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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.

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Ed Ponsi's straightforward guide to understanding technical analysis Technical Analysis and Chart Interpretations delivers simple explanations and easy-to-understand techniques that demystify the technical analysis process. In his usual straightforward style, bestselling author Ed Ponsi guides you through the twists and turns to show you what really matters when it comes to making money. Whether you trade stocks, currencies, or commodities, you'll develop invaluable skills as you master difficult concepts and the tools of the trade. Technical analysis translates to any form of trading, and this book delivers clear, jargon-free guidance toward interpreting the various charts you'll see in the field. Technical analysis can be confusing. Volatility, cycles, Elliot waves, Fibonacci, trends—it's easy to get lost, and most of the available literature is incomprehensible to all but the experts. This book is different—it's technical analysis for the rest of us. You'll see through the language to understand the underlying concepts, and how to apply them correctly. Learn what true technical analysis entails Discover the tools that simplify accurate analysis Master the tactics and strategies used by the pros Develop a valuable trading skill that transcends markets Simply recognizing the vocabulary isn't nearly enough, and a passing acquaintance with the topic is guaranteed to do more harm than good. When technical analysis methods are used incorrectly, they are ineffective at best, and actively destructive to your bottom line at worst. Technical Analysis and Chart Interpretations cuts through the confusion to give you a firm understanding and the skills to apply it correctly.

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Drive better business strategy with practical analytics for people data Optimize Your Greatest Asset – Your People brings advanced analytics into Human Resources, giving you a framework for optimizing human capital investments through predictive analysis. You'll learn how to transition from anecdotes and surveys to more advanced measurement techniques, and combine the data from multiple systems into a unified plan of action that improves business results. Practical examples and case studies show how these techniques are applied in real-world settings, and executives and thought leaders weigh in on how advanced analytics are informing better business decisions every day. Coverage includes the latest research on the state of current HR measurement techniques, as well as the important considerations surrounding data security and employee trust. Executives and managers alike are swimming in pools of people data, spread across multiple systems that don't talk to each other. This book shows you how to bring that data together, organize it, and turn it into useful information, and how to build your data strategy to take advantage of the wealth of available tools. Produce actionable intelligence with data from multiple systems Move beyond activity metrics and into advanced measurements Create stronger policy covering security, privacy, and ethics Achieve sophisticated HR analytics without breaking employee trust It's time for HR leaders to get over their fear of Big Data. Good data drives good business, and human capital is the biggest asset a company has. Start measuring the things that matter, and start turning those measurements into actual information that goes beyond the spreadsheet. Optimize Your Greatest Asset – Your People shows you how to get started, and where to go from there.

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Explore history's titans of finance, and their lasting global impact Heroes and Villains of Finance is a fascinating dive into the history of money as an institution, highlighting the fifty most significant figures that, rightly or wrongly, are responsible for the financial landscape we live in today. From philosophers and bankers to fraudsters and academics, this book provides a striking introduction to the most remarkable characters in the history of finance. Their impact reaches far beyond the financial system itself, and has helped shape the course of human history. The economic systems of today would look very differently if it weren't for these innovators, thought leaders, storytellers, and rebels, and this captivating examination takes you inside their stories to understand their thinking, their background, their perspective, and their inspiration. People both inside and outside the world of finance are perpetually curious about the larger-than-life characters who built, shaped, and continue to populate the industry. Their actions, both positive and negative, are responsible for what we understand as finance today. This book provides a glimpse into the events and motivations that contributed to the industry's evolution. Learn how the Knights Templar became the first banking institution Examine the Rothschild family's pioneering use of financial instruments in order to safeguard their wealth from distrusting European monarchs Study the origins and evolution of the Ponzi scheme Realise how Reaganomics still affects the U.S. economy today The finance industry is always in the public eye, and it's one of the few places where the actions of a few – or even a single person – can ripple throughout large populations. Heroes and Villains of Finance gives you a closer look at the biggest names that had the biggest impact, for better or worse. «This book is a marvellous introduction to a gallery of fascinating figures from the world of Big Money. The author has chosen a brilliant collection of crooks, entrepreneurs, philosophers, economists and bankers. These highly readable short lives provide an excellent education to any reader who wants to understand the personalities who shaped today's world of investment» Luke Johnson, Chairman of Risk Capital Partners, former chairman of Pizza Express and Channel 4 Television, Financial Times columnist and author of 'Start It Up'
«Heroes and Villains of Finance provides a fascinating and insightful guide to the personalities and developments that have transformed finance and continue to do so. Anyone trying to understand where finance is now, how it got there and where it might go should read this book»
Dr Stephen Davies, Institute of Economic Affairs
«An exciting, informative ride through the big ideas and even bigger personalities that have shaped the world of finance»
Sam Bowman, The Adam Smith Institute
«This delightful book provides a punchy reminder that, whilst we should rightly celebrate the longevity of the vision of the heroes of finance like Adam Smith, the potential downsides of financial innovation have always been with us which we are inclined to forget» Professor Mike Wright, Professor of Entrepreneurship at Imperial College London and ranked #1 worldwide for publications in academic entrepreneurship

