Foreign Exchange. A Practical Guide to the FX Markets

This book covers foreign exchange options from the point of view of the finance practitioner. It contains everything a quant or trader working in a bank or hedge fund would need to know about the mathematics of foreign exchange—not just the theoretical mathematics covered in other books but also comprehensive coverage of implementation, pricing and calibration. With content developed with input from traders and with examples using real-world data, this book introduces many of the more commonly requested products from FX options trading desks, together with the models that capture the risk characteristics necessary to price these products accurately. Crucially, this book describes the numerical methods required for calibration of these models – an area often neglected in the literature, which is nevertheless of paramount importance in practice. Thorough treatment is given in one unified text to the following features: Correct market conventions for FX volatility surface construction Adjustment for settlement and delayed delivery of options Pricing of vanillas and barrier options under the volatility smile Barrier bending for limiting barrier discontinuity risk near expiry Industry strength partial differential equations in one and several spatial variables using finite differences on nonuniform grids Fourier transform methods for pricing European options using characteristic functions Stochastic and local volatility models, and a mixed stochastic/local volatility model Three-factor long-dated FX model Numerical calibration techniques for all the models in this work The augmented state variable approach for pricing strongly path-dependent options using either partial differential equations or Monte Carlo simulation Connecting mathematically rigorous theory with practice, this is the essential guide to foreign exchange options in the context of the real financial marketplace.

Get up to speed quickly on the world's fastest growing financial sector The Islamic Finance Handbook: A Practitioner's Guide to the Global Markets is the definitive report for the Islamic finance industry. Written by the industry's leading practitioners, the book provides a country-by-country breakdown of the current state of the Islamic market, including league tables by region and by country. Relevant case studies are used throughout to illustrate the practical aspect of the information presented. Organized for easy navigation, each chapter features sub-sections that allow instant comparison between countries in a specific area of interest. The Islamic finance industry is the world's fastest growing sector, valued at over U.S. $1.3 trillion by the UK Islamic Finance secretariat, with an annual growth of 24% for the past five years. To compete globally, practitioners need a true understanding of key markets within the industry. The Islamic Finance Handbook paints a clear picture of where each country stands in its development and role within the market, and provides a straightforward comparison between markets. Features include: Current macroeconomic and microeconomic conditions Regulatory and political situations Recent transactions, key participants, and the investor climate Real-world cases, as opposed to speculative scenarios The book places a clear focus on current conditions versus past performance, and on practical applications versus theoretical speculation. Each chapter is authored by a leading practitioner from within each country, allowing a true glimpse inside the day-to-day workings of the Islamic markets. For finance professionals who need to get up to speed on this rapidly growing sector, The Islamic Finance Handbook: A Practitioner's Guide to the Global Markets is a clear, comprehensive guide.

This best-selling text has been revised to reflect the requirements of the 17th Edition of the IEEWiring Regulations (BS 7671: 2008). It includes essential information on the new rules applied to special installations or locations, such as bathrooms, swimming pool locations, camping/caravan sites, marinas, exhibition and show locations, solar photovoltaic power supply systems, and floor and ceiling heating systems, amongst others. It presents clear explanations on inspection, testing, certification and reporting, test instruments and test methods, as well as covering: electricity, the law, standards and codes of practice; assessment of general characteristics; protection against electric shock, thermal effects, overcurrent, undervoltage and overvoltage; isolation and switching; the common rules of equipment selection; switchgear, protective devices and other equipment; wiring systems (including the external influences on them and cable installation methods); protective conductors, earthing and protective bonding; supplies for safety services; the smaller installation, and; specialised installations, such as outdoor lighting, installations in churches, multi-occupancy blocks of flats. These topics are addressed with pertinent regulation numbers, and a useful appendix lists the relevant Standards. Background guidance and worked examples are provided where appropriate. Like the earlier editions of this text, this new edition will be a useful aid for designers, installers and verifiers of electrical installations, students of the industry wishing to gain better understanding of the many facets of electrical safety, and ‘duty holders’ as defined by the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989.

A Practical Guide to the Histology of the Mouse provides a full-colour atlas of mouse histology. Mouse models of disease are used extensively in biomedical research with many hundreds of new models being generated each year. Complete phenotypic analysis of all of these models can benefit from histologic review of the tissues. This book is aimed at veterinary and medical pathologists who are unfamiliar with mouse tissues and scientists who wish to evaluate their own mouse models. It provides practical guidance on the collection, sampling and analysis of mouse tissue samples in order to maximize the information that can be gained from these tissues. As well as illustrating the normal microscopic anatomy of the mouse, the book also describes and explains the common anatomic variations, artefacts associated with tissue collection and background lesions to help the scientist to distinguish these changes from experimentally- induced lesions. This will be an essential bench-side companion for researchers and practitioners looking for an accessible and well-illustrated guide to mouse pathology. Written by experienced pathologists and specifically tailored to the needs of scientists and histologists Full colour throughout Provides advice on sampling tissues, necropsy and recording data Includes common anatomic variations, background lesions and artefacts which will help non-experts understand whether histologic variations seen are part of the normal background or related to their experimental manipulation

