The Nobel Prize-winning Father of Modern Portfolio Theory re-introduces his theories for the current world of investing Legendary economist Harry M. Markowitz provides the insight and methods you need to build a portfolio that generates strong returns for the long run In Risk-Return Analysis, Markowitz corrects common misunderstandings about Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) to help advanced financial practitioners dramatically improve their decision making. In this first volume of a groundbreaking four-part series sure to draw the attention of anyone interested in MPT, Markowitz provides the criteria necessary for judging among risk-measures; surveys a half-century of literature (nearly all of which has been ignored by textbooks) on the applicability of MPT; and presents an empirical study of which functions of mean and some risk-measure is best for those who seek to maximize return in the long run. Harry M. Markowitz is a Nobel Laureate and the father of Modern Portfolio Theory.
The two most important words Harry Markowitz ever wrote are "portfolio selection." In 1952, when everyone in the stock market was looking for the next hot stock, as a doctoral candidate, he proposed to look at many, diverse stocks--a portfolio. He laid the first cornerstone of Modern Portfolio Theory and defended the idea that strategic asset growth means factoring in the risk of an investment. More than 60 years later, the father of modern finance revisits his original masterpiece, describes how his theory has developed, and proves the vitality of his risk-return analysis in the current global economy. Risk-Return Analysis opens the door to a groundbreaking four-book series giving readers a privileged look at the personal reflections and current strategies of a luminary in finance. This first volume is Markowitz's response to what he calls the "Great Confusion" that spread when investors lost faith in the diversification benefits of MPT during the financial crisis of 2008. It demonstrates why MPT never became ineffective during the crisis, and how you can continue to reap the rewards of managed diversification into the future. Economists and financial advisors will benefit from the potent balance of theory and hard data on mean-variance analysis aimed at improving decision-making skills. Written for the academic and the practitioner with some math skills (mostly high school algebra), this richly illustrated guide arms you with: Concrete steps to accurately select and apply the right risk measures in a given circumstance Rare surveys of a half-century of literature covering the applicability of MPT Empirical data showing mean and riskmeasure used to maximize return in the long term PRAISE FOR RISK-RETURN ANALYSIS "Harry Markowitz invented portfolio analysis and presented the theory in his famous 1952 article and 1959 book. Nobody has greater insight into the process than Harry. No academic or practitioner can truly claim to understand portfolio analysis unless they have read this volume." -- Martin J. Gruber, Professor Emeritus and Scholar in Residence, Stern School of Business, New York University "Surveying the vast literature inspired by [Markowitz's] own 1959 book has stimulated an outpouring of ideas. He builds on the strengths and limitations of the important papers in order to come up with a position that should silence a lot of critics." -- Jack Treynor, President, Treynor Capital Management "The authors do not overlook various criticisms of the MPT, but rather address them convincingly. This excellent book is an essential reference for academics and practitioners alike." -- Haim Levy, Miles Robinson Professor of Finance, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel "Markowitz’s groundbreaking publications on Portfolio Selection prescribe a methodology that a rational decision-maker can follow to optimize his investment portfolio in a risky world. . . . This challenging new book clarifies many common misconceptions about modern portfolio theory." -- Roger C. Gibson, author of Asset Allocation and Chief Investment Officer, Gibson Capital, LLC "Contain[s] great wisdom that every economist, portfolio manager, and investor should savor page by page." -- Andrew W. Lo, Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor and Director, Laboratory for Financial Engineering, MIT Sloan School of Management "[Markowitz's] monumental work in the 1950s would be sufficient to qualify as a lifetime achievement for most mortals, but he keeps spouting fresh insights like lightning flashes year after year, and penetrating ever deeper into the theory, mathematics, and practice of investing." -- Martin Leibowitz, Managing Director, Global Research Strategy, Morgan Stanley "Risk–Return Analysis is a wonderful work in progress by a remarkable scholar who always has time to read what matters, who has the deepest appreciation of scientific achievement, and who has the highest aspirations for the future." -- Enterprising Investor (CFA Institute)
