Book 135

A comprehensive guide to understanding the world of financial management and analysis

This complement to the bestselling Financial Management and Analysis allows readers to self-test their understanding before applying the concepts to real-world situations.

Pamela P. Peterson, PhD, CPA (Tallahassee, FL), is Professor of Finance at Florida State University. Wendy D. Habegger (Tallahassee, FL) is a PhD student in Finance at Florida State University.

Book 136

A practical workbook that promotes the understanding of investment management

The Workbook includes a full answer key and brief chapter summaries, making the information that readers attain from The Theory and Practice of Investment Management (0-471-22889-0) that much more valuable.

Harry M. Markowitz, PhD (San Diego, CA), is a consultant in the finance area. In 1990 he shared the Nobel Prize in Economics for his work in portfolio theory.

Leonard Kostovetsky (Woodmere, NY) is a PhD student in finance at Princeton University. He is the founder of the Princeton Finance and Economics Forum.

Book 138

"The Mathematics of Financial Modeling & Investment Management" covers a wide range of technical topics in mathematics and finance - enabling the investment management practitioner, researcher, or student to fully understand the process of financial decision-making and its economic foundations. This comprehensive resource will introduce you to key mathematical techniques - matrix algebra, calculus, ordinary differential equations, probability theory, stochastic calculus, time series analysis, optimization - as well as show you how these techniques are successfully implemented in the world of modern finance. Special emphasis is placed on the new mathematical tools that allow a deeper understanding of financial econometrics and financial economics.Recent advances in financial econometrics, such as tools for estimating and representing the tails of the distributions, the analysis of correlation phenomena, and dimensionality reduction through factor analysis and co integration are discussed in depth. Using a wealth of real-world examples, Focardi and Fabozzi simultaneously show both the mathematical techniques and the areas in finance where these techniques are applied.
They also cover a variety of useful financial applications, such as: Arbitrage pricing; Interest rate modeling; Derivative pricing; Credit risk modeling; Equity and bond portfolio management; Risk management; and, much more. Filled with in-depth insight and expert advice, "The Mathematics of Financial Modeling & Investment Management" clearly ties together financial theory and mathematical techniques.

Book 139

While mainstream financial theories and applications assume that asset returns are normally distributed, overwhelming empirical evidence shows otherwise. Yet many professionals don’t appreciate the highly statistical models that take this empirical evidence into consideration. Fat-Tailed and Skewed Asset Return Distributions examines this dilemma and offers readers a less technical look at how portfolio selection, risk management, and option pricing modeling should and can be undertaken when the assumption of a non-normal distribution for asset returns is violated. Topics covered in this comprehensive book include an extensive discussion of probability distributions, estimating probability distributions, portfolio selection, alternative risk measures, and much more. Fat-Tailed and Skewed Asset Return Distributions provides a bridge between the highly technical theory of statistical distributional analysis, stochastic processes, and econometrics of financial returns and real-world risk management and investments.

Book 140

Since first edition's publication, the CDO market has seen tremendous growth. As of 2005, $1.1 trillion of CDOs were outstanding -- making them the fastest-growing investment vehicle of the last decade. To help you keep up with this expanding market and its various instruments, Douglas Lucas, Laurie Goodman, and Frank Fabozzi have collaborated to bring you this fully revised and up-to-date new edition of Collateralized Debt Obligations. Written in a clear and accessible style, this valuable resource provides critical information regarding the evolving nature of the CDO market. You'll find in-depth insights gleaned from years of investment and credit experience as well as the examination of a wide range of issues, including cash CDOs, loans and CLOs, structured finance CDOs and collateral review, emerging market and market value CDOs, and synthetic CDOs. Use this book as your guide and take advantage of this dynamic market and its products.

Book 142

Securities Finance

by Frank J. Fabozzi and Steven V. Mann

Published 1 January 2005
In "Securities Finance", editors Frank Fabozzi and Steven Mann assemble a group of prominent practitioners in the securities finance industry to provide readers with an enhanced understanding of the various arrangements in the securities finance market. Divided into three comprehensive parts, Securities Lending, Bond Financing via the Repo Market, and Equity Financing Alternatives to Securities Lending, this book covers a wide range of securities finance issues, including alternative routes to the securities lending market, evaluating risks in securities lending transactions, U.S. and European repo markets, dollar rolls and their impact on MBS valuation and strategies, derivatives for financing equity positions and equity repos, and more. Filled with in depth insight and expert advice, "Securities Finance" contains the information readers need to succeed in this rapidly expanding market.

