This book provides simple introduction to quantitative finance for students and junior quants who want to approach the typical industry problems with practical but rigorous ambition. It shows a simple link between theoretical technicalities and practical solutions. Mathematical aspects are discussed from a practitioner perspective, with a deep focus on practical implications, favoring the intuition and the imagination. In addition, the new post-crisis paradigms, like multi-curves, x-value adjustments (xVA) and Counterparty Credit Risk are also discussed in a very simple framework. Finally, real world data and numerical simulations are compared in order to provide a reader with a simple and handy insight on the actual model performances.

Using stereoscopic images and other novel pedagogical features, this book offers a comprehensive introduction to quantitative finance.

A balanced introduction to the theoretical foundations and real-world applications of mathematical finance The ever-growing use of derivative products makes it essential for financial industry practitioners to have a solid understanding of derivative pricing. To cope with the growing complexity, narrowing margins, and shortening life-cycle of the individual derivative product, an efficient, yet modular, implementation of the pricing algorithms is necessary. Mathematical Finance is the first book to harmonize the theory, modeling, and implementation of today's most prevalent pricing models under one convenient cover. Building a bridge from academia to practice, this self-contained text applies theoretical concepts to real-world examples and introduces state-of-the-art, object-oriented programming techniques that equip the reader with the conceptual and illustrative tools needed to understand and develop successful derivative pricing models. Utilizing almost twenty years of academic and industry experience, the author discusses the mathematical concepts that are the foundation of commonly used derivative pricing models, and insightful Motivation and Interpretation sections for each concept are presented to further illustrate the relationship between theory and practice. In-depth coverage of the common characteristics found amongst successful pricing models are provided in addition to key techniques and tips for the construction of these models. The opportunity to interactively explore the book's principal ideas and methodologies is made possible via a related Web site that features interactive Java experiments and exercises. While a high standard of mathematical precision is retained, Mathematical Finance emphasizes practical motivations, interpretations, and results and is an excellent textbook for students in mathematical finance, computational finance, and derivative pricing courses at the upper undergraduate or beginning graduate level. It also serves as a valuable reference for professionals in the banking, insurance, and asset management industries.

An introduction to modern finance designed for students with strong quantitative skills.

Presents a multitude of topics relevant to the quantitative finance community by combining the best of the theory with the usefulness of applications Written by accomplished teachers and researchers in the field, this book presents quantitative finance theory through applications to specific practical problems and comes with accompanying coding techniques in R and MATLAB, and some generic pseudo-algorithms to modern finance. It also offers over 300 examples and exercises that are appropriate for the beginning student as well as the practitioner in the field. The Quantitative Finance book is divided into four parts. Part One begins by providing readers with the theoretical backdrop needed from probability and stochastic processes. We also present some useful finance concepts used throughout the book. In part two of the book we present the classical Black-Scholes-Merton model in a uniquely accessible and understandable way. Implied volatility as well as local volatility surfaces are also discussed. Next, solutions to Partial Differential Equations (PDE), wavelets and Fourier transforms are presented. Several methodologies for pricing options namely, tree methods, finite difference method and Monte Carlo simulation methods are also discussed. We conclude this part with a discussion on stochastic differential equations (SDE’s). In the third part of this book, several new and advanced models from current literature such as general Lvy processes, nonlinear PDE's for stochastic volatility models in a transaction fee market, PDE's in a jump-diffusion with stochastic volatility models and factor and copulas models are discussed. In part four of the book, we conclude with a solid presentation of the typical topics in fixed income securities and derivatives. We discuss models for pricing bonds market, marketable securities, credit default swaps (CDS) and securitizations. Classroom-tested over a three-year period with the input of students and experienced practitioners Emphasizes the volatility of financial analyses and interpretations Weaves theory with application throughout the book Utilizes R and MATLAB software programs Presents pseudo-algorithms for readers who do not have access to any particular programming system Supplemented with extensive author-maintained web site that includes helpful teaching hints, data sets, software programs, and additional content Quantitative Finance is an ideal textbook for upper-undergraduate and beginning graduate students in statistics, financial engineering, quantitative finance, and mathematical finance programs. It will also appeal to practitioners in the same fields.

Every finance professional wants and needs a competitive edge. A firm foundation in advanced mathematics can translate into dramatic advantages to professionals willing to obtain it. Many are not—and that is the competitive edge these books offer the astute reader. Published under the collective title of Foundations of Quantitative Finance, this set of ten books develops the advanced topics in mathematics that finance professionals need to advance their careers. These books expand the theory most do not learn in graduate finance programs, or in most financial mathematics undergraduate and graduate courses. As an investment executive and authoritative instructor, Robert R. Reitano presents the mathematical theories he encountered and used in nearly three decades in the financial services industry and two decades in academia where he taught in highly respected graduate programs. Readers should be quantitatively literate and familiar with the developments in the earlier books in the set. While the set offers a continuous progression through these topics, each title can be studied independently. Features Extensively referenced to materials from earlier books Presents the theory needed to support advanced applications Supplements previous training in mathematics, with more detailed developments Built from the author's five decades of experience in industry, research, and teaching Published and forthcoming titles in the Robert R. Reitano Quantitative Finance Series: Book I: Measure Spaces and Measurable Functions Book II: Probability Spaces and Random Variables Book III: The Integrals of Lebesgue and (Riemann-)Stieltjes Book IV: Distribution Functions and Expectations Book V: General Measure and Integration Theory Book VI: Densities, Transformed Distributions, and Limit Theorems Book VII: Brownian Motion and Other Stochastic Processes Book VIII: Itô Integration and Stochastic Calculus 1 Book IX: Stochastic Calculus 2 and Stochastic Differential Equations Book X: Classical Models and Applications in Finance

The quantitative nature of complex financial transactions makes them a fascinating subject area for mathematicians of all types. This book gives an insight into financial engineering while building on introductory probability courses by detailing one of the most fascinating applications of the subject.

