From central banks to brokerages to multinationals, institutional investors are flocking to a new generation of exotic and complex options contracts and derivatives. But the promise of ever larger profits also creates the potential for catastrophic trading losses. Now more than ever, the key to trading derivatives lies in implementing preventive risk management techniques that plan for and avoid these appalling downturns. Unlike other books that offer risk management for corporate treasurers, Dynamic Hedging targets the real-world needs of professional traders and money managers. Written by a leading options trader and derivatives risk advisor to global banks and exchanges, this book provides a practical, real-world methodology for monitoring and managing all the risks associated with portfolio management. Nassim Nicholas Taleb is the founder of Empirica Capital LLC, a hedge fund operator, and a fellow at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences of New York University. He has held a variety of senior derivative trading positions in New York and London and worked as an independent floor trader in Chicago. Dr. Taleb was inducted in February 2001 in the Derivatives Strategy Hall of Fame. He received an MBA from the Wharton School and a Ph.D. from University Paris-Dauphine.

    Thorp invented card counting, proving the seemingly impossible: that you could beat the dealer at the blackjack table. As a result he launched a gambling renaissance. His remarkable success--and mathematically unassailable method--caused such an uproar that casinos altered the rules of the game to thwart him and the legions he inspired. They barred him from their premises, even put his life in jeopardy. Nonetheless, gambling was forever changed.Thereafter, Thorp shifted his sights to "the biggest casino in the world" Wall Street. Devising and then deploying mathematical formulas to beat the market, Thorp ushered in the era of quantitative finance we live in today. Along the way, the so-called godfather of the quants played bridge with Warren Buffett, crossed swords with a young Rudy Giuliani, detected the Bernie Madoff scheme, and, to beat the game of roulette, invented, with Claude Shannon, the world's first wearable computer.Here, for the first time, Thorp tells the story of what he did, how he did it, his passions and motivations, and the curiosity that has always driven him to disregard conventional wisdom and devise game-changing solutions to seemingly insoluble problems. An intellectual thrill ride, replete with practical wisdom that can guide us all in uncertain financial waters, A Man for All Markets is an instant classic--a book that challenges its readers to think logically about a seemingly irrational world.Praise for A Man for All Markets"In A Man for All Markets, [Thorp] delightfully recounts his progress (if that is the word) from college teacher to gambler to hedge-fund manager. Along the way we learn important lessons about the functioning of markets and the logic of investment."--The Wall Street Journal"[Thorp] gives a biological summation (think Richard Feynman's Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!) of his quest to prove the aphorism 'the house always wins' is flawed. . . . Illuminating for the mathematically inclined, and cautionary for would-be gamblers and day traders"-- Library Journal

    

    The very things done to make markets safer, have, in fact, created a world that is far more dangerous. From the 1987 crash to Citigroup closing the Salomon Arb unit, from staggering losses at UBS to the demise of Long-Term Capital Management, Bookstaber gives readers a front row seat to the management decisions made by some of the most powerful financial figures in the world that led to catastrophe, and describes the impact of his own activities on markets and market crashes. Much of the innovation of the last 30 years has wreaked havoc on the markets and cost trillions of dollars. A Demon of Our Own Design tells the story of man's attempt to manage market risk and what it has wrought. In the process of showing what we have done, Bookstaber shines a light on what the future holds for a world where capital and power have moved from Wall Street institutions to elite and highly leveraged hedge funds.

    This series is not for novices. This booklet explores the notion that, as a general rule, no magic policy rich in high-return/low-correlation alternative asset classes exists that will simultaneously preserve upside reward and protect against downside losses. And as long as I'm lowering your expectations, this booklet is most certainly not a blueprint for the "perfect portfolio." You're an adult, after all, so you know that the future efficient frontier lies well beyond our ken; presumably you already know all about the mechanics, long-term benefits, as well as the uncertainties, of wide diversification and factor tilt using low-cost, efficient vehicles and the risk/reward spectrum between all-fixed-income and all-equity portfolios. Rather, this booklet provides a way of navigating a global investment landscape that grows ever more linked by the month, and a way of thinking about diversification.

