market-economics

capital asset pricing model, arbitrage method, etc

This book is the first that I have seen tackling the newer commodity markets of weather, emissions, bandwidth and coal trading. It is easy to read and quite informative. Peter Fusaro has assembled the leading practioners from the global energy trading community to offer their insights into these emerging markets. Moreover, software solutions, European gas trading, electronic energy trading and iondex construction are explained simply and clearly for the laymen. It's a must buy if you want to get up to speed fast in these rapidly changing markets which are now more important than ever due to the Enron financial meltdown.

Although this book was copyrighted in 1977, the text is nearly timeless. Macauley and Yandle site environmental problems of their day, discuss the proffered solutions, why they will or will not work, and what should be done to achieve an environment with the greatest utility. Nearly a quarter century after it was written, someone reading this book today will soon believe nothing has changed.

Weaving history, topical news stories and economic theory together, the professors build a convincing case that our environment is a commodity that can be valued like other goods. They acknowledge the religous ferver that many bring to this debate, but argue that everyone's interests would be best served through objective market processes. Some of the arguments are so novel they'd make James Watt blush, but this is an academic textbook that deserves reading with an open mind. It may not ultimately change many minds, but it does make you think.

A warning: if you are an environmentalist that believes cleaner is better regardless of cost, don't bother with this book. It will send you into a rage after 10 pages. But if you consider yourself a conservationist, this book is invaluable for carefully weighing the benefits of a pristine environment against the costs. "Environmental Use" takes mundane supply and demand arguments and compellingly applies them to the air we breathe and the water we drink.

The book is currently out of print. But anyone serious about finding workable solutions toward a better environment should try to procure a copy.

Dr. Bechtold's text is an excellent starting point for anybody new to software project management, or for current software project managers who know that current methods are lacking. The book uniquely lays out the steps which can assist in the planning process and keep a project on track.

While many elements in the text can be found in other project management texts, Essentials provides a practical roadmap typically lacking in other texts. Further, Dr. Bechtold manages to bring to the fore the critical, soft factors which make or break a project.

I do not believe that there exists a more effective description of the institutional arrangements surrounding the ECB. The Author has managed to describe these arrangements and place them in their historical and political context with much clarity. Nor has he avoided controversy, such as the political autonomy question. However the approach is objective throughout. There has been disappointingly little public debate within Europe on these issues. This book will both stimulate and inform such a debate. This is its lasting contribution.

In his book, Mr. Ira Kawaller covers an amazing range of topics from risk managemant to stock options. I have never read a book so incredibly exciting in all of my life. Mr. Kawaller knows how to display the facts, provide informative facts, and decorate it all with a wit and charm that thrives in his book. "Financial Futures and Options" is THE book for risk management lovers everywhere. This book inspired me to change my career choices. After reading "Futures" (in one sitting!) I knew that prostitution and drug dealing was just not for me. I am now an economist making over $600,000 a year and loving it. Thank you, Mr. Kawaller. You turned my life around. (From what everyone is saying, I believe Mr. Kawaller now runs his own business called Kawaller & Company in Brooklyn, NY. If you ever need help financially, Mr. Kawaller will personally see to it that you get back on track. After all, risk can be managed if it is faced in a disciplined way. Ignore it and you face disaster. E-mail Kawaller and Company at kawaller@idt.net and good luck!)

The book is an interesting compilation of essays on financial innovation and the convergence of markets. It takes the reader through diverse structures and strategies to take advantage of capital and insurance markets, and shows the benefits of globalization and disintermediation. I found it very useful for practitioners in finance and risk management and for academics.

It is a very good book, but might be rather basic for advanced financial people. However, it is very easy to follow, so it might be good.

As a trader and a quant I found this book packed with useful information. This is a must have book for every trader and researcher of tick-by-tick data.

A must buy!!

Espen G. Haug
(The Author of the complete Guide to Option Pricing Formulas)

Financial Markets, Money, And The Real World by Paul Davidson (Editor of the "Journal of Post Keynesian Economics" and Professor Emeritus, University of Tennessee, Knoxville) is an informed and informative study of why the 1990s experienced a series of financial crises with terrible repercussions that reverberated throughout the global market. Focusing on the central role that domestic and international financial markets play in affecting the economic growth rate, and offering prescriptions to improve worldwide economic viability in the 21st century, Financial Markets, Money, And The Real World is a highly practical, forward thinking, and strongly recommended reading for students of Economics in general, and the interactive, interdependent global financial markets in particular.