This is the first systematic source which tries to explain how and why the 233-year old and the World's oldest merchant bank went into bankruptcy in a few days. It includes three parts with 10 chapters. Part I first describes what happened, then traces back the birth and historical glory of the Barings bank and family, and finally describes how it was sold to the Internationale Nederlanden Groep (ING). As many terms of financial derivatives are used in the first part, we try to provide an easy and systematic way to clarify the related financial derivatives products in Part II. This part first gives a general discussion of financial derivatives and a brief review of the historical development, growth, and magnitude of the financial derivatives markets. It then concentrates on futures and options in two chapters. Finally, we explain the hedging and speculating functions of financial derivatives and how they can be used in combination to achieve particular objectives. Part III provides necessary information on the Japanese financial markets and then analyzes how a single trader could have so much power as to bring about Barings fall. Finally, we try to provide the lessons from this event.

This book analyzes in depth all major derivatives debacles of the last half century including the multi-billion losses and/or bankruptcy of Metallgesellschaft (1994), Barings Bank (1995), Long Term Capital Management (1998), Amaranth (2006), Société Générale (2008) and AIG (2008). It unlocks the secrets of derivatives by telling the stories of institutions which played in the derivative market and lost big. For some of these unfortunate organizations it was daring but flawed financial engineering which brought them havoc. For others it was unbridled speculation perpetrated by rogue traders whose unchecked fraud brought their house down.Should derivatives be feared “as financial weapons of mass destruction” or hailed as financial innovations which through efficient risk transfer are truly adding to the Wealth of Nations? By presenting a factual analysis of how the malpractice of derivatives played havoc with derivative end-user and dealer institutions, a case is made for vigilance not only to market and counter-party risk but also operational risk in their use for risk management and proprietary trading. Clear and recurring lessons across the different stories call not only for a tighter but also “smarter” control system of derivatives trading and should be of immediate interest to financial managers, bankers, traders, auditors and regulators who are directly or indirectly exposed to financial derivatives.The book groups cases by derivative category, starting with the simplest and building up to the most complex — namely, Forwards, Futures, Options and Swaps in that order, with applications in commodities, foreign exchange, stock indices and interest rates. Each chapter deals with one derivative debacle, providing a rigorous and comprehensive but non-technical elucidation of what happened.The book is translated and available in French, Russian, Simplified Chinese and Korean.

This is the first systematic source which tries to explain how and why the 233-year old and the World's oldest merchant bank went into bankruptcy in a few days. It includes three parts with 10 chapters. Part I first describes what happened, then traces back the birth and historical glory of the Barings bank and family, and finally describes how it was sold to the Internationale Nederlanden Groep (ING). As many terms of financial derivatives are used in the first part, we try to provide an easy and systematic way to clarify the related financial derivatives products in Part II. This part first gives a general discussion of financial derivatives and a brief review of the historical development, growth, and magnitude of the financial derivatives markets. It then concentrates on futures and options in two chapters. Finally, we explain the hedging and speculating functions of financial derivatives and how they can be used in combination to achieve particular objectives. Part III provides necessary information on the Japanese financial markets and then analyzes how a single trader could have so much power as to bring about Barings fall. Finally, we try to provide the lessons from this event.

