A Concise Introduction to Financial Derivatives seeks to present financial derivatives in a manner that requires minimal mathematical background. Readers will obtain, in a quick and engaging way, a working knowledge of the field and a collection of practical working insights. The book is ideal for aspiring young practitioners, advanced undergraduates, and masters-level students who require a concise and practice-led introduction to financial derivatives. Features: • Practical insights and modelling skills • Accessible to practitioners and students without a significant mathematical background Eben Maré holds responsibility for absolute return portfolio management and has been working in the financial markets for the last 33 years. He has also held senior roles in risk management, treasury, derivatives trading, and asset management. He has a PhD in Applied Mathematics and is an associate professor in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. He has wide research interests in financial derivatives, asset management, and financial markets.

"A Concise Introduction to Financial Derivatives seeks to present financial derivatives in a manner that requires minimal mathematical background. Readers will obtain, in a quick and engaging way, a working knowledge of the field and a collection of practical working insights. The book would be ideal for aspiring young practitioners, advanced undergraduates and masters-level students who require a concise and practice-led introduction to financial derivatives"--

The market for financial derivatives is far and away the largest and most powerful market in the world, and it is growing exponentially. In 1970 the yearly valuation of financial derivatives was only a few million dollars. By 1980 the sum had swollen to nearly one hundred million dollars. By 1990 it had climbed to almost one hundred billion dollars, and in 2000 it approached one hundred trillion. Created and sustained by a small number of European and American banks, corporations, and hedge funds, the derivatives market has an enormous impact on the economies of nations—particularly poorer nations—because it controls the price of money. Derivatives bought and sold by means of computer keystrokes in London and New York affect the price of food, clothing, and housing in Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, and Buenos Aires. Arguing that social theorists concerned with globalization must familiarize themselves with the mechanisms of a world economy based on the rapid circulation of capital, Edward LiPuma and Benjamin Lee offer a concise introduction to financial derivatives. LiPuma and Lee explain how derivatives are essentially wagers—often on the fluctuations of national currencies—based on models that aggregate and price risk. They describe how these financial instruments are changing the face of capitalism, undermining the power of nations and perpetrating a new and less visible form of domination on postcolonial societies. As they ask: How does one know about, let alone demonstrate against, an unlisted, virtual, offshore corporation that operates in an unregulated electronic space using a secret proprietary trading strategy to buy and sell arcane financial instruments? LiPuma and Lee provide a necessary look at the obscure but consequential role of financial derivatives in the global economy.

The Reuters Financial Training Series An Introduction to Derivatives A new concept in financial training, An Introduction to Derivatives guides novices through the often complex and challenging world of Derivatives. Full of definitions, concise descriptions, quizzes and examples, the book studies financial instruments - futures, options and swaps - from basic concepts to applications in trading, hedging and arbitrage. Key features include: * Introductory sections defining terms and giving background to theories * Examples of transactions and futures contracts * Summaries and overviews at the end of each chapter recapitulating key points and definitions * Quick quiz questions and answers to reinforce learning * Further resources which point to other books, articles and internet tools to widen readers' comprehension of derivatives and entrench their foundation in the subject. Each book in the series is supported by the Wiley-Reuters Financial Training web site (www.wiley-rft.reuters.com). This regularly updated site offers a range of screens taken directly from the Reuters terminal, information on professional exams, web links to key institutional finance web sites and much more. This book will be of particular interest to novice traders, investors and trainers in financial institutions looking for a key introductory text. By allowing readers to progress through the fundamentals and applications in a simulated trading environment at their own pace, the book will be an invaluable starting block for those new to the field of derivatives.

The essential guide to financial instruments, logically presented Fundamentals of Financial Instruments deals with the global financial markets and the instruments in which they trade. While most books on finance tend to be heavily mathematical, this book emphasizes the concepts in a logical, sequential fashion, introducing mathematical concepts only at the relevant times. As a result, the reader gains conceptual clarity reinforced by just the right level of technical detail to ensure a comprehensive exposure to the skills needed in the financial world. Establishes a strong foundation for understanding global markets Acts as an invaluable resource for those considering a career in the financial markets Offers an accessible yet in-depth treatise on modern financial instruments Presents a logical navigational path for a typical student of finance who is attempting to come to terms with the intricacies of the subject Covering the fundamentals of various types of assets in a single volume, Fundamentals of Financial Instruments is a compact yet comprehensive one-stop reference for students and professionals in finance and economics.

In The Social Life of Financial Derivatives Edward LiPuma theorizes the profound social dimensions of derivatives markets and the processes, rituals, and belief systems that drive them. In response to the 2008 financial crisis and drawing on his experience trading derivatives, LiPuma outlines how they function as complex devices that organize speculative capital as well as the ways derivative-driven capitalism not only produces the conditions for its own existence, but also penetrates the fabric of everyday life. Framing finance as a form of social life and highlighting the intrinsically social character of financial derivatives, LiPuma deepens our understanding of derivatives so that we may someday use them to serve the public well-being.

Written by Robert Jarrow, one of the true titans of finance, and his former student Arkadev Chatterjea, Introduction to Derivatives is the first text developed from the ground up for students taking the introductory derivatives course. The math is presented at the right level and is always motivated by what 's happening in the financial markets. And, as one of the developers of the Heath-Jarrow-Morton Model, Robert Jarrow presents a novel, accessible way to understand this important topic.