market-economics

This book is the best guide to FX markets and the corresponding instruments. The book structure and contents are extremely well planned and written to provide not only a beginner with first hand knowledge, but can be a good refresher for others.

This book is a definitive masterpiece.

Sellers and buyers on the Internet today have rarely ventured beyond the boundaries of print and broadcast metaphors in the Internet medium. While Internet uptake is dramatic, the business revolution has hardly begun. The real power of this new medium lies in its ability to allow the buyer and the seller to connect, communicate and negotiate in a faster, more efficient way. The dramatic rise and fall of "dot-com" companies was very much rooted in over extending the wrong metaphor, and that misconception largely continues.

In Net Benefits, Wingham Rowan has dared to think beyond the traditional broadcast metaphor and consider how marketplaces that exploit this new medium might operate. In their most highly developed state electronic marketplaces would act like the automated exchange behind international currency trading, or the automated exchange recently introduced to the Pacific Stock Exchange. These systems efficiently and impartially match buyers and sellers, and price becomes a function of current supply and demand. The revolution comes in their potential to replace the current marketing techniques designed to exploit the fragmented and inefficient matching of buyers and sellers inherent in paper and broadcast media.

This book forces us to question the attention paid to the recent dot-com model, the new Internet superstores, portals and the struggle for megamarkets. It suggests that perhaps these are just comfortable diversions along the way to the real revolution. Just as the Industrial Revolution grew out of the cottage industries so the new Interactive Revolution will grow from the seeds of atomized capitalism. The use of the web by small and local businesses for local and regional commerce will quietly undercut the current order of mega-merchants.

While the book considers detailed scenarios of how this revolution might impact a number of service areas, it stops short of perhaps the most profound impact, our concepts and opportunities for corporate ownership and investment in this new world. If you buy Rowan's view of the future, one wonders what will happen to a world of personal investment that relies on ever higher profits and stock values of large and growing corporations. Individual and small scale operations do not require the capital ownership or offer the individual growth potential of today's corporations. The stock portfolios of today may begin to look like the castles and estates during the last economic revolution as their ongoing value slips below their cost of maintenance. The dislocation would be as severe as the Industrial Revolution.

Whether the revolution takes the form of guaranteed electronic markets as Rowan envisions, or follows some other variant, is immaterial. The real electronic commerce revolution will be much more subtle in its approach and more devastating in its impact than anything we have seen so far. Net Benefits, at the very least, starts us thinking outside the traditional metaphors.

This is one hell of a vision. I read Small is Beautiful which was a great idea but not really workable in advanced countries. This guy seems to have worked out how to make "atomised capitalism" more efficient than what we think is going to happen with e-commerce. I can't stop thinking about it.

Wanting to diversify my portfolio I figured I needed this book. Oh, how right I was. This book gives the reader a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of precious metals which in itself would be well worth the price paid but it also provides great psychological insights into why precious metals gain and loss their luster during times of tumultuous markets. The author has an easy to understand and witty style that makes it a pleasant research vehicle. Good luck to all, Todd

THE NEW PRECIOUS METALS MARKET provides the most comprehensive and up to date analysis of precious metals currently available. This is a no-nonsense and objective review of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium as investments, trading vehicles, inflation hedges, and plain old commodities. Philip Gotthelf does not provide the typical sugar coated view that "nothing is as good as gold." Instead, he details realities facing precious metals which include digital photography's impact upon silver, new gold extraction technology, technical cycles, and even stock investing.

This book avoids complexity and gets down to business. Why should you consider precious metals in your portfolio? The answer in the book is a surprise to many. Philip Gotthelf does not take the traditional line that these metals are good investments. Instead, he gives pragmatic reasons why investors should avoid accumulating hard inventories in the "new economic environment." He covers metals as monetary instruments. He touches upon scandals like Bre-X and how investors can avoid getting caught.

The book is full of charts and illustrations that are clear and easy to understand. In a time when economic uncertainty is at a peak, this book is essential for anyone considering gold, silver or the other metals as investments.

The author of this book did his research well. This book is
not a get rich quick scheme concerning gold, but more like a modern history of gold. It explains where Au comes from, how it's sold, who buys/controls it, why, etc.,etc. Interesting.

To someone who is not aware of how gold comes out to final consumers or the industry, this book will illustrate, in a very interesting and easy-to-read pages, all the non seen facets of the most searched metal on earth. When you get jewellery made out of gold ,you would never guess that recovery plants must move over one ton of rock and material to bring up just a few grams of the precious metal... I strongly recommend this book to people of the jewellery trade and to those who are interested to know more about the strategic world of gold.

MIGUEL GÓMEZ-MOLINA graduate gemologist (G.I.A.)U.S.A.-(I.G.E.)SPAIN-GERMAN GEMOLOGICAL INSTITUTE. Watch and Jewellery counsellor by C.F.H.Instute Laussanne (Switzerland) Member of the spanish board of the A.I.H.H.(Switzerland)

The clarity of the studies and writing used to explain Asia's consumer markets pre and post-meltdown, makes this book a really easy,and enjoyable read. I would recommend it to anybody who, like me, is trying to sell into the vast Asian market and needs some guidelines on the current consumer trends. I am most impressed with the authors' style as well as the thoroughly accessible lay-out and chapters headings that enable the reader to dip in and out at random. I have used this book as a resource for a number of trips and presentations that I have given in the past few months. Better than most.

I'm a frequent traveller to Hong Kong and the surrounding area, and the authors have really hit on something. South -east Asia is still in recession, but it's not a recession as we know it. It's merely slowed-down to a less frenetic pace.

My last visit to the area was in late December when I visited Hong Kong and Macau. I found this book really reflected what was going on after the 'meltdown', and is packed full of really invaluable info.

