The economics background investors need to interpret global economic news distilled to the essential elements: A tool of choice for investment decision-makers. Written by a distinguished academics and practitioners selected and guided by CFA Institute, the world’s largest association of finance professionals, Economics for Investment Decision Makers is unique in presenting microeconomics and macroeconomics with relevance to investors and investment analysts constantly in mind. The selection of fundamental topics is comprehensive, while coverage of topics such as international trade, foreign exchange markets, and currency exchange rate forecasting reflects global perspectives of pressing investor importance. Concise, plain-English introduction useful to investors and investment analysts Relevant to security analysis, industry analysis, country analysis, portfolio management, and capital market strategy Understand economic news and what it means All concepts defined and simply explained, no prior background in economics assumed Abundant examples and illustrations Global markets perspective
This book examines the relation between the economy and the stock market. It discusses the academic theories and the empirical facts, and guides readers through the fascinating interaction between economic activity and financial markets.
“Successful investors are those who can pick the right investments for different economic conditions. It's like matching wine with food. In this book, Victor Canto is both your star chef and sommelier. Don't be afraid to put Cocktail Economics to work today. You'll find that two-star investing has become a four-star endeavor.” –Charlie Parker, financial maven and former Chief Financial Officer of Continental Insurance “Victor Canto's insight and uber-rational approach will forever change the way you look at risk and return. Perhaps equally important, he'll make you a better economic and political thinker. No one has a greater understanding of how marginal changes in world economics and politics impact portfolio holdings.” –Neil Rose, CFA, CIO Cadinha & Co. “I count Victor Canto among today's best and smartest investment advisors. He has made money in both the good times and bad for many a satisfied client. With this book, he has now done all investors, including myself, an important service: He has written a widely accessible book about the marriage of economics and investing, and the crucial ties that bind the two. It's the story of how big ideas make the investment world go round.” –From the Foreword by Dr. John Rutledge, Chairman, Rutledge Capital, LLC What can moonshine, mountain climbers, power plants, salmon, football players, and well-known celebrities teach you about investing? More than you ever imagined! Through entertaining, easy-to-understand anecdotes, analogies, and examples, Canto reveals why the most successful investment strategies reflect a balance of active and passive approaches. You'll learn how to “read” economic cycles, identifying the specific asset classes most likely to outperform in tomorrow's business environment. Construct and optimize your winning investment plan, step-by-step, from start to finish! MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES The case for predicting, forecasting, and timing PASSIVE INVESTING? ACTIVE INVESTING? NO. BOTH. Why you need to take both sides in the never-ending debate ELASTICITY: CATCH IT IF YOU CAN Putting industry behavior to work for you CALIFORNIA , FRANCE, AND THE “LOCATION EFFECT” Investing internationally in the age of globalization TURN “SMOKE” INTO “SIGNALS” Making the most of publicly available price data YOUR PORTFOLIO VS. THE GOVERNMENT Anticipating and responding to regulations and taxation TILT TOWARD SUCCESS, ONE STEP AT A TIME Build your benchmark portfolio, then optimize it for changing environments Victor Canto reveals exactly how the economy affects markets and how to “read” business cycles so you can profit from every shift in the business cycle. Among the topics covered: investing internationally in the age of globalization; transforming price data into usable market “signals”; anticipating the impact of regulations and taxation; and more. From start to finish, Canto's focus is practical, and his focus is simple: outstanding investment results. Foreword xii Preface xvii Introduction: The Above-Average Opportunity xxi Chapter 1: The Buy-and-Hold Connection: Investing Fundamentals, Courtesy of the American Homeowner, the American Dream–or Reality? 1 Chapter 2: Leaping the Transaction-Cost Hurdle: Sometimes It's Easy, Other Times It's Not 19 Chapter 3: Dressing Appropriately for the Stock Market: The Potential Payoffs of a Switching Strategy 31 Chapter 4: Catch Elasticity If You Can: An Introduction to Industry Behavior 47 Chapter 5: Putting High-Beta to Work: Industry-Based Portfolio Strategies 67 Chapter 6: California Is a Country: An Introduction to the Location Effect 83 Chapter 7: &And France Is a State: How to Invest Internationally in the Age of Globalization 99 Chapter 8: Pipelines to Our Investment Returns: How We Get What We Want, in the Amount We Want, and When We Want It 113 Chapter 9: Who Are You? Investor Profiles and the Case for Asset Allocation 131 Chapter 10: Your Benchmark Portfolio. . .and Beyond 145 Chapter 11: Turning Smoke into Signals: How to Make the Most Out of Price Data 157 Chapter 12: Making Hay While the Sun Shines: The Case for Predicting, Forecasting, and Timing 173 Chapter 13: The Fight Is On: How to Invest Properly Relative to Regulations, Inflation, and Taxation 195 Chapter 14: Ending the Never-Ending Debate: Active vs. Passive Investing and Why You Can Take Both Sides 217 Chapter 15: A Rational Walk Down Wall Street: Darting Between Passive and Active When the Odds Are in Your Favor 233 Chapter 16: Alpha Bets: The Case for Hedge Funds and a Greek Letter You'll Want in Your Portfolio 247 Chapter 17: Tilting Toward Success: A Step-by-Step Guide to Above-Average Asset Allocation 265 Index 291
"Nobel Prize-winning financial economist William Sharpe shows that investment professionals cannot make good portfolio choices unless they understand the determinants of asset prices." -- Provided by publisher.
