy to follow and a delight to read. Five stars.
Modeling of CMBS.......2007-06-03
Keith's book does an excellent job at helping both new analysts to MD's in understanding modeling of complex master tapes (models). If you need to know how to structure a fixed or floating rate transaction this book will give you key tools to understand, build and read strats, term sheets, and OC data. Many of the functions and formulas that are explained are used in real working models but in additon to that this book explains key concepts in the structured finance world. Unlike other books this book has a much more active learning style and really gets you involved.
I look forward to the day when Keith writes a book focusing on CMBS, I will defintely buy that one also.
TM
CIB
CMBS
Very Good for Professionals.......2007-05-07
The book explains very well the building and works of a very huge excell worsheet, for professionals it will be a great and interesting reading, and sometimes it will be like a great novel, when you can't stop reading
and always want to go to the next chapter before leaving it.
For begineers it will be a little hard to understand the concepts and the meanings of each chapter, but it will help too.
Book Description
Paul Wilmott on Quantitative Finance, Second Edition provides a thoroughly updated look at derivatives and financial engineering, published in three volumes with additional CD-ROM.
Volume 1: Mathematical and Financial Foundations; Basic Theory of Derivatives; Risk and Return.
The reader is introduced to the fundamental mathematical tools and financial concepts needed to understand quantitative finance, portfolio management and derivatives. Parallels are drawn between the respectable world of investing and the not-so-respectable world of gambling.
Volume 2: Exotic Contracts and Path Dependency; Fixed Income Modeling and Derivatives; Credit Risk
In this volume the reader sees further applications of stochastic mathematics to new financial problems and different markets.
Volume 3: Advanced Topics; Numerical Methods and Programs.
In this volume the reader enters territory rarely seen in textbooks, the cutting-edge research. Numerical methods are also introduced so that the models can now all be accurately and quickly solved.
Throughout the volumes, the author has included numerous Bloomberg screen dumps to illustrate in real terms the points he raises, together with essential Visual Basic code, spreadsheet explanations of the models, the reproduction of term sheets and option classification tables. In addition to the practical orientation of the book the author himself also appears throughout the book—in cartoon form, readers will be relieved to hear—to personally highlight and explain the key sections and issues discussed.
Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.
Customer Reviews:
If you plan to work in quant interest rate derivatives, you *must* read it.......2007-09-01
I have used this book to teach a quantitative course on Fixed Income and Interest Rate Derivatives to those Master-of-Science students who are ready to enter the job market. Several of them got jobs in the quant finance industry as a result of this course. They told me what kind of questions they had on interviews, e.g., "derive the risk-neutral drift of the general HJM model." This interview question may sound intimidating to the uninitiated. But thanks to the extraordinarily simple exposition given in Wilmott, my students were able to answer this and many other such questions.
The math in this book is not complicated, if you read the book carefully. With some modest effort, you can figure out where the equations come from. Wilmott does a great job of showing only the relevant equations and hiding the less-important intermediate steps. Of course, if a reader bounces from section to section and expects to see everything clearly at the first glance, then he/she has unrealistic expectations of a quant book.
As for the comment by one of the reviewers about Wilmott's cartoons and jokes. There are quite a few of those. But you are free to ignore them if you think they distract you. It's always up to you what to read and what not to.
A big disappointment.......2007-07-20
I bought this book following all the good reviews Turned out to be a heartbreaker.
1. Artificially bloated -- too many cartoons, flippant and unnecessary jokes mask the whole purpose of the book. Bloomberg pictures are totally unnecessary.
2. Very complicated equations suddenly pop up from nowhere. Author starts from a sound theory. All on a sudden he jumps to completely esoteric equiation and the whole explanation is completely lost. It would be better to dispense with the whole analysis and just give out the final formula.
One of well written books ever in the field of risk management.......2007-04-23
I bought tons of books before this set. This is the place to start. It is written with style and humor coupled with a pace that is simple to adjust to. I judge a book by how many equations it has - more is BETTER! This set strikes a balance. The exposition is solid. It covers many specialized topics like Energy Derivatives (just a taste, mind you, but it is there to get us thinking). I guess the bottom line is this book allowed me to start thinking like a Financial Quant and less like a mathematical physicist. I have gotten much more out of the other more mathematical works because I understand how the Quants think. I still like The Physics of Finance by Ilinsky. This is more than the past Derivatives book (that makes up the first 65% of volume 1) and sets a real tone to understanding - this is just what I was looking for as I re-tool. Buy this FIRST. Read the TOC, and Get moving!