Book 144

An inside look at modern approaches to modeling equity portfolios. "Financial Modeling of the Equity Market" is the most comprehensive, up-to-date guide to modeling equity portfolios. The book is intended for a wide range of quantitative analysts, practitioners, and students of finance. Without sacrificing mathematical rigor, it presents arguments in a concise and clear style with a wealth of real-world examples and practical simulations. This book presents all the major approaches to single-period return analysis, including modeling, estimation, and optimization issues. It covers both static and dynamic factor analysis, regime shifts, long-run modeling, and cointegration. Estimation issues, including dimensionality reduction, Bayesian estimates, the Black-Litterman model, and random coefficient models, are also covered in depth. Important advances in transaction cost measurement and modeling, robust optimization, and recent developments in optimization with higher moments are also discussed. Sergio M. Focardi (Paris, France) is a founding partner of the Paris-based consulting firm, The Intertek Group. He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Portfolio Management.
He is also the author of numerous articles and books on financial modeling. Petter N. Kolm, PhD (New Haven, CT and New York, NY), is a graduate student in finance at the Yale School of Management and a financial consultant in New York City. Previously, he worked in the Quantitative Strategies Group of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, where he developed quantitative investment models and strategies.

Book 148

Created by the experienced author team of Frank Fabozzi, Henry Davis, and Moorad Choudhry, Introduction to Structured Finance examines the essential elements of this discipline. It is a convenient reference guide—which covers all the important transaction types in one place—and an excellent opportunity to enhance your understanding of finance.

Book 149

This groundbreaking book extends traditional approaches of risk measurement and portfolio optimization by combining distributional models with risk or performance measures into one framework. Throughout these pages, the expert authors explain the fundamentals of probability metrics, outline new approaches to portfolio optimization, and discuss a variety of essential risk measures. Using numerous examples, they illustrate a range of applications to optimal portfolio choice and risk theory, as well as applications to the area of computational finance that may be useful to financial engineers.

Book 150

A comprehensive guide to financial econometrics

Financial econometrics is a quest for models that describe financial time series such as prices, returns, interest rates, and exchange rates. In Financial Econometrics, readers will be introduced to this growing discipline and the concepts and theories associated with it, including background material on probability theory and statistics. The experienced author team uses real-world data where possible and brings in the results of published research provided by investment banking firms and journals. Financial Econometrics clearly explains the techniques presented and provides illustrative examples for the topics discussed.

Svetlozar T. Rachev, PhD (Karlsruhe, Germany) is currently Chair-Professor at the University of Karlsruhe. Stefan Mittnik, PhD (Munich, Germany) is Professor of Financial Econometrics at the University of Munich. Frank J. Fabozzi, PhD, CFA, CFP (New Hope, PA) is an adjunct professor of Finance at Yale University’s School of Management. Sergio M. Focardi (Paris, France) is a founding partner of the Paris-based consulting firm The Intertek Group. Teo Jasic, PhD, (Frankfurt, Germany) is a senior manager with a leading international management consultancy firm in Frankfurt.


Book 151

Filled with the insights of numerous experienced contributors, Structured Products and Related Credit Derivatives takes a detailed look at the various aspects of structured assets and credit derivatives. Written over a period spanning the greatest bull market in structured products history to arguably its most challenging period, this reliable resource will help you identify the opportunities and mitigate the risks in this complex financial market.

Book 153

Bayesian Methods in Finance provides a detailed overview of the theory of Bayesian methods and explains their real-world applications to financial modeling. While the principles and concepts explained throughout the book can be used in financial modeling and decision making in general, the authors focus on portfolio management and market risk management—since these are the areas in finance where Bayesian methods have had the greatest penetration to date.

Book 155

In The Handbook of Municipal Bonds, editors Sylvan Feldstein and Frank Fabozzi provide traders, bankers, and advisors-among other industry participants-with a well-rounded look at the industry of tax-exempt municipal bonds. Chapter by chapter, a diverse group of experienced contributors provide detailed explanations and a variety of relevant examples that illuminate essential elements of this area. With this book as your guide, you'll quickly become familiar with both buy side and sell side issues as well as important innovations in this field.

Book 156

Filled with a comprehensive collection of information from experts in the commodity investment industry, this detailed guide shows readers how to successfully incorporate commodities into their portfolios. Created with both the professional and individual investor in mind, The Handbook of Commodity Investments covers a wide range of issues, including the risk and return of commodities, diversification benefits, risk management, macroeconomic determinants of commodity investments, and commodity trading advisors. Starting with the basics of commodity investments and moving to more complex topics, such as performance measurement, asset pricing, and value at risk, The Handbook of Commodity Investments is a reliable resource for anyone who needs to understand this dynamic market.