The absolute and relative performance of various asset classes is systematically related to macroeconomic trends. In this new book, Robert McGee provides a thorough guide to each stage of the business cycle and analyzes the investment implications using real-world examples linking economic dynamics to investment results.
Investing—the commitment of resources to achieve a return—affects individuals, families, companies, and nations, and has done so throughout history. Yet until the sixteenth century, investing was a privilege of only the elite classes. The story behind the democratization of investing is bound up with some of history's most epic events. It is also a tale rich with lessons for professional and everyday investors who hope to make wiser choices. This entertaining history doubles as a sophisticated account of the opportunities and challenges facing the modern investor. It follows the rise of funded retirement; the evolution of investment vehicles and techniques; investment misdeeds and regulatory reform; government economic policy; the development of investment theory; and the emergence of new investment structures. Norton Reamer and Jesse Downing map these trends and profile the battle between low cost index and exchange-traded funds, on the one hand, and the higher-fee hedge funds and private equity, on the other. By helping us understand this history and its legacy of risk, Reamer and Downing hope to better educate readers about the individual and societal impact of investing and ultimately level the playing field.
"A virtual bible of how economic indicators are constructed andused. Important tidbits of history are mixed with present-daynuances to explain why we should care about all the economicindicators." ?Allen Grommet, Senior Economist, Cambridge Consumer Credit Index "This book is an indispensable resource for anyone that wants apractical understanding of the economy and how it is measured. Theinformation is clear, concise, and will help investors at alllevels leverage the vast amount of economic data available." ?Jesse Harriott, PhD, Vice President of Research, MonsterWorldwide, Inc. This updated guide to economic indicators -- what they are andwhat they really mean -- covers all major economic indicators, fromGDP to the consumer price index. You'll not only learn what keyeconomic measurements are and how to read and interpret them,you'll discover how to use them to make better, more-informedfinancial, trading, and investing decisions.
The book covers a wide range of topics of relevance to policymakers in countries that have sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) and those that receive SWF investments. Renowned experts in the field have contributed chapters. The book is organized around four themes: (1) the role and macrofinancial linkages of SWFs, (2) institutional factors, (3) investment approaches and financial markets, and (4) the postcrisis outlook. The book also discusses the challenges facing sovereign wealth funds in the coming years, from an inside perspective on countries, including Canada, Chile, China, Norway, Russia, and New Zealand. Economics of Sovereign Wealth Funds will contribute to a further understanding of the nature, strategies and behavior of SWFs and the environment in which they operate, as their importance is likely to grow in the coming years.
The revised and updated 7th edition of this highly regarded book brings the reader right up to speed with the latest financial market developments, and provides a clear and incisive guide to a complex world that even those who work in it often find hard to understand. In chapters on the markets that deal with money, foreign exchange, equities, bonds, commodities, financial futures, options and other derivatives, the book examines why these markets exist, how they work, and who trades in them, and gives a run-down of the factors that affect prices and rates. Business history is littered with disasters that occurred because people involved their firms with financial instruments they didn't properly understand. If they had had this book they might have avoided their mistakes. For anyone wishing to understand financial markets, there is no better guide.
An energy industry researcher and investment advisor provides a fresh perspective on the economics of energy From major players in the energy industry, such as big oil, to the emerging cap-and-trade market, no other book offers a more complete overview of the energy industry, specifically its economic and financial intricacies, than Investing in Energy: A Primer on the Economics of the Energy Industry. Details how to value and invest in the four big energy sectors: oil, gas, power, and green Describes key financial considerations for the energy sectors, including credit metrics, the importance of liquidity, cash flow, and capital expenditures From Bloomberg, a leading provider of the most up-to-date business news and financial data A comprehensive guide to the economics of the energy industry, Investing in Energy will prove an invaluable resource for traditional energy investors looking to expand into new areas, as well as for eco-investors looking to better understand how energy markets function.