Good summary, but of no use to a job seeker.......2007-04-01
I totally agree with the review of James Ward below. It really doesn't make sense to complain that a SUMMARY of any kind "doesn't cover x" or "glosses over y" because that's unavoidable.
However, I'd like to shed some light of how large the "non-coverage" can be. For instance, you may think that if you have read what Wilmott has to say on Fixed Income Securities, you are at least familiar with the basics, but that's not the case. If you are an entry-level quant looking for a job who claimed to "know the fixed income" you are likely to answer the first 2-3 fixed income interview questions, but fail the rest - unless you add, like, 500 or more pages of fixed income material to what is given in Wilmott.
So if your goal is to be able to claim (even a basic) knowledge of a certain QF topic in your resume, it's necessary to purchase a few good books dedicated entirely to that topic. And to find out what books are good, you don't really need Wilmott's references - using Amazon search and customer reviews should do the job.
A must have for anyone interested in finance.......2007-03-08
I'm only through the first book of the set, and already can't wait to start the second one. This is the best book I've read on quantitative finance (and I thought Hull was pretty good). The language is easy, the math is not cumbersome, everything is clear.
If I had to make a suggestion, it would be in text references. They specify the author and publishing year, but often omit the name of the book (e.g. Wilmott refers to Neftci's 1996 book as the best on stochastic calculus for beginners, yet Amazon doesn't show anything by this author from that year)
Average customer rating:
- Cool
- Cartoons add little and subtract much
- A dry textbook + cartoons
- Not for the feint of heart
- Ok resource
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Cartoon Guide to Statistics
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Woollcott Smith
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ASIN: 0062731025 |
Book Description
If you have ever looked for P-values by shopping at P mart, tried to watch the Bernoulli Trails on "People's Court," or think that the standard deviation is a criminal offense in six states, then you need The Cartoon Guide to Statistics to put you on the road to statistical literacy.
The Cartoon Guide to Statistics covers all the central ideas of modern statistics: the summary and display of data, probability in gambling and medicine, random variables, Bernoulli Trails, the Central Limit Theorem, hypothesis testing, confidence interval estimation, and much more--all explained in simple, clear, and yes, funny illustrations. Never again will you order the Poisson Distribution in a French restaurant!
Customer Reviews:
Cool.......2007-08-29
This book is so cool! It makes the topic clear and fun at the same time.
Cartoons add little and subtract much.......2007-08-23
I have a B.S. (from a school you haven't heard of) and an M.S. (from one you have) in mathematics, and I teach math, but probability and statistics was my _worst_ undergraduate math class (I avoided it in grad school). I came across this book, and I bought it on a chance. I'm sorry to say, it was wasted money...
1) The cartoons at best merely illustrate points made in the text; at worst they are irrelevant interruptions. For example, here we have a cartoon of the reader in a straightjacket after the text mentions calculus. And there's a cartoon of a man rolling dice. This sort of stuff does not advance the discussion.
2) The cartoon format reduces the space available for text. The discussion is therefore abbreviated and compressed; points are made once only, without examples, and often after skipping important steps. I think it's _more_ difficult than a standard textbook.
3) There are no exercises! Who ever heard of a math book without exercises? We learn by doing, I always tell my students, not by just reading or listening.
I think this book may be useful to a former student of statistics who wants a review but I can't think of anyone else who would get much out of it.
A dry textbook + cartoons.......2007-06-12
Whenever I try reading this book my eyes just gloss over. It's extremely dry material with cartoons added to every page to make it seem as if it'll be entertaining and easy to learn from but IMO it's neither. On the contrary, it would probably be best as a reference book. Almost every page has a new equation or symbol on it and I rarely felt that they were adequately discussed. "What does it do? When is it useful? What does it mean if the value is high/low?" are questions I constantly asked myself and the book doesn't take the time to answer.
Not for the feint of heart.......2007-05-19
Some people will complain that the book is difficult and/ or uninteresting. To this I say, "Dude, it's statistics! Mr. Gonick makes the best of a difficult subject. This is certainly not less friendly than your stats text book." If you want an easy laugh, get a Get Fuzzy compilation, if you want a different and more intuitive approach to statistics, this is your best bet.
Ok resource.......2007-05-13
My MBA program suggested this book to all incoming first years. In reading it so far, it outlines the concepts well, but doesn't give enough opportunity to practice them and get comfortable with them. I am not getting very much out of it, but I may use it as a resource when I am taking my actual stats class.
Books:
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
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