Sebastian Werner examines aggregate short sales and convertible bond arbitrage, which is a typical hedge fund strategy that involves a significant short position in the underlying stock of a long convertible bond position for hedging purposes. He provides insightful and new observations of the significant difference in the trading pattern, information content and resulting impact on stock returns of arbitrage- versus valuation-based short selling activities.

The latest theoretical and empirical evidence on short selling in the United States and throughout the world To get the most success out of what the finance community regards as a risky business, short sellers need high-level information. The Theory and Practice of Short Selling offers managers and investors the information they need to maximize and enhance their short selling capabilities for bigger profits. Frank Fabozzi collects a group of market experts who share their knowledge on everything from the basics to the complex in the world of short sales, including mechanics of short selling, the empirical evidence on short-selling, the implications or restrictions on short selling for investment strategies, short-selling strategies pursued by institutional investors, and identifying short-selling candidates. Frank J. Fabozzi, PhD, CFA (New Hope, PA), is the Frederick Frank Adjunct Professor of Finance at Yale University's School of Management and Editor of the Journal of Portfolio Management. He is the author or editor of over 100 books on finance and investing.

The U.S. stock market has been transformed over the last twenty-five years. Once a market in which human beings traded at human speeds, it is now an electronic market pervaded by algorithmic trading, conducted at speeds nearing that of light. High-frequency traders participate in a large portion of all transactions, and a significant minority of all trade occurs on alternative trading systems known as “dark pools.” These developments have been widely criticized, but there is no consensus on the best regulatory response to these dramatic changes. The New Stock Market offers a comprehensive new look at how these markets work, how they fail, and how they should be regulated. Merritt B. Fox, Lawrence R. Glosten, and Gabriel V. Rauterberg describe stock markets’ institutions and regulatory architecture. They draw on the informational paradigm of microstructure economics to highlight the crucial role of information asymmetries and adverse selection in explaining market behavior, while examining a wide variety of developments in market practices and participants. The result is a compelling account of the stock market’s regulatory framework, fundamental institutions, and economic dynamics, combined with an assessment of its various controversies. The New Stock Market covers a wide range of issues including the practices of high-frequency traders, insider trading, manipulation, short selling, broker-dealer practices, and trading venue fees and rebates. The book illuminates both the existing regulatory structure of our equity trading markets and how we can improve it.

A detailed look at an important hedge fund strategy Written by a fund manager who invests solely in merger arbitrage, also referred to as risk arbitrage, and other event-driven strategies, Merger Arbitrage is the definitive book on how this alternative hedge fund strategy works. Initial chapters are dedicated to the ins and outs of the strategy–cash mergers versus stock for stock mergers, legal aspects of mergers, and pitfalls of the merger process–while later chapters focus on giving the reader sound advice for integrating merger arbitrage into an investment portfolio. Merger Arbitrage helps readers understand leverage and options, shorting stocks, and legal aspects of merger arbitrage, including seeking appraisal or filing lawsuits for inadequate merger consideration. For those looking to gain an edge in the merger arbitrage arena, this book has everything they need to succeed. Thomas F. Kirchner, CFA (New York, NY), is the founder and portfolio manager of Pennsylvania Avenue Funds (www.pennavefunds.com), which invests in merger arbitrage and other event-driven strategies.

The true meaning of investment discipline is to trade only when you rationally expect that you will achieve your desired objective. Accordingly, managers must thoroughly understand why they trade. Because trading is a zero-sum game, good investment discipline also requires that managers understand why their counterparties trade. This book surveys the many reasons why people trade and identifies the implications of the zero-sum game for investment discipline. It also identifies the origins of liquidity and thus of transaction costs, as well as when active investment strategies are profitable. The book then explains how managers must measure and control transaction costs to perform well. Electronic trading systems and electronic trading strategies now dominate trading in exchange markets throughout the world. The book identifies why speed is of such great importance to electronic traders, how they obtain it, and the trading strategies they use to exploit it. Finally, the book analyzes many issues associated with electronic trading that currently concern practitioners and regulators.

Focusing on market microstructure, Harris (chief economist, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) introduces the practices and regulations governing stock trading markets. Writing to be understandable to the lay reader, he examines the structure of trading, puts forward an economic theory of trading, discusses speculative trading strategies, explores liquidity and volatility, and considers the evaluation of trader performance. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).