The Nobel Prize-winning Father of Modern Portfolio Theory returns with new insights on his classic work to help you build a lasting portfolio today Contemporary investing as we know it would not exist without these two words: “Portfolio selection.” Though it may not seem revolutionary today, the concept of examining and purchasing many diverse stocks—creating a portfolio—changed the face of finance when Harry M. Markowitz devised the idea in 1952. In the past six decades, Markowitz has risen to international acclaim as the father of Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT), with his evaluation of the impact of asset risk, diversification, and correlation in the risk-return tradeoff. In defending the idea that portfolio risk was essential to strategic asset growth, he showed the world how to invest for the long-run in the face of any economy. In Risk Return Analysis, this groundbreaking four-book series, the legendary economist and Nobel Laureate returns to revisit his masterpiece theory, discuss its developments, and prove its vitality in the ever-changing global economy. Volume 2 picks up where the first volume left off, with Markowitz’s personal reflections and current strategies. In this volume, Markowitz focuses on the relationship between single-period choices—now—and longer run goals. He discusses dynamic systems and models, the asset allocation “glide-path,” inter-generational investment needs, and financial decision support systems. Written with both the academic and the practitioner in mind, this richly illustrated volume provides investors, economists, and financial advisors with a refined look at MPT, highlighting the rational decision-making and probability beliefs that are essential to creating and maintaining a successful portfolio today.
The Nobel Prize-winning Father of Modern Portfolio Theory returns with new insights on his classic work to help you build a lasting portfolio today Contemporary investing as we know it would not exist without these two words: “Portfolio selection.” Though it may not seem revolutionary today, the concept of examining and purchasing many diverse stocks—creating a portfolio—changed the face of finance when Harry M. Markowitz devised the idea in 1952. In the past six decades, Markowitz has risen to international acclaim as the father of Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT), with his evaluation of the impact of asset risk, diversification, and correlation in the risk-return tradeoff. In defending the idea that portfolio risk was essential to strategic asset growth, he showed the world how to invest for the long-run in the face of any economy. In Risk Return Analysis, this groundbreaking four-book series, the legendary economist and Nobel Laureate returns to revisit his masterpiece theory, discuss its developments, and prove its vitality in the ever-changing global economy. Volume 2 picks up where the first volume left off, with Markowitz’s personal reflections and current strategies. In this volume, Markowitz focuses on the relationship between single-period choices—now—and longer run goals. He discusses dynamic systems and models, the asset allocation “glide-path,” inter-generational investment needs, and financial decision support systems. Written with both the academic and the practitioner in mind, this richly illustrated volume provides investors, economists, and financial advisors with a refined look at MPT, highlighting the rational decision-making and probability beliefs that are essential to creating and maintaining a successful portfolio today.
The man who created investing as we know it provides critical insights, knowledge, and tools for generating steady profits in today’s economy. When Harry Markowitz introduced the concept of examining and purchasing a range of diverse stocks—in essence, the practice of creating a portfolio—he transformed the world of investing. The idea was novel, even radical, when he presented it in 1952 for his dissertation. Today, it’s second-nature to the majority of investors worldwide. Now, the legendary economist returns with the third volume of his groundbreaking four-volume Risk-Return Analysis series, where he corrects common misperceptions about Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) and provides critical insight into the practice of MPT over the last 60 years. He guides you through process of making rational decisions in the face of uncertainty—making this a critical guide to investing in today’s economy. From the Laffer Curve to RDM Reasoning to Finite Ordinal Arithmetic to the ideas and concepts of some of history’s most influential thinkers, Markowitz provides a wealth and depth of financial knowledge, wisdom, and insights you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere. This deep dive into the theories and practices of the investing legend is what you need to master strategic portfolio management designed to generate profits in good times and bad.