Book 159

Mortgage credit derivatives are a risky business, especially of late. Written by an expert author team of UBS practitioners-Laurie Goodman, Shumin Li, Douglas Lucas, and Thomas Zimmerman-along with Frank Fabozzi of Yale University, Subprime Mortgage Credit Derivatives covers state-of-the-art instruments and strategies for managing a portfolio of mortgage credits in today's volatile climate. Divided into four parts, this book addresses a variety of important topics, including mortgage credit (non-agency, first and second lien), mortgage securitizations (alternate structures and subprime triggers), credit default swaps on mortgage securities (ABX, cash synthetic relationships, CDO credit default swaps), and much more. In addition, the authors outline the origins of the subprime crisis, showing how during the 2004-2006 period, as housing became less affordable, origination standards were stretched-and when home price appreciation then turned to home price depreciation, defaults and delinquencies rose across the board.
The recent growth in subprime lending, along with a number of other industry factors, has made the demand for timely knowledge and solutions greater than ever before, and this guide contains the information financial professionals need to succeed in this challenging field.

Book 164

The authoritative resource for understanding and practicing valuation of both common fixed income investment vehicles and complex derivative instruments-now updated to cover valuing interest rate caps and floors.

Book 168

Issuer Perspectives on Securitization provides insight into the basics of securitization as well as more advanced techniques such as nontraditional asset-backed securities, transactional due diligence, and accounting rules and techniques. Leading experts in the field detail all aspects of securitization, including: structuring efficient asset-backed transactions, rating structured securities, technology issues in asset-backed securities, and the role of the trustee.

Book 172


Book 173

An introduction to the theory and practice of financial simulation and optimization In recent years, there has been a notable increase in the use of simulation and optimization methods in the financial industry. Applications include portfolio allocation, risk management, pricing, and capital budgeting under uncertainty. This accessible guide provides an introduction to the simulation and optimization techniques most widely used in finance, while at the same time offering background on the financial concepts in these applications. In addition, it clarifies difficult concepts in traditional models of uncertainty in finance, and teaches you how to build models with software. It does this by reviewing current simulation and optimization methodology-along with available software-and proceeds with portfolio risk management, modeling of random processes, pricing of financial derivatives, and real options applications.
* Contains a unique combination of finance theory and rigorous mathematical modeling emphasizing a hands-on approach through implementation with software * Highlights not only classical applications, but also more recent developments, such as pricing of mortgage-backed securities * Includes models and code in both spreadsheet-based software (@RISK, Solver, Evolver, VBA) and mathematical modeling software (MATLAB) Filled with in-depth insights and practical advice, Simulation and Optimization Modeling in Finance offers essential guidance on some of the most important topics in financial management.

Book 174

Introduction to Securitization outlines the basics of securitization, addressing applications for this technology to mortgages, collateralized debt obligations, future flows, credit cards, and auto loans. The authors present a comprehensive overview of the topic based on the experience they have gathered through years of interaction with practitioners and graduate students around the world. The authors offer coverage of such key topics as: structuring agency MBS deals and nonagency deals, credit enhancements and sizing, using interest rate derivatives in securitization transactions, asset classes securitized, operational risk factors, implications for financial markets, and applying securitization technology to CDOs. Finally, in the appendices, the authors provide an essential introduction to credit derivatives, an explanation of the methodology for the valuation of MBS/ABS, and the estimation of interest rate risk.

Securitization is a financial technique that pools assets together and, in effect, turns them into a tradable security. The end result of a securitization transaction is that a corporation can obtain proceeds by selling assets and not borrowing funds. In real life, many securitization structures are quite complex and enigmatic for practitioners, investors, and finance students. Typically, books detailing this topic are either too lengthy, too technical, or too superficial in their presentation. Introduction to Securitization is the first to offer essential information on this topic at a fundamental, yet comprehensive level-providing readers with a working understanding of what has become one of today's most important areas of finance.

Authors Frank Fabozzi and Vinod Kothari, internationally recognized experts in the field, clearly define securitization, contrast it with corporate finance, and explain its advantages. They carefully illustrate the structuring of asset-backed securities (ABS) transactions, including agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS) deals and nonagency deals, and show the use of credit enhancements and interest rate derivatives in such transactions. They review the collateral classes in ABS, such as retail loans, credit cards, and future flows, and discuss ongoing funding vehicles such as asset-backed commercial paper conduits and other structured vehicles. And they explain the different types of collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) and structured credit, detailing their structuring and analysis. To complement the discussion, an introduction to credit derivatives is also provided.

The authors conclude with a close look at securitization's impact on the financial markets and the economy, with a review of the now well-documented problems of the securitization of one asset class: subprime mortgages. While questions about the contribution of securitization have been tainted by the subprime mortgage crisis, it remains an important process for corporations, municipalities, and government entities seeking funding. The significance of this financial innovation is that it has been an important form of raising capital for corporations and government entities throughout the world, as well as a vehicle for risk management. Introduction to Securitization offers practitioners and students a simple and comprehensive entry into the interesting world of securitization and structured credit.