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High-value talent management must be relevant to today's workplace Misplaced Talent takes a hard look at the cluttered field of Talent Management, and offers a clear guide to making better people decisions in any organization. Deliberately challenging practitioners to do more, this insightful discussion sorts through the tools and techniques developed over the last century to examine their true relevance to the modern workplace. You'll learn which activities show the greatest potential to improve the lives of employees and the organizations they work for, and identify which of your existing practices don't really add enough value to be worth the expenditure of time, money, and potentially lost talent. The author asks you to make up your own mind about which approaches work best for your own specific talent decisions, but provides the best theory and practice available today as a foundation upon which to formulate a more relevant strategy. In a world of big data, the potential to understand employees and react appropriately has never been greater. So why is Talent Management as an industry relying on outdated theory and practices? This book is a guide to bringing HR up to date, giving you the tools, techniques, and perspective you need to demonstrate more value to your organization. Adopt the tools and techniques most effective in today's workplace Identify and discard methods that don't add value to the organization Implement critical changes that can transform the HR function Make better people decisions based on psychology and research Fundamentally, not much has changed in what constitutes good people practice. Practitioners must demonstrate the value of Talent Management, but the solutions implemented often fall short of the rigor and discipline they deserve. Misplaced Talent provides the insight you need to refocus attention and engage your organization about the value of better people decisions.

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Compare global experiences during the balance sheet recession and find out what is needed for a full recovery The Escape from Balance Sheet Recession and the QE Trap details the many hidden dangers remaining as the world slowly recovers from the balance sheet recession of 2008. Author and leading economist Richard Koo explains the unique political and economic pitfalls that stand in the way of recovery from this rare type of recession that was largely overlooked by economists. Koo anticipated the current predicament in the West long before others and issued warnings in his previous books: Balance Sheet Recession and The Holy Grail of Macroeconomics. This new book illustrates how history is repeating itself in Europe while the United States, which learnt from the Japanese experience, is doing better by avoiding the fiscal cliff. However, because of the liberal dosage of quantitative easing already implemented, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan may face a treacherous path to normalcy in what Koo calls the QE Trap. He argues that it is necessary to understand balance sheet recession in order to resolve the Eurozone crisis, particularly the competitiveness problems. Koo issues warnings against those who are too ready to argue for structural reforms when the problems are actually with balance sheets. He re-examines Japan's two decades of experiences with this rare recession and offers an insider view on the Abenomics. On China, readers will gain a very different historical perspective as Koo argues that western commentators have forgotten their own history when they talk about the re-balancing of the Chinese economy. Learn from Japan which experienced the same predicament afflicting the West fifteen years earlier Discover how unwinding of quantitative easing will affect the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, as well as the emerging world Examine solutions to the Eurozone problems caused by two balance sheet recessions eight years apart Gain insight into China's problems from the West's own experiences with urbanisation Koo, who developed the concept of balance sheet recession based on Japan's experience, took the revolution in macroeconomics started by John Maynard Keynes in 1936 to a new height. The Escape from Balance Sheet Recession and the QE Trap offers the world cure for balance sheet recession.

