In 1943, Lebanon gained its formal political independence from France; only after two more decades did the country finally establish a national central bank. Inaugurated on April 1, 1964, the Banque du Liban (BDL) was billed by Lebanese authorities as the nation's primary symbol of economic sovereignty and as the last step towards full independence. In the local press, it was described as a means of projecting state power and enhancing national pride. Yet the history of its founding—stretching from its Ottoman origins in mid-nineteenth century up until the mid-twentieth—tells a different, more complex story. Banking on the State reveals how the financial foundations of Lebanon were shaped by the history of the standardization of economic practices and financial regimes within the decolonizing world. The system of central banking that emerged was the product of a complex interaction of war, economic policies, international financial regimes, post-colonial state-building, global currents of technocratic knowledge, and private business interests. It served rather than challenged the interests of an oligarchy of local bankers. As Hicham Safieddine shows, the set of arrangements that governed the central bank thus was dictated by dynamics of political power and financial profit more than market forces, national interest or economic sovereignty.

Based on formal derivations of financial theory, this volume provides a rigorous exploration of individual's consumption and portfolio decisions under uncertainty. Features in-depth coverage of such topics as: concepts of risk aversion and stochastic dominance; mathematical properties of a portfolio frontier; distributional conditions for mutual fund separation; capital asset pricing models and arbitrage pricing models; general pricing rules for securities that pay off in more than one state of nature; the pricing of options; rational expectation models of risky asset prices; signaling models; how multiperiod dynamic economies can be modeled; a multiperiod economy with emphasis on valuation by arbitrage; econometric issues associated with testing capital asset pricing models.

Foundations of Real Estate Financial Modelling is specifically designed to provide an overview of pro forma modelling for real estate projects. The book introduces students and professionals to the basics of real estate finance theory before providing a step-by-step guide for financial model construction using Excel. The idea that real estate is an asset with unique characteristics which can be transformed, both physically and financially, forms the basis of discussion. Individual chapters are separated by functional unit and build upon themselves to include information on: Amortization Single-Family Unit Multi-Family Unit Development/Construction Addition(s) Waterfall (Equity Bifurcation) Accounting Statements Additional Asset Classes Further chapters are dedicated to risk quantification and include scenario, stochastic and Monte Carlo simulations, waterfalls and securitized products. This book is the ideal companion to core real estate finance textbooks and will boost students Excel modelling skills before they enter the workplace. The book provides individuals with a step-by-step instruction on how to construct a real estate financial model that is both scalable and modular. A companion website provides the pro forma models to give readers a basic financial model for each asset class as well as methods to quantify performance and understand how and why each model is constructed and the best practices for repositioning these assets.

Graduate from Excel to MATLAB® to keep up with the evolution of finance data Foundations of Computational Finance with MATLAB® is an introductory text for both finance professionals looking to branch out from the spreadsheet, and for programmers who wish to learn more about finance. As financial data grows in volume and complexity, its very nature has changed to the extent that traditional financial calculators and spreadsheet programs are simply no longer enough. Today’s analysts need more powerful data solutions with more customization and visualization capabilities, and MATLAB provides all of this and more in an easy-to-learn skillset. This book walks you through the basics, and then shows you how to stretch your new skills to create customized solutions. Part I demonstrates MATLAB’s capabilities as they apply to traditional finance concepts, and PART II shows you how to create interactive and reusable code, link with external data sources, communicate graphically, and more. Master MATLAB’s basic operations including matrices, arrays, and flexible data structures Learn how to build your own customized solutions when the built-ins just won’t do Learn how to handle financial data and industry-specific variables including risk and uncertainty Adopt more accurate modeling practices for portfolios, options, time series, and more MATLAB is an integrated development environment that includes everything you need in one well-designed user interface. Available Toolboxes provide tested algorithms that save you hours of code, and the skills you learn using MATLAB make it easier to learn additional languages if you choose to do so. Financial firms are catching up to universities in MATLAB usage, so this is skill set that will follow you throughout your career. When you’re ready to step into the new age of finance, Foundations of Computational Finance with MATLAB provides the expert instruction you need to get started quickly.

This book provides readers with essential concepts from financial economics for an integrated study of the financial system and the real economy. It discusses how long-term market prices are determined and affected by population growth, technological progress and non-renewable resources. The meaning of market prices is examined from the perspective of households and from the perspective of firms. The book therefore connects different fields of finance, which usually focus only on either the households’ side or the firms’ side.

Experts report on the latest research on extending access to financial services to the 2.5 billion adults around the world who lack it. About 2.5 billion adults, just over half the world's adult population, lack bank accounts. If we are to realize the goal of extending banking and other financial services to this vast “unbanked” population, we need to consider not only such product innovations as microfinance and mobile banking but also issues of data accuracy, impact assessment, risk mitigation, technology adaptation, financial literacy, and local context. In Banking the World, experts take up these topics, reporting on new research that will guide both policy makers and scholars in a broader push to extend financial markets. The contributors consider such topics as the complexity of surveying people about their use of financial services; evidence of the impact of financial services on income; the occasional negative effects of financial services on poor households, including disincentives to work and overindebtedness; and tools for improving access such as nontraditional credit scores, financial incentives for banking, and identification technologies that can dramatically reduce loan default rates.

Gain a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding financial risk and regulation Foundations of Financial Risk details the various risks, regulations, and supervisory requirements institutions face in today's economic and regulatory environment. Written by the experts at the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP), this book represents an update to GARP's original publication, Foundations of Banking Risk. You'll learn the terminology and basic concepts surrounding global financial risk and regulation, and develop an understanding of the methods used to measure and manage market, credit, and operational risk. Coverage includes traded market risk and regulation, treasury risk and regulation, and much more, including brand new coverage of risk management for insurance companies. Clear explanations, focused discussion, and comprehensive relevancy make this book an ideal resource for an introduction to risk management. The textbook provides an understanding of risk management methodologies, governance structures for risk management in financial institutions and the regulatory requirements dictated by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. It provides thorough coverage of the issues surrounding financial risk, giving you a solid knowledgebase and a practical, applicable understanding. Understand risk measurement and management Learn how minimum capital requirements are regulated Explore all aspects of financial institution regulation and disclosure Master the terminology of global risk and regulation Financial institutions and supervisors around the world are increasingly recognizing how vital sound risk management practices are to both individual firms and the capital markets system as a whole. Savvy professionals recognize the need for authoritative and comprehensive training, and Foundations of Financial Risk delivers with expert-led education for those new to risk management.