The politics of business have become the business of politics. Across the world the lesson is clear: just as too much governmental interference leads to dysfunctional economies, left to its own devices the market is incapable of adequate self-regulation. The corporate malfeasance crisis in the United States has transformed global perceptions about the efficacy of regulatory structures in combating corrupt practices in private and public sectors. The design of effective corporate governance structures depends not just on internal factors but also on the inter-relationship between various actors that constitute wider governance: politicians, lobbyists, corporations and regulators. A Corrupted State: Wall Street on Trial breaks new ground by deconstructing the systemic flaws inherent in the model itself. It reveals that the 'rotten apple' theory, positing the problems in corporate America as merely the result of deviancy by an individual or a single firm, is an intellectual deceit not supported by the facts.
In order to operate their lending business profitably, banks must know all the costs involved in granting loans. In particular, all the expenses they incur in covering losses must be included. Provided loan risks can be calculated, it is possible in each case to charge a price that is appropriately adjusted for risk, thus making it possible to make high-risk loans. In «Risk-adjusted Lending Conditions» the author presents a model, to measure and calculate loan risks, showing how it functions and how it may be applied. His approach has its origins in the ideas put forward by Black/Scholes in 1973, and thus owes much to option price theory. From this the author has succeeded in developing a solution such that, whatever a company's debt position and however its balance sheet may be structured, any situation can be individually assessed. Building on this, he demonstrates how combinations of loans with the lowest possible interest costs can be tailor-made for any company. The book contains numerous examples, making it easy for practising bankers to see how the model may be applied
The capitalist model was developed in the 19th century and recent events have shown the difficulties of adapting this to the demands of the 21st century, in which human and social capital are of far greater importance than physical capital. In Going off the Rails, John Plender shows how corporate scandals, inflated boardroom pay, corporate governance disciplines and outmoded accountancy conventions have stretched the Anglo-American model to its limit and what the effects of this might be on globalisation and the capital markets.
Liquidity risk is a topic growing immensely in importance in risk management. It has been much neglected by financial institutions and regulators in recent years and receives, in the course of the sub-prime crisis, sudden and great attention. This book is well-structured and provides a comprehensive and systematic approach to the topic. It will help risk controllers to systematically set up a liquidity risk framework in their bank. —Peter NEU, European Risk Team Leader, The Boston Consulting Group, and co author of Liquidity Risk Measurement and Management «Mr Duttweiler's book is a welcome addition to the literature on liquidity risk measurement and management. In addition to his contributions to liquidity risk theory and liquidity pricing, the author provides a good overview of all of the critical elements.» —Leonard Matz, International Solution Manager, Liquidity Risk and co-author of Liquidity Risk Measurement and Management Liquidity Risk Management has gained importance over recent years and particularly in the last year, as major bank failures have led to a re-evaluation of the significance of liquidity in stressed market conditions. Liquidity risk is closely related to market risk and solvency, suggesting its significance in times of volatile and 'bear' markets, where a single bank's failure can have dramatic effects on market liquidity. The term liquidity is not well-define, and a comprehensive understanding of its common elements is often missing within a banking organisation. In too many cases, liquidity risk management has not been developed with a coherent framework and generally accepted terms and methods, creating weaknesses in its structure and vulnerability to market risk. In this title, Duttweiler advances the study of quantitative liquidity risk management with the concept of the 'Liquidity Balance Sheet', which allocates portfolios into a specific structure, and consequently is able to account for potentially negative surprises so that the necessary buffers can be quantified. The book begins with an overview of liquidity as part of financial policy and highlights the importance of liquidity as part of a general business concept and as protector and supporter of a business as a going concern. The author examines the role o liquidity in helping managers to achieve high-level liquidity aims to support operating units to achieve business goals. He looks at quantitative methods of assessing a banks liquidity levels, including LaR and VaR, to establish an integrated concept in which liquidity is incorporated into the framework of financial policies. He also presents methods, tools, scenarios and concepts to create a policy framework for liquidity and to support contingency planning.