"A brilliantly conceived and lucidly written exposition of the most important topic on the frontier of modern finance. This book takes the mystery out of derivatives. Bravo!"—John H. Langbein, Professor, Yale Law School "Derivatives for Decision Makers is a first in explaining derivatives to those who need to understand them. It explains what derivatives are, how they can be used as risk management tools, and what managers and decision makers need to know about the subject. Not only is the technical substance superb, but the form is accessible to all decision makers."—Afsaneh Mashayekhi Beschloss, Director, The World Bank Group "Derivatives for Decision Makers is an excellent resource for both users and providers of derivative products, regardless of the reader's level of sophistication. The recent highly publicized derivatives problems are objectively reviewed by the authors who contribute important and sensible recommendations to avoid similar situations in the future."—Dipak K. Rastogi, Executive Vice President and former Head of Global Derivatives, Citibank, N. A. "Derivatives can play a critical role in achieving corporate financing and investment strategies. Whether you are a novice or a seasoned practitioner, Crawford and Sen present a superb roadmap with well-chosen, real-world illustrations. Their vivid insights make this book a 'must-read' for corporate and pension fund managers."—Sandra S. Wijnberg, Vice President & Assistant Treasurer, PepsiCo, Inc. "Crawford and Sen have done a fine job of making derivatives comprehensible for managers who need to understand the basic features and uses of these instruments. This coverage, together with the book's unique emphasis on senior management's fiduciary obligations to the firm's shareholders, sets this book apart from other attempts to make derivatives accessible to senior management. This book is an important read."—John F. Marshall, Executive Director, International Association of Financial Engineers and Professor of Financial Engineering, Polytechnic University Derivatives are the power tools that enable users to analyze components of risk and return inherent in an investment or a business. The popularity of derivative use in the marketplace has surged in recent years, spurring financial innovation and better risk management. Yet this popular instrument is double-edged: derivatives are as risky as they are beneficial. In light of recent, highly publicized disasters—the Orange County bankruptcy and the Barings fiasco—it is imperative that business and finance professionals have a current and basic knowledge of this complicated and venturesome field. If you are a shareholder, director, or other decision maker in a company utilizing derivatives, it is important that you know how to maximize the benefits of derivatives and minimize the damage that they can cause. Now, two leading financial experts provide the solid principles you need to understand and properly use derivative products and structured financing. Starting upwards from the ground floor, this straightforward, no-nonsense resource is replete with tables, graphs, and common examples and common sense, offering invaluable information on: The three major types of derivatives-options, futures, and swaps Leverage—what it is, why it is so important, how it is used to increase returns, and how it multiplies risk Hedging a stock portfolio and hedging industry risk with synthetic futures Business risks—core and secondary risks; which business risks to hedge with derivatives Investment strategies using derivatives Derivative risks—market, credit, legal, and systemic Fiduciary duties—the duties of loyalty and care, exceptions, the prudent investor rule, business judgment, rule and disclosure requirements Delegating management functions—selecting, instructing, and monitoring experts Whether you're a manager, director, attorney, accountant, corporate executive, or corporate shareholder, this comprehensive book will prove to be an invaluable guide on utilizing and handling derivatives wisely, resourcefully, and successfully.

Since late 2002 there have been many disputes and discussions around the world on whether or not the Chinese yuan (CNY), or renminbi (RMB), should be revalued. Based on various arguments and discussions, the CNY has been expected to be revalued worldwide, as evidenced by the significant premiums for the CNY non-deliverable forwards in the offshore marketplace. With the CNY revaluation perspectives, hundreds of billions of US dollars have been invested in various types of CNY-related derivatives products. The purpose of this book is not to tell the reader whether the RMB should be revalued, or by how much it should be revalued, as these questions are the work of economists. Instead, as a derivatives specialist with more than te years' experience in the international financial market and with working experience in China in the past few years, the author presents trading of CNY-related derivatives products in the offshore marketplace. The book is organized into five parts. The first part familiarizes readers with the Chinese economy in transition and the Chinese financial market, so that they can make their own judgment as to whether or not the CNY should be revalued. Part II presents major foreign exchange derivatives trading in organized exchanges and the over-the-counter marketplace around the world. Part III reviews what foreign exchange products were involved both before and during the Asian financial crisis, because many of them were used to speculate or hedge against devaluations of the Asian currencies. Part IV studies various CNY-related derivatives products and embedded derivatives products. Finally, Part V examines the possible impacts of these derivatives products on the CNYexchange rate, based on the experiences of other currencies such as the Korean won and the New Taiwan dollar.

Should we fear financial derivatives, or embrace them? Finance experts Simon Grima and Eleftherios I. Thalassinos explore what financial derivatives are, and whether the investment world should consider them useful tools, or a complete waste of time and money.

The third edition updates the text in two significant ways. First, it updates the presentation to reflect changes that have occurred in financial markets since the publication of the 2nd edition. One such change is with respect to the over-the-counter interest rate derivatives markets and the abolishment of LIBOR as a reference rate. Second, it updates the theory to reflect new research related to asset price bubbles and the valuation of options. Asset price bubbles are a reality in financial markets and their impact on derivative pricing is essential to understand. This is the only introductory textbook that contains these insights on asset price bubbles and options.

As strategic business models are important to understand the transformative operations of an enterprise system, for present and future competitiveness, Betz's exploration into both manufacturing and financial firms, along with retailing firms and conglomerates, broadens the business literature.

The Derivatives Sourcebook is a citation study and classification system that organizes the many strands of the derivatives literature and assigns each citation to a category. Over 1800 research articles are collected and organized into a simple web-based searchable database. We have also included the 1997 Nobel lectures of Robert Merton and Myron Scholes as a backdrop to this literature.

This work charts the development of Baring's Securities: its employment policies, work ethics, and the professional environment created by Christopher Heath. It describes the climate of greed which fostered the rise of Nick Leeson, the political struggles within the company which accomodated his rise to power, and the circumstances which allowed his fraudulent activities to go unchecked for over two years, culminating in the dramatic collapse of the Queen's bankers.