Game-theoretic probability and finance come of age Glenn Shafer and Vladimir Vovk’s Probability and Finance, published in 2001, showed that perfect-information games can be used to define mathematical probability. Based on fifteen years of further research, Game-Theoretic Foundations for Probability and Finance presents a mature view of the foundational role game theory can play. Its account of probability theory opens the way to new methods of prediction and testing and makes many statistical methods more transparent and widely usable. Its contributions to finance theory include purely game-theoretic accounts of Ito’s stochastic calculus, the capital asset pricing model, the equity premium, and portfolio theory. Game-Theoretic Foundations for Probability and Finance is a book of research. It is also a teaching resource. Each chapter is supplemented with carefully designed exercises and notes relating the new theory to its historical context. Praise from early readers “Ever since Kolmogorov's Grundbegriffe, the standard mathematical treatment of probability theory has been measure-theoretic. In this ground-breaking work, Shafer and Vovk give a game-theoretic foundation instead. While being just as rigorous, the game-theoretic approach allows for vast and useful generalizations of classical measure-theoretic results, while also giving rise to new, radical ideas for prediction, statistics and mathematical finance without stochastic assumptions. The authors set out their theory in great detail, resulting in what is definitely one of the most important books on the foundations of probability to have appeared in the last few decades.” – Peter Grünwald, CWI and University of Leiden “Shafer and Vovk have thoroughly re-written their 2001 book on the game-theoretic foundations for probability and for finance. They have included an account of the tremendous growth that has occurred since, in the game-theoretic and pathwise approaches to stochastic analysis and in their applications to continuous-time finance. This new book will undoubtedly spur a better understanding of the foundations of these very important fields, and we should all be grateful to its authors.” – Ioannis Karatzas, Columbia University

Quantitative Finance: An Object-Oriented Approach in C++ provides readers with a foundation in the key methods and models of quantitative finance. Keeping the material as self-contained as possible, the author introduces computational finance with a focus on practical implementation in C++. Through an approach based on C++ classes and templates, the text highlights the basic principles common to various methods and models while the algorithmic implementation guides readers to a more thorough, hands-on understanding. By moving beyond a purely theoretical treatment to the actual implementation of the models using C++, readers greatly enhance their career opportunities in the field. The book also helps readers implement models in a trading or research environment. It presents recipes and extensible code building blocks for some of the most widespread methods in risk management and option pricing. Web Resource The author’s website provides fully functional C++ code, including additional C++ source files and examples. Although the code is used to illustrate concepts (not as a finished software product), it nevertheless compiles, runs, and deals with full, rather than toy, problems. The website also includes a suite of practical exercises for each chapter covering a range of difficulty levels and problem complexity.

This work, now in a thoroughly revised second edition, presents the economic foundations of financial markets theory from a mathematically rigorous standpoint and offers a self-contained critical discussion based on empirical results. It is the only textbook on the subject to include more than two hundred exercises, with detailed solutions to selected exercises. Financial Markets Theory covers classical asset pricing theory in great detail, including utility theory, equilibrium theory, portfolio selection, mean-variance portfolio theory, CAPM, CCAPM, APT, and the Modigliani-Miller theorem. Starting from an analysis of the empirical evidence on the theory, the authors provide a discussion of the relevant literature, pointing out the main advances in classical asset pricing theory and the new approaches designed to address asset pricing puzzles and open problems (e.g., behavioral finance). Later chapters in the book contain more advanced material, including on the role of information in financial markets, non-classical preferences, noise traders and market microstructure. This textbook is aimed at graduate students in mathematical finance and financial economics, but also serves as a useful reference for practitioners working in insurance, banking, investment funds and financial consultancy. Introducing necessary tools from microeconomic theory, this book is highly accessible and completely self-contained. Advance praise for the second edition: "Financial Markets Theory is comprehensive, rigorous, and yet highly accessible. With their second edition, Barucci and Fontana have set an even higher standard!"Darrell Duffie, Dean Witter Distinguished Professor of Finance, Graduate School of Business, Stanford University "This comprehensive book is a great self-contained source for studying most major theoretical aspects of financial economics. What makes the book particularly useful is that it provides a lot of intuition, detailed discussions of empirical implications, a very thorough survey of the related literature, and many completely solved exercises. The second edition covers more ground and provides many more proofs, and it will be a handy addition to the library of every student or researcher in the field."Jaksa Cvitanic, Richard N. Merkin Professor of Mathematical Finance, Caltech "The second edition of Financial Markets Theory by Barucci and Fontana is a superb achievement that knits together all aspects of modern finance theory, including financial markets microstructure, in a consistent and self-contained framework. Many exercises, together with their detailed solutions, make this book indispensable for serious students in finance."Michel Crouhy, Head of Research and Development, NATIXIS