The comprehensive M&A guide, updated to reflect the latest changes in the M&A environment M&A, Second Edition provides a practical primer on mergers and acquisitions for a broad base of individuals numbering in the hundreds of thousands: Investment bankers involved with mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Equity analysts at hedge funds, risk arbitrage funds, pension funds, and banks, who invest in firms engaged in M&A. Private equity professionals at buyout funds, venture capital funds, and hedge funds, who routinely buy and sell companies. Corporate executives and business development professionals. Institutional loan officers working with M&A and buyout transactions. Business students at colleges and graduate business schools. Investor relations professionals at corporations and public relations firms. Lawyers who work with corporate clients on M&A-related legal, financial, and tax matters. Independent public accounting firms that review M&A accounting. Government regulators Sophisticated individual investors Its comprehensive approach covers each step in the process, from finding an opportunity, to analyzing the potential, to closing the deal, with new coverage of private equity funds and international transactions. This updated second edition also includes information on emerging markets, natural resource valuation, hostile takeovers, special deals, and more, plus new examples and anecdotes taken from more current events. Additional illustrations and charts help readers quickly grasp the complex information, providing a complete reference easily accessible by anyone involved in M&A. The mergers and acquisitions environment has changed in the thirteen years since M&A was initially published, creating a tremendous need for authoritative M&A guidance from a banker's perspective. This M&A update fills that need by providing the characteristic expert guidance in clear, concise language, complete with the most up-to-date information. Discover where M&A fits into different corporate growth strategies, and the unique merits it confers Delineate clear metrics for determining risk, valuation, and optimal size of potential acquisitions Gain deeper insight into the fundamentals of negotiation, due diligence, and structuring Understand the best time to sell, the best way to sell, and the process of the sale itself In the past decade, the dollar value of M&A deals has jumped ten-fold, and the number of individuals involved has expanded considerably. More and more executives, analysts, and bankers need to get up-to-date on the mechanics of M&A, without wading through volume after volume of dense, legalistic jargon. Finally, M&A is back – providing a complete reference to the current state of the M&A environment.

A new, case-oriented and practical guide to one of the core techniques in respiratory medicine and critical care. Concise, practical reference designed for use in the critical care setting Case-oriented content is organised according to commonly encountered clinical scenarios Flow charts and algorithms delineate appropriate treatment protocols

This book is a practical guide to the diagnosis and management of vulval disorders. It offers guidance for all those who are treating patients with vulval disease at trainee and specialist level, helping to improve management for the patient and prevent delays in diagnosis, including referrals to specialists. It contains key information about diagnosis, investigation and basic management, with a section on signs and symptoms guides the reader to the correct chapter for the treatment of that disease. The experienced authors include updated classification and terminology of vulval disease with an explanation of how this should be useful in clinical practice and guidance as to when the patient should be referred on to a specialist. As vulval diseases are different to those of the rest of the skin patients with vulval disease present a large unmet need, often with delays in diagnosis due to a lack of training from physicians. This practical guide provides the specialist knowledge required for diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.

The Practical Guide to Wall Street is an indispensable resource for anyone who aspires to a front-office sales or trading position on Wall Street and an essential desk reference for market practitioners and those who interact with this exciting but widely misunderstood industry. Written by an experienced trader in a clear, conversational style and assuming no previous background in finance, The Practical Guide to Wall Street provides a thorough schooling in the core curriculum of the equity and equity derivatives sales and trading business – exactly what you would learn from sitting beside the traders at a tier-one Wall Street investment bank (except that in practice, traders rarely have time to provide such detailed explanations!) Topics covered include: Clear, detailed and intuitive explanations of all major products, their function, pricing and risks (several of which are unavailable anywhere else despite producing billions of dollars in annual revenue for Wall St.) The layout of the trading floor, the roles and responsibilities of the different sales and trading groups and how they interact to service the client business An overview of the structure of the macro-economy and the trader’s perspective on the significance of economic data releases and their impact on the financial markets A review of those concepts from fundamental valuation and financial statement analysis of greatest relevance on the trading floor (as opposed to abstract valuation models) Practical details of the structure and functioning of the equity and derivative markets including translations of trader jargon, Bloomberg tips, market conventions, liquidity and risk considerations and much more… This book provides the first comprehensive explanation of all aspects of the functioning of the equities division, with information, details and insights previously only available to those who already worked on a trading floor. The availability of this material in a format accessible to non-professionals fundamentally changes the level of industry knowledge employers in the financial services industry can expect of new hires.

A Practical Guide to Needs Assessment, Third Edition For fifteen years, A Practical Guide to Needs Assessment has been the go-to text for those who are seeking useful, systematic approaches to needs assessment. Needs assessment is the first step in training, performance improvement, and community development projects. This thoroughly revised and updated edition contains a treasury of resources including a toolkit of ready-to-use templates and job aids that you can customize for your own use. Illustrative case studies and tips show how to assess needs for individuals, teams, organizations, government agencies, and communities. This book combines a how-to text and reference tool for trainers, performance improvement professionals, and students. Managers and community leaders use it to get to the root of their learning and performance problems, make effective decisions, and obtain support for their most pressing issues. Updates to the third edition include: Links to online resources, including a needs assessment book that you can download for free, ethical guidelines, and vendors who assess individual, group and organizational needs. A new chapter on the complex needs assessment approach with new toolkit forms. A summary of the recent advances in our knowledge about learning, training, and performance that you can use to quickly prepare for client meetings. Guidelines on workforce surveys, such as employee engagement surveys. An Instructor’s Guide that contains discussion questions, assessments materials, and new exercises for each chapter. You can use this book to quickly access up-to-date information on the fundamentals of needs assessment including current models, theories, and resources. You can also learn how to manage and report a needs assessment project and access professional ethical guidelines. Learn five approaches to needs assessment: knowledge and skills analysis, job and task analysis, competency-based needs assessment, strategic needs assessment, and complex needs assessment.

Presenting the first book that provides HR professionals with a context for understanding the importance of doing a proper job analysis together with a step-by-step guide to conducting such an analysis. This unique guide contains a series of eight ready-to-use templates that provide the basis for conducting job analyses for eight different levels of job families, from the entry-level to the senior manager/executive.