    Penny Stocks For Dummies explains the basics of penny stocks and provides expert guidance to help you get involved right away.Penny Stocks For Dummies provides you with the information and advice you need before considering an investment in penny stocks, as well as the tools needed to make sound investments. You'll also get expert guidance on identifying growth trends and market sectors positioned for rapid growth, finding undiscovered penny stocks, and understanding the fundamentals of a potential investment in penny stocks.Arms you with the know-how to properly identify, and purchase, winning penny stocks Shows you how good money can be made from these low-priced shares Gets you involved in Penny Stocks quickly, painlessly, and on a small budget Penny Stocks For Dummies appeals to anyone who doesn't have a lot to invest right now in the current economic climate, but who wants to multiply what they do have.

    The cost of these "deals gone bad" total millions of dollars in losses, years of unproductive activity and incalculable emotional stress. However, you’ll obtain the enormous benefits of the powerful and profitable learning lessons from these 21 mishaps without the costs! You’re about to gather lifelong, extremely valuable real estate investment and house flipping wisdom that has taken others a lifetime and a fortune to learn. This book is a must read for anyone planning to be or is already a real estate investor because you'll find out what NOT to do in real estate.

    In Investing In One Lesson, investment guru Mark Skousen clearly and convincingly reveals the reasons for the seemingly perverse, unpredictable nature of the stock market. Drawing upon his decades of experience as an investment advisor, writer, and professor, Dr. Skousen explains in one spirited, easy-to-follow lesson why stock prices fluctuate with such apparent irrationality. Lifting back the veil of perplexity and confusion that surrounds the workings of the stock market, Dr. Skousen explains:*Why good news for the economy is often bad news for the stock market*Why stocks of old, established companies in shrinking industries tend to be a better investment than shares in rapidly growing firms in cutting-edge fields*Why stock prices can suddenly skyrocket or collapse--regardless of market fundamentals*Why initial public offerings often enrich insiders at the expense of the majority of investors*How Wall Street is like a giant casino--and how it isn'tThe perfect investment primer, Investing In One Lesson provides an introduction to everything from day trading to contrary investing to chart-based techniques. Dr. Skousen's book concludes with a comprehensive but simple investment strategy to maximize your returns without having to dedicate countless hours to researching the market. Dr. Skousen packs his book with entertaining personal and professional anecdotes illustrating his central point--that the business of investing is not the same as investing in a business. He offers investors a wide-ranging but accessible course on investing history, psychology, and strategy--all in one lesson.

    Persuasively written by author, investment strategist, and geopolitical analyst Marko Papic, the book applies a novel framework for making sense of the cacophony of geopolitical risks with the eye towards generating investment-relevant insights.Geopolitical Alpha posits that investors should ignore the media-hyped narratives, insights from smoke-filled rooms, and most of their political consultants and, instead, focus exclusively on the measurable, material constraints facing policymakers. In the tug-of-war between policymaker preferences and their constraints, the latter always win out in the end. Papic uses a wealth of examples from the past decade to illustrate how one can use his constraint-framework to generate Geopolitical Alpha. In the process, the book discusses:What paradigm shifts will drive investment returns over the next decade Why investment and corporate professionals can no longer treat geopolitics as an exogenous risk How to ignore the media and focus on what drives market narratives that generate returns Perfect for investors, C-suite executives, and investment professionals, Geopolitical Alpha belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in the intersection of geopolitics, economics, and finance.

    His chief strengths are his uncanny ability to identify undervalued companies and his farsighted reading of the market trends. In this volume, Jim Slater makes available to the investor - whether the owner of only a few shares or an experienced investment manager with a large portfolio - the secret of his success. Central to his strategy is The Zulu Principle, the benefits of homing in on a relatively narrow area. Deftly blending anecdote and analysis, Jim Slater gives valuable selective criteria for buying dynamic growth shares, turnarounds, cyclicals, shells and leading shares. He covers many other vitally relevant aspects of investment such as creative accounting, portfolio management, overseas markets and the investor's relationship with their broker. From The Zulu Principle you can learn exactly when to buy shares and, even more important, when to see - in essence, how to make extraordinary profits from ordinary shares.