In 1952, Harry Markowitz published "Portfolio Selection," a paper which revolutionized modern investment theory and practice. The paper proposed that, in selecting investments, the investor should consider both expected return and variability of return on the portfolio as a whole. Portfolios that minimized variance for a given expected return were demonstrated to be the most efficient. Markowitz formulated the full solution of the general mean-variance efficient set problem in 1956 and presented it in the appendix to his 1959 book, Portfolio Selection. Though certain special cases of the general model have become widely known, both in academia and among managers of large institutional portfolios, the characteristics of the general solution were not presented in finance books for students at any level. And although the results of the general solution are used in a few advanced portfolio optimization programs, the solution to the general problem should not be seen merely as a computing procedure. It is a body of propositions and formulas concerning the shapes and properties of mean-variance efficient sets with implications for financial theory and practice beyond those of widely known cases. The purpose of the present book, originally published in 1987, is to present a comprehensive and accessible account of the general mean-variance portfolio analysis, and to illustrate its usefulness in the practice of portfolio management and the theory of capital markets. The portfolio selection program in Part IV of the 1987 edition has been updated and contains exercises and solutions.
Modern Portfolio Theory and Investment Analysis, 9th Editionexamines the characteristics and analysis of individual securities, as well as the theory and practice of optimally combining securities into portfolios. It stresses the economic intuition behind the subject matter while presenting advanced concepts of investment analysis and portfolio management. The authors present material that captures the state of modern portfolio analysis, general equilibrium theory, and investment analysis in an accessible and intuitive manner.
Quantitative Modeling of Derivative Securities demonstrates how to take the basic ideas of arbitrage theory and apply them - in a very concrete way - to the design and analysis of financial products. Based primarily (but not exclusively) on the analysis of derivatives, the book emphasizes relative-value and hedging ideas applied to different financial instruments. Using a ""financial engineering approach,"" the theory is developed progressively, focusing on specific aspects of pricing and hedging and with problems that the technical analyst or trader has to consider in practice. More than just an introductory text, the reader who has mastered the contents of this one book will have breached the gap separating the novice from the technical and research literature.
The man who created investing as we know it provides critical insights, knowledge, and tools for generating steady profits in today’s economy. When Harry Markowitz introduced the concept of examining and purchasing a range of diverse stocks—in essence, the practice of creating a portfolio—he transformed the world of investing. The idea was novel, even radical, when he presented it in 1952 for his dissertation. Today, it’s second-nature to the majority of investors worldwide. Now, the legendary economist returns with the third volume of his groundbreaking four-volume Risk-Return Analysis series, where he corrects common misperceptions about Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) and provides critical insight into the practice of MPT over the last 60 years. He guides you through process of making rational decisions in the face of uncertainty—making this a critical guide to investing in today’s economy. From the Laffer Curve to RDM Reasoning to Finite Ordinal Arithmetic to the ideas and concepts of some of history’s most influential thinkers, Markowitz provides a wealth and depth of financial knowledge, wisdom, and insights you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere. This deep dive into the theories and practices of the investing legend is what you need to master strategic portfolio management designed to generate profits in good times and bad.
Principles of Risk-Based Decision Making provides managers with the foundation for creating a proactive organizational culture that systematically incorporates risk into key decision-making processes. Based on methodology adopted by a number of organizations including the federal government, this book examines risk-based decision making as a process for organizing information about the possibility for unwanted outcomes in a simple, practical way that helps decision makers make timely, informed management choices that minimize harmful effects on safety and health, the environment, property loss, or mission success. Citing practical examples, charts, and checklists, the authors break the risk-based decision making process into five key components: establishing the decision structure, performing the risk assessment, managing sufficient risks, monitoring effectiveness of adopted risk controls through impact assessment, and facilitating risk communication. They examine each component in detail and outline available decision analysis and risk assessment tools that aid in each of these risk-based decision making functions. This book also walks readers through eight project management steps—from scoping a risk assessment to evaluating the recommendations—the components of each, and the importance of these steps to the success of a risk assessment. Special features include a table for applying the risk-based decision-making process, a hazard identification guidesheet, an example of human error, an acronym list, and a glossary.