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A hands-on guide to navigating the new fuel markets Fuel Hedging and Risk Management: Strategies for Airlines, Shippers and Other Consumers provides a clear and practical understanding of commodity price dynamics, key fuel hedging techniques, and risk management strategies for the corporate fuel consumer. It covers the commodity markets and derivative instruments in a manner accessible to corporate treasurers, financial officers, risk managers, commodity traders, structurers, as well as quantitative professionals dealing in the energy markets. The book includes a wide variety of key topics related to commodities and derivatives markets, financial risk analysis of commodity consumers, hedge program design and implementation, vanilla derivatives and exotic hedging products. The book is unique in providing intuitive guidance on understanding the dynamics of forward curves and volatility term structure for commodities, fuel derivatives valuation and counterparty risk concepts such as CVA, DVA and FVA. Fully up-to-date and relevant, this book includes comprehensive case studies that illustrate the hedging process from conception to execution and monitoring of hedges in diverse situations. This practical guide will help the reader: Gain expert insight into all aspects of fuel hedging, price and volatility drivers and dynamics. Develop a framework for financial risk analysis and hedge programs. Navigate volatile energy markets by employing effective risk management techniques. Manage unwanted risks associated with commodity derivatives by understanding liquidity and credit risk calculations, exposure optimization techniques, credit charges such as CVA, DVA, FVA, etc. Praise for Fuel Hedging and Risk Management «Risk Management is an art, not a science, but it certainly helps to know a lot of science. In this book, the authors provide an excellent overview of both qualitative and quantitative aspects of risk management and how to design and implement effective win-win fuel oil hedging strategies that will achieve the desired objectives under normal and extreme market conditions. In addition to discussing key foundational issues, the book also discusses a framework to understand and manage hugely important second-order effects, such as credit risk or margin calls or asset-liability mismatches, which have the potential to turn a good idea into a bad outcome. A must read for anyone in the finance department of a corporate, trade house, or financial firm involved in fuel oil hedging.» —Diego Parrilla, Former Global Head of Commodity Solutions and Head of Commodities, Bank of America «This book provides highly useful insights into hedging and risk management methodologies, as well as theory, for the users of energy products. Dafir provides intuition stemming from not just top-tier commodity structuring expertise, but also broader insight from his earlier experience as a credit derivatives and exotics trader.» —Mitch Matharu, former Head of Structuring, Merrill Lynch «An Absolute Must Read. From the fundamentals of oil markets to the key points in negotiating a credit agreement and minimizing hedging costs, passing by the subtleties of implied volatility surface construction and its implications in derivatives pricing, this book offers you the indispensable practitioner's toolbox, useful whether you are a novice or a seasoned fuel trader.» —Frederic Cogny, Global Head of Commodities Structured Products Trading, Standard Chartered Bank «In this book, Dafir blends his deep knowledge of the commodity markets and the vagaries of the financial market with his incredible mathematical ability to explore fuel hedging in a manner accessible to Fuel Procurement Departments, CFOs and board members.» —Mark Lo