    What sets this book apart from many others in the space is the emphasis on real examples as opposed to just theory. Concepts are not only described, they are brought to life with actual trading strategies, which give the reader insight into how and why each strategy was developed, how it was implemented, and even how it was coded. This book is a valuable resource for anyone looking to create their own systematic trading strategies and those involved in manager selection, where the knowledge contained in this book will lead to a more informed and nuanced conversation with managers."--DAREN SMITH, CFA, CAIA, FSA, President and Chief Investment Officer, University of Toronto Asset Management"Using an excellent selection of mean reversion and momentum strategies, Ernie explains the rationale behind each one, shows how to test it, how to improve it, and discusses implementation issues. His book is a careful, detailed exposition of the scientific method applied to strategy development. For serious retail traders, I know of no other book that provides this range of examples and level of detail. His discussions of how regime changes affect strategies, and of risk management, are invaluable bonuses."--Roger Hunter, Mathematician and Algorithmic Trader

    

    If you start with just a single penny and double it every day for 31 days, you end up with … $21,474,836.48. More than 21 million dollars in a single month! This is an example of the power of investment. Over the long-term, stock market is by far the best investment you can make. But there are many pitfalls for the unwary investor.  Help has arrived! A new book, Stock Market Investment Starter Guide: Step-by-Step Guide to Invest in Stock Market for Absolute Beginners, gives you the foundation you need to be successful but without common jargons that is everywhere. Using clear, straightforward language, Stock Market Investment Starter Guide breaks down the complexities of stock investment into easy-to-understand steps that anyone can follow. You’ll learn: How to invest in stocks, not gamble on them The 3 basic trading styles How to choose a broker, and read a stock chart When to buy, and when to sell Most important investing patterns to look for The 7 investing mistakes you must avoid And much, much more! There’s no reason to fear the stock market. You CAN make good money and safeguard your future with sensible strategy and planning. Grab a copy of Stock Market Investment Starter Guide today, and get started trading--the right way!

    This book starts from the ground up to provide detailed explanations of both these techniques: - An introduction to the different types of execution is followed by a review of market microstructure theory. Throughout the book examples from empirical studies bridge the gap between the theory and practice of trading. - Orders are the fundamental building blocks for any strategy. Market, limit, stop, hidden, iceberg, peg, routed and immediate-or-cancel orders are all described with illustrated examples. - Trading algorithms are explained and compared using charts to show potential trading patterns. TWAP, VWAP, Percent of Volume, Minimal Impact, Implementation Shortfall, Adaptive Shortfall, Market On Close and Pairs trading algorithms are all covered, together with common variations. - Transaction costs can have a significant effect on investment returns. An in-depth example shows how these may be broken down into constituents such as market impact, timing risk, spread and opportunity cost and other fees. - Coverage includes all the major asset classes, from equities to fixed income, foreign exchange and derivatives. Detailed overviews for each of the world's major markets are provided in the appendices. - Order placement and execution tactics are covered in more detail, as well as potential enhancements (such as short-term forecasts), for those interested in the specifics of implementing these strategies. - Cutting edge applications such as portfolio and multi-asset trading are also considered, as are handling news and data mining/artificial intelligence.

    That's why Al Brooks has created Reading Price Charts Bar by Bar. With this book, Brooks--a technical analyst for Futures magazine and an independent trader--demonstrates how applying price action analysis to chart patterns can help enhance returns and minimize downside risk. Along the way, you'll discover the importance of understanding every bar on a price chart, why particular patterns are reliable setups for trades, and how to locate entry and exit points as markets are trading in real time.Throughout these pages, some of the most useful tools for deciphering price action are covered in detail, including:Trendlines and trend channel linesPrior highs and lowsBreakouts and failed breakoutsThe size of bodies and tails on candlesThe relationship between current bars to prior barsAnd much moreLearning what the market is telling you can be difficult, but with the right approach, you can achieve this goal and capture consistent profits in the process. Reading Price Charts Bar by Bar has all the information you need to succeed at this endeavor and will put you in the best position possible to make the most of your time in today's turbulent markets.Praise for Reading Price Charts Bar by Bar"Al Brooks has written a book every day trader should read. On all levels, he has kept trading simple, straightforward, and approachable. By teaching traders that there are no rules, just guidelines, he has allowed basic common sense to once again rule how real traders should approach the market. This is a must-read for any trader that wants to learn his own path to success." --Noble DraKoln, founder ofwww.SpeculatorAcademy.com and author of Trade Like a Pro and Winning the Trading Game"Al Brooks is a trader's trader. He understands the focused energy it takes to be successful at trading and works long, hard hours in front of the computer screen to beat the markets. In his first trading book, he outlines, selflessly, his strategy step by step. A doctor and educator in his previous life, he uses his eye for detail and transfers lessons he learned in training himself on the art of trading to the written page. For those who are willing to delve into the details of day trading and dedicate the time and energy to do it seriously and most likely profitably, Al Brooks's book Reading Price Charts Bar by Bar, is a must-read." --Ginger Szala, Publisher and Editorial Director, Futures magazine