Provides a introduction to the principal Western financial markets and institutions, particularly those in the USA, Europe and Japan. The book includes: commercial and investment banking, money and insurance, and options and futures. Second edition: "An Introduction to Global Financial Markets".

Collectively, mankind has never had it so good despite periodic economic crises of which the current sub-prime crisis is merely the latest example. Much of this success is attributable to the increasing efficiency of the world's financial institutions as finance has proved to be one of the most important causal factors in economic performance. In a series of insightful essays, financial and economic historians examine how financial innovations from the seventeenth century to the present have continually challenged established institutional arrangements, forcing change and adaptation by governments, financial intermediaries, and financial markets. Where these have been successful, wealth creation and growth have followed. When they failed, growth slowed and sometimes economic decline has followed. These essays illustrate the difficulties of co-ordinating financial innovations in order to sustain their benefits for the wider economy, a theme that will be of interest to policy makers as well as economic historians.

The worldwide rise of sovereign wealth funds is emblematic of the ongoing transformation of nation-state economic prospects. Sovereign Wealth Funds maps the global footprints of these financial institutions, examining their governance and investment management, and issues of domestic and international legitimacy. Through a variety of case studies--from the China Investment Corporation to the funds of several Gulf states--the authors show that the forces propelling the adoption and development of sovereign wealth funds vary by country. The authors also show that many of these investment institutions have identifiable commonalities of form and function that match the core institutions of Western financial markets. The authors suggest that the international legitimacy of sovereign wealth funds is based on the degree to which their design and governance match Western expectations about investment management. Undercutting commonplace assumptions about the emerging world of the twenty-first century, the authors demonstrate that even small countries with large and globally oriented sovereign wealth funds are likely to play a significant role in international relations. Sovereign Wealth Funds considers how such financial organizations have altered not only the face of finance, but also the international geopolitical landscape.

Describing the various financial sectors in clear and easy-to-understand terms, this book reflects the fact that the world is moving towards a single global market and provides a broad and balanced introduction to financial markets across the world. These include the impact of September 11th and the relative collapse of the world stock markets; new capital ratios for banks; current retail banking developments; the results of the latest world FX survey; the problems faced by the European Economic Union; attempts to reform Lloyd's of London and a review of current trends. foreign exchange, money and bond markets, trade finance, stock markets and options, futures and other derivatives, this book provides a primer for those who require a basic understanding or are new to the world of finance.

Financial Markets and Institutions, 5e offers a unique analysis of the risks faced by investors and savers interacting through financial institutions and financial markets, as well as strategies that can be adopted for controlling and managing risks. Special emphasis is put on new areas of operations in financial markets and institutions such as asset securitization, off-balance-sheet activities, and globalization of financial services.

The objective of this handbook is to provide the readers with insights about current dynamics and future potential transformations of global financial markets. We intend to focus on four main areas: Dynamics of Financial Markets; Financial Uncertainty and Volatility; Market Linkages and Spillover Effects; and Extreme Events and Financial Transformations and address the following critical issues, but not limited to: market integration and its implications; crisis risk assessment and contagion effects; financial uncertainty and volatility; role of emerging financial markets in the global economy; role of complex dynamics of economic and financial systems; market linkages, asset valuation and risk management; exchange rate volatility and firm-level exposure; financial effects of economic, political and social risks; link between financial development and economic growth; country risks; and sovereign debt markets.

This account of the sophisticated financial hub that was 17th-century Amsterdam “does a fine job of bringing history to life” (Library Journal). The launch of the Dutch East India Company in 1602 initiated Amsterdam’s transformation from a regional market town into a dominant financial center. The Company introduced easily transferable shares, and within days buyers had begun to trade them. Soon the public was engaging in a variety of complex transactions, including forwards, futures, options, and bear raids, and by 1680 the techniques deployed in the Amsterdam market were as sophisticated as any we practice today. Lodewijk Petram’s award-winning history demystifies financial instruments by linking today’s products to yesterday’s innovations, tying the market’s operation to the behavior of individuals and the workings of the world around them. Traveling back in time, Petram visits the harbor and other places where merchants met to strike deals. He bears witness to the goings-on at a notary’s office and sits in on the consequential proceedings of a courtroom. He describes in detail the main players, investors, shady characters, speculators, and domestic servants and other ordinary folk, who all played a role in the development of the market and its crises. His history clarifies concerns that investors still struggle with today—such as fraud, the value of information, trust and the place of honor, managing diverging expectations, and balancing risk—and does so in a way that is vivid, relatable, and critical to understanding our contemporary world.