Most textbooks on financial modeling are devoted to describing specific models, such as those for stocks, bonds, or options, or to their specific applications such as arbitrage trading and portfolio management. Few books describe the financial principles behind the models and tie the models to business solutions.

The Oxford Guide to Financial Modeling by Thomas S.Y. Ho and Sang Bin Lee (yes, the authors of the Ho-Lee model, the first arbitrage-free interest rate model) successfully ties the thought processes and applications of the financial models together and describes them as one process which provides business solutions. The authors very ably explain all the models used in finance, take the financial theory and modeling to the next level and develop a business model framework that integrate the fields of corporate finance, fixed income, derivatives, and Asset & Liability management.

Each chapter begins by introducing a practical problem. The financial models that provide solutions to the problem are then described. The chapter concludes with how the models can be applied. Because of the nature of the material on financial models, the book presents many results as mathematical formulations, yet the text is very enjoyable as the more rigorous mathematical derivations are deferred to the appendices and to the epilogue.

What really makes The Oxford Guide to Financial Modeling a brilliant educational project and just not another excellent textbook is the companion web site that serves as an interactive workbook designed specifically for the book. The site is designed to further enhance understanding of the use and applications of the models referred to in the book and it is accessible free of charge.

This book can very well open the next page of the financial engineering revolution. In additional to all the information provided by Hall's book, this book systematically discusses financial modeling procedures for existing financial instruments, and develops a framework to extend current research to accommodate future scenarios. I think the most impressive part of the book is the discussion about how equities (like SUBX and JDSU) can be valued as embedded bond options given their debt structures and earning powers. The industry-standard literatures use much more crude and subjective methodologies such as WAC and discounted cashflow.

The authors of this book are also the creator of Ho-Lee model. Therefore it is not surprising to find extremely detailed explanations on virtually all the interest rate and bond models. If your career aspirations is to become a bond trader or a quant in general, this book is a must read!

I got this book about a week ago. What a treat! This book gives comprehensive and in-depth descriptions on a variety of most popular topics: financial modeling, valuing different financial instruments, US and international financial market structures, trading strategies, and many more. I think due to authors' math background, sophiscated math finance students like me find this book even more intriguing -- we can actually see how mathematic theories are applied in the market to price different exotic instruments. Yet this book is also written simple enough so MBA students (or even advanced college students) can gain comprehensive knowledge of how financial market really works.

Also, don't forget to check out this book's website. It contains all the models discussed in the book. Everything is already coded in excel and vb, and ready to use. Best of all, it is FREE!

Many people have written that they like Tom Peters, but do not think that he has much to say that is new or different. Others criticize Peters for being changeable in his views. What these people miss is that Tom Peters is passionate about using passion for customers, employees, and everyone else to create great results for all of us. By awakening our passion, we will do more, we will try more, and we will succeed more often. In many ways, this book is much more important than IN SEARCH OF EXCELLENCE. A PASSION FOR EXCELLENCE clearly shows that passionate leadership about the right things sets a good example and the right tone for the organization. This book is helpful in that each section is meant to be read as a stand-alone, so you can go to the places that you did not feel very passionate about when you read IN SEARCH OF EXCELLENCE and get some good reinforcement about the value of passion in that area. A good companion piece if you need more passion and self-direction is Tony Robbins' AWAKEN THE GIANT WITHIN.

One of the best practical business texts around. Tom Peters is easily one of the most charismatic of the business preachers today, and the book fits right in line with his style

Wonderfully specific for every level of employee within a company. Definitely a great handbook of 'expectations' to share with staff and family/friends. Bilingual English/Spanish make it perfect for the Latin American or multi national companies of small side looking for a training outline.

This book is a wonderful translation of the classic "Think and Grow Rich." It gives the Hispanic reader the opportunity to learn and use the philosophy that made Andrew Carnegie the richest man in the world.

Learning from Professor Mark Perlman was one of the best things happened to me when I was still a student. Since Professor Perlman had stopped lecturing on this topic ( in fact I was among those who attended his last series of lectures ), this book, along with an earlier publication in 1998, serves as an alternative to his interesting and thought provoking lectures filled with first-hand information about economics and economists. The course was an eye-opener for me and I highly recommend this book which covers the materials Professor Perlman put together for us.

Anyone who took Dr. Mark Perlman's courses on the history of economic thoughts will admires why he knows so much about the development of economics. His lecture notes are just like pieces of maps that lead his students into the Treasure Island of Knowledge. I am very happy to know that Mark and Dr. McCann have published their books. I would like to share my experiences with everyone who read the books.

As an environmental history, this book rates five stars because the author so skillfully and comprehensively weaves together the many different threads that form the actual experience of environmental protection. At the most basic level, the book is a history of pollution in Philadelphia, a surprisingly good choice since it was an important colonial city, a major manufacturing center during the industrial revolution, and a typical troubled post-industrial metropolis of the 20th century. At the same time the book is a history of environmental management and ecomomics. And it discusses the trajectories of pollution-control technologies and the politics of pollution as well. Able to quote authoritatively from environmental regulations and quantitative risk assessments in one chapter, and from philosophers like Isiah Berlin and Lewis Mumford in others, the author provides readers with as detailed, comprehensive, and engaging a story as one can find in the literature on environmental history.

Dr. Raufer introduces the reader to the multifaceted environmental history of one of America's most unique urban environments. From the early privies to modern waste facilities, Raufer chronicles the city's solutions to problems and the problems that resulted. Following the history is an in-depth and informative section on current environmental regulations and how they came about. I highly recommend this for anybody interested in environmental issues or even Philadelphia history. I actually found the book hard to put down at times.