Learn from a master of quantitative finance the rules that made him a success. The UnRules presents the dynamic rules for success in the age of exponential information. Written by Igor Tulchinsky, the trader behind global quantitative investment management firm WorldQuant, this book is more than just another Big Data guide for financial wonks — it’s a prescriptive, inspirational book for everyone navigating the tidal waves of the information age. Data is everywhere, coming at us in a never-ceasing, ever-rising river that threatens to overwhelm us. Tulchinsky shows us, however, how natural patterns underlie that data — patterns that may dictate life or death, success or failure. The marriage of man and machines has allowed scientists to explore increasingly complex worlds, to predict outcomes and eventualities. This book demonstrates how to exercise real intelligence by discerning the patterns that surround us every day and how to leverage this information into success in the workplace and beyond. Igor Tulchinsky has spent his career discerning meaningful patterns in information. For decades, Tulchinsky has been at the forefront of developing predictive trading algorithms known as alphas — a quest that has led Tulchinsky to explore the nature of markets, the fundamentals of risk and reward, and the science behind complex nonlinear systems. Tulchinsky explains what we know of these systems, both natural and man-made, in accessible and personal terms, and he shares how alphas have driven his success as an investor and shaped his central “UnRule,” which is that no rule applies in every case. As markets evolve, even the most effective trading algorithms weaken over time. Decades of creating successful alphas — and learning how to effectively transform them into strategies — have taught Tulchinsky about the need to combine flexibility and focus, discipline and creativity when building complex models. At a time when data and computing power are exploding exponentially, The UnRules provides an expert introduction to our increasingly quantitative world.

Design more successful trading systems with this practical guide to identifying alphas Finding Alphas seeks to teach you how to do one thing and do it well: design alphas. Written by experienced practitioners from WorldQuant, including its founder and CEO Igor Tulchinsky, this book provides detailed insight into the alchemic art of generating trading signals, and gives you access to the tools you need to practice and explore. Equally applicable across regions, this practical guide provides you with methods for uncovering the hidden signals in your data. A collection of essays provides diverse viewpoints to show the similarities, as well as unique approaches, to alpha design, covering a wide variety of topics, ranging from abstract theory to concrete technical aspects. You'll learn the dos and don'ts of information research, fundamental analysis, statistical arbitrage, alpha diversity, and more, and then delve into more advanced areas and more complex designs. The companion website, www.worldquantchallenge.com, features alpha examples with formulas and explanations. Further, this book also provides practical guidance for using WorldQuant's online simulation tool WebSim® to get hands-on practice in alpha design. Alpha is an algorithm which trades financial securities. This book shows you the ins and outs of alpha design, with key insight from experienced practitioners. Learn the seven habits of highly effective quants Understand the key technical aspects of alpha design Use WebSim® to experiment and create more successful alphas Finding Alphas is the detailed, informative guide you need to start designing robust, successful alphas.

A hands-on guide to the fast and ever-changing world of high-frequency, algorithmic trading Financial markets are undergoing rapid innovation due to the continuing proliferation of computer power and algorithms. These developments have created a new investment discipline called high-frequency trading. This book covers all aspects of high-frequency trading, from the business case and formulation of ideas through the development of trading systems to application of capital and subsequent performance evaluation. It also includes numerous quantitative trading strategies, with market microstructure, event arbitrage, and deviations arbitrage discussed in great detail. Contains the tools and techniques needed for building a high-frequency trading system Details the post-trade analysis process, including key performance benchmarks and trade quality evaluation Written by well-known industry professional Irene Aldridge Interest in high-frequency trading has exploded over the past year. This book has what you need to gain a better understanding of how it works and what it takes to apply this approach to your trading endeavors.