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Exploit your offshore status to build a robust investment portfolio Most of the world's 200 million expats float in stormy seas. Few can contribute to their home country social programs. They're often forced to fend for themselves when they retire. The Global Expatriate's Guide to Investing is the world's only book showing expats how to build wealth overseas with index funds. Written by bestselling author, Andrew Hallam, it's a guide for everyone, no matter where they are from. Warren Buffett says you should buy index funds. Nobel prize winners agree. But dangers lurk. Financial advisors overseas can be hungry wolves. They don't play by the same set of rules. They would rather earn whopping commissions than follow solid financial principles. The Global Expatriate's Guide To Investing shows how to avoid these jokers. It explains how to find an honest financial advisor: one that invests with index funds instead of commission paying windfalls. You don't want an advisor? Fair enough. Hallam shows three cutting edge index fund strategies. He compares costs and services of different brokerages, whether in the U.S. or offshore. And he shows every nationality how to invest in the best products for them. Some people want stability. Some want strong growth. Others want a dash of both. This book also answers the following questions: How much money do I need to retire? How much should I be saving each month? What investments will give me both strong returns, and safety? The Global Expatriate's Guide To Investing also profiles real expats and their stories. It shows the mistakes and successes that they want others to learn from. It's a humorous book. And it demonstrates how you can make the best of your hard-earned money.

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Venture deep into the heart of finance's weird and wonderful paradoxes Dinosaur Derivatives and Other Trades is an entertaining and compelling tour de force highlighting the paradoxes inherent to the modern financial system. Presented as a series of striking case studies, this book explores certain enigmatic or philosophical puzzles in the finance industry; some of these puzzles may seem slightly absurd at first glance, but all are very relevant to the way finance is conducted in the real world. Each story highlights specific hypocrisies or moral dilemmas that lie at the heart of the system, guiding readers through the challenges of finance by way of innovative and memorable paradigms. Written in clear, accessible language, this book doesn't claim to offer original financial theory or philosophy as such, but instead deepens the reader's understanding of the system and stimulates independent consideration of the current state of affairs. The financial world, so often viewed as a rather dull place, is secretly alive with possibilities of strange and sometimes wonderful conundrums. There is the possibility, for instance, of a Manhattan auction house selling derivatives to buy swift-swimming predators known as Megalodons (thought to be extinct for millions of years). This book explores this and other curious propositions to point out the paradoxes of finance. Explore the meaning of «value» in different contexts Learn what the Old Testament can teach us about risk and uncertainty Examine an alternative take on the 2007/2008 credit crisis Consider how the «financial innovation» trend impacts the industry To truly understand something, it is necessary to crawl deep into the metaphorical underbelly and have a look around. Dinosaur Derivatives and Other Trades provides the itinerary, and the insightful discussion that stimulates curiosity.

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A unique, in-depth guide to options pricing and valuing their greeks, along with a four dimensional approach towards the impact of changing market circumstances on options How to Calculate Options Prices and Their Greeks is the only book of its kind, showing you how to value options and the greeks according to the Black Scholes model but also how to do this without consulting a model. You'll build a solid understanding of options and hedging strategies as you explore the concepts of probability, volatility, and put call parity, then move into more advanced topics in combination with a four-dimensional approach of the change of the P&L of an option portfolio in relation to strike, underlying, volatility, and time to maturity. This informative guide fully explains the distribution of first and second order Greeks along the whole range wherein an option has optionality, and delves into trading strategies, including spreads, straddles, strangles, butterflies, kurtosis, vega-convexity , and more. Charts and tables illustrate how specific positions in a Greek evolve in relation to its parameters, and digital ancillaries allow you to see 3D representations using your own parameters and volumes. The Black and Scholes model is the most widely used option model, appreciated for its simplicity and ability to generate a fair value for options pricing in all kinds of markets. This book shows you the ins and outs of the model, giving you the practical understanding you need for setting up and managing an option strategy. • Understand the Greeks, and how they make or break a strategy • See how the Greeks change with time, volatility, and underlying • Explore various trading strategies • Implement options positions, and more Representations of option payoffs are too often based on a simple two-dimensional approach consisting of P&L versus underlying at expiry. This is misleading, as the Greeks can make a world of difference over the lifetime of a strategy. How to Calculate Options Prices and Their Greeks is a comprehensive, in-depth guide to a thorough and more effective understanding of options, their Greeks, and (hedging) option strategies.

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