Financial Modelling in Practice: A Concise Guide for Intermediate and Advanced Level is a practical, comprehensive and in-depth guide to financial modelling designed to cover the modelling issues that are relevant to facilitate the construction of robust and readily understandable models. Based on the authors extensive experience of building models in business and finance, and of training others how to do so this book starts with a review of Excel functions that are generally most relevant for building intermediate and advanced level models (such as Lookup functions, database and statistical functions and so on). It then discusses the principles involved in designing, structuring and building relevant, accurate and readily understandable models (including the use of sensitivity analysis techniques) before covering key application areas, such as the modelling of financial statements, of cash flow valuation, risk analysis, options and real options. Finally, the topic of financial modelling using VBA is treated. Practical examples are used throughout and model examples are included in the attached CD-ROM. Aimed at intermediate and advanced level modellers in Excel who wish to extend and consolidate their knowledge, this book is focused, practical, and application-driven, facilitating knowledge to build or audit a much wider range of financial models. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.
The Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) is the biggest change programme Europe’s capital markets have ever attempted. It takes all the protection away from Europe’s Stock Exchanges and forces investment banks, brokers and dealers to guarantee best execution. The organisational, process and technology changes demanded by the MiFID are massive. In order to understand these challenges, industry commentator Chris Skinner has gathered the views of Europe’s leading figures in the MiFID community to discuss its implications. From an introduction from the European Business School and European Commission, through the views of leaders in the key constituencies of MiFID Connect and the MiFID Joint Working Group, through to organisations supporting the markets such as Reuters and SWIFT, this book provides a 360-degree perspective of the world of investing in Europe’s markets after the MiFID implementation. Anyone who has anything to do with dealing, trading and investing in European equities and instruments will find this book an essential guide to the markets now and into the future. With this book as their guide, readers will understand: • The key MiFID business issues • How to implement the directive • How it will affect the markets once it comes into force
The world of banking is changing dramatically as a result of regulation, technology and society. New developments in the past three years include advances in regulatory change, the impact of China and India; from the latest technologies to impact bank services, to the latest experiments with a cashless society. The Future of Banking in a Globalised World provides an entertaining yet informative look at the world of banking and chronicles the radical changes that have occurred in the industry over the past three years. Renowned analyst and international speaker, Chris Skinner assesses the trends that have occurred during the past three years and looks at predictions for the future of banking. Issues discussed include: • The impact of emerging markets such as China and India • Regulatory changes including Europe’s Financial Services Action Plan, MiFID, SEPA, as well as the impact of Basel II and Sarbanes-Oxley • The latest technologies to impact Bank services from algorithmic trading through Web 2.0 • The displacement of Cash and Cards through Contactless, Mobile and Biometric Payments
On the trading floor, all action is based on news, therefore rumors in financial markets are an everyday phenomenon. Rumors are the oldest mass medium in the world and their nature is still difficult to grasp. Scientifically, not much is known about rumors, especially in the financial markets, where their consequences can have real money consequences. Rumors in Financial Markets provides a fresh insight to the topic, combining the theory of Behavioral Finance with that of Experimental Finance–a new and innovative scientific method which observes real decision makers in a controlled, clearly structured environment. Using the results from surveys and experiments, the author argues that rumors in the context of financial markets are built on three cornerstones: Finance, Psychology and Sociology. The book provides insights into how rumors evolve, spread and are traded on and provides explanations as to why volatility rockets, strong price movements, herding behavior for example, occur for apparently no good reason.
In an era of globalisation, syndicated lending and consolidation within the banking industry, virtually all industries will have international dealings, whether directly or indirectly, and will therefore be exposed to consequential risks. An understanding of international risk, from that of bank of country failure to the idiosyncrasies of different regulatory frameworks, is essential for the modern banker. This book gives the reader a thorough understanding of how to calculate, analyse and manage such risks.
Incorporating myth, history and contemporary investigation, Bernstein tells the story of how human beings have become intoxicated, obsessed, enriched, impoverished, humbled and proud for the sake of gold. From the past to the future, Bernstein's portrayal of gold is intimately linked to the character of humankind.