A fully revised second edition of the best guide to high-frequency trading High-frequency trading is a difficult, but profitable, endeavor that can generate stable profits in various market conditions. But solid footing in both the theory and practice of this discipline are essential to success. Whether you're an institutional investor seeking a better understanding of high-frequency operations or an individual investor looking for a new way to trade, this book has what you need to make the most of your time in today's dynamic markets. Building on the success of the original edition, the Second Edition of High-Frequency Trading incorporates the latest research and questions that have come to light since the publication of the first edition. It skillfully covers everything from new portfolio management techniques for high-frequency trading and the latest technological developments enabling HFT to updated risk management strategies and how to safeguard information and order flow in both dark and light markets. Includes numerous quantitative trading strategies and tools for building a high-frequency trading system Address the most essential aspects of high-frequency trading, from formulation of ideas to performance evaluation The book also includes a companion Website where selected sample trading strategies can be downloaded and tested Written by respected industry expert Irene Aldridge While interest in high-frequency trading continues to grow, little has been published to help investors understand and implement this approach—until now. This book has everything you need to gain a firm grip on how high-frequency trading works and what it takes to apply it to your everyday trading endeavors.

The book provides detailed descriptions, including more than 550 mathematical formulas, for more than 150 trading strategies across a host of asset classes and trading styles. These include stocks, options, fixed income, futures, ETFs, indexes, commodities, foreign exchange, convertibles, structured assets, volatility, real estate, distressed assets, cash, cryptocurrencies, weather, energy, inflation, global macro, infrastructure, and tax arbitrage. Some strategies are based on machine learning algorithms such as artificial neural networks, Bayes, and k-nearest neighbors. The book also includes source code for illustrating out-of-sample backtesting, around 2,000 bibliographic references, and more than 900 glossary, acronym and math definitions. The presentation is intended to be descriptive and pedagogical and of particular interest to finance practitioners, traders, researchers, academics, and business school and finance program students.

Praise for How I Became a Quant "Led by two top-notch quants, Richard R. Lindsey and Barry Schachter, How I Became a Quant details the quirky world of quantitative analysis through stories told by some of today's most successful quants. For anyone who might have thought otherwise, there are engaging personalities behind all that number crunching!" --Ira Kawaller, Kawaller & Co. and the Kawaller Fund "A fun and fascinating read. This book tells the story of how academics, physicists, mathematicians, and other scientists became professional investors managing billions." --David A. Krell, President and CEO, International Securities Exchange "How I Became a Quant should be must reading for all students with a quantitative aptitude. It provides fascinating examples of the dynamic career opportunities potentially open to anyone with the skills and passion for quantitative analysis." --Roy D. Henriksson, Chief Investment Officer, Advanced Portfolio Management "Quants"--those who design and implement mathematical models for the pricing of derivatives, assessment of risk, or prediction of market movements--are the backbone of today's investment industry. As the greater volatility of current financial markets has driven investors to seek shelter from increasing uncertainty, the quant revolution has given people the opportunity to avoid unwanted financial risk by literally trading it away, or more specifically, paying someone else to take on the unwanted risk. How I Became a Quant reveals the faces behind the quant revolution, offering you?the?chance to learn firsthand what it's like to be a?quant today. In this fascinating collection of Wall Street war stories, more than two dozen quants detail their roots, roles, and contributions, explaining what they do and how they do it, as well as outlining the sometimes unexpected paths they have followed from the halls of academia to the front lines of an investment revolution.

An Introduction to Stochastic Modeling provides information pertinent to the standard concepts and methods of stochastic modeling. This book presents the rich diversity of applications of stochastic processes in the sciences. Organized into nine chapters, this book begins with an overview of diverse types of stochastic models, which predicts a set of possible outcomes weighed by their likelihoods or probabilities. This text then provides exercises in the applications of simple stochastic analysis to appropriate problems. Other chapters consider the study of general functions of independent, identically distributed, nonnegative random variables representing the successive intervals between renewals. This book discusses as well the numerous examples of Markov branching processes that arise naturally in various scientific disciplines. The final chapter deals with queueing models, which aid the design process by predicting system performance. This book is a valuable resource for students of engineering and management science. Engineers will also find this book useful.