Over the past decade, credit derivatives have emerged as the key financial innovation in global capital markets. At end 2004, the market size hit $6.4 billion (in notional amounts) from virtually nothing in 1995. This rise has been spurred by the imperative for banks to better manage their risks, not least credit risks, and the appetite shown by institutional investors and hedge funds for innovative, high yielding structured investment products. As a result, growth in collateralized debt obligations and other second-generation products, such as credit indices, is currently phenomenal. It is enabled by the standardization and increased liquidity in credit default swaps – the building block of the credit derivatives market. Written by market practitioners and specialists, this book covers the fundamentals of the credit derivatives and structured credit market, including in-depth product descriptions, analysis of real transactions, market overview, pricing models, banks business models. It is recommended reading for students in business schools and financial courses, academics, and professionals working in investment and asset management, banking, corporate treasury and the capital markets. Highlights include: Written by market practitioners and specialists with first-hand experience in the credit derivatives and structured credit market A clearly-written, pedagogical book with numerous illustrations Detailed review of real-case transactions A comprehensive historical perspective on market developments including up-to-date analysis of the latest trends
The high-yield leveraged bond and loan market (“junk bonds”) is now valued at $3+ trillion in North America, €1 trillion in Europe, and another $1 trillion in emerging markets. What’s more, based on the maturity schedules of current debt, it’s poised for massive growth. To successfully issue, evaluate, and invest in high-yield debt, however, financial professionals need credit and bond analysis skills specific to these instruments. Now, for the first time, there’s a complete, practical, and expert tutorial and workbook covering all facets of modern leveraged finance analysis. In A Pragmatist’s Guide to Leveraged Finance, Credit Suisse managing director Bob Kricheff explains why conventional analysis techniques are inadequate for leveraged instruments, clearly defines the unique challenges sellers and buyers face, walks step-by-step through deriving essential data for pricing and decision-making, and demonstrates how to apply it. Using practical examples, sample documents, Excel worksheets, and graphs, Kricheff covers all this, and much more: yields, spreads, and total return; ratio analysis of liquidity and asset value; business trend analysis; modeling and scenarios; potential interest rate impacts; evaluating and potentially escaping leveraged finance covenants; how to assess equity (and why it matters); investing on news and events; early stage credit; and creating accurate credit snapshots. This book is an indispensable resource for all investment and underwriting professionals, money managers, consultants, accountants, advisors, and lawyers working in leveraged finance. In fact, it teaches credit analysis skills that will be valuable in analyzing a wide variety of higher-risk investments, including growth stocks.
In The Credit Market Handbook, financial expert and Editor H. Gifford Fong has assembled a group of prominent professionals and academics familiar with the credit arena. In each chapter, a different expert analyzes a different issue related to today's dynamic credit market, including portfolio credit risk, valuation models, and the importance of modeling credit default. In bringing together these noted authors and their work, Fong provides you with a rich framework of research in the area of credit analysis. Some of the topics discussed within this comprehensive guide include: * Estimating default probabilities implicit in equity prices * Structural versus reduced form models: a new information-based perspective * Valuing high-yield bonds * Predictions of default probabilities in structural models of debt * And much more Filled with in-depth insight and expert advice, this invaluable resource offers you the critical information you need to succeed within today's credit market.
Everything on Treasuries, munis,bond funds, and more! The bond buyer’s answer book—updated for the new economy “As in the first two editions, this third edition of The Bond Book continues to be the idealreference for the individual investor. It has all the necessary details, well explained andillustrated without excessive mathematics. In addition to providing this essential content, itis extremely well written.” —James B. Cloonan, Chairman, American Association of Individual Investors “Annette Thau makes the bond market interesting, approachable, and clear. As much asinvestors will continue to depend on fixed-income securities during their retirement years,they’ll need an insightful guide that ensures they’re appropriately educated and served.The Bond Book does just that.” —Jeff Tjornejoh, Research Director, U.S. and Canada, Lipper, Thomson Reuters “Not only a practical and easy-to-understand guide for the novice, but also a comprehensivereference for professionals. Annette Thau provides the steps to climb to the top of the bondinvestment ladder. The Bond Book should be a permanent fixture in any investment library!” —Thomas J. Herzfeld, President, Thomas Herzfeld Advisors, Inc. “If the financial crisis of recent years has taught us anything, it’s buyer beware. Fact is, bondscan be just as risky as stocks. That’s why Annette Thau’s new edition of The Bond Book isessential reading for investors who want to know exactly what’s in their portfolios. It alsoserves as an excellent guide for those of us who are getting older and need to diversify intofixed income.” —Jean Gruss, Southwest Florida Editor, Gulf Coast Business Review, andformer Managing Editor, Kiplinger’s Retirement Report About the Book The financial crisis of 2008 causedmajor disruptions to every sector ofthe bond market and left even the savviestinvestors confused about the safety oftheir investments. To serve these investors andanyone looking to explore opportunities infixed-income investing, former bond analystAnnette Thau builds on the features and authoritythat made the first two editions bestsellersin the thoroughly revised, updated, andexpanded third edition of The Bond Book. This is a one-stop resource for both seasonedbond investors looking for the latest informationon the fixed-income market and equitiesinvestors planning to diversify their holdings.Writing in plain English, Thau presentscutting-edge strategies for making the bestbond-investing decisions, while explaininghow to assess risks and opportunities. She alsoincludes up-to-date listings of online resourceswith bond prices and other information.Look to this all-in-one guide for information onsuch critical topics as: Buying individual bonds or bond funds The ins and outs of open-end funds,closed-end funds, and exchangetradedfunds (ETFs) The new landscape for municipal bonds:the changed rating scales, the neardemise of bond insurance, andBuild America Bonds (BABs) The safest bond funds Junk bonds (and emerging market bonds) Buying Treasuries without payinga commission From how bonds work to how to buy and sellthem to what to expect from them, The BondBook, third edition, is a must-read for individualinvestors and financial advisers who wantto enhance the fixed-income allocation of theirportfolios.
The Structured Credit Handbook is a comprehensive introduction to all types of credit-linked financial instruments. This book provides state-of-the-art primers on single tranche collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), credit derivatives (such as credit default swaps and swaptions), and iBoxx indexes. Filled with in-depth insight and expert advice, The Structured Credit Handbook covers all aspects of the synthetic arbitrage CDO market, including new instruments such as CDO2. Readers will also gain a firm understanding of the investment rationale, risks, and rewards associated with CDO investments through this valuable resource. The exploding use of credit derivatives and collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) has transformed the world of credit, creating an $18 trillion market almost overnight and resulting in innumerable investment and career opportunities globally. The Structured Credit Handbook provides the reader with a comprehensive and clear roadmap to today's new credit landscape. The full spectrum of structured credit products, from single-name CDS to CDOs, is explained in a simple, clear fashion that is free from the financial jargon and mathematical complexity which characterize many other derivative texts. The handbook begins with an in-depth explanation of the building blocks of the structured credit markets, single-name default swaps and indexes, and it culminates with complex products such as credit options, synthetic tranches, CDOs based on bank loans and asset-backed securities, and CDO-squareds. Written by experienced practitioners who have participated in this market since its infancy, each of the thirteen chapters introduces and analyzes a new product and explains its practical applications. A rich set of real-life case studies illustrate the application of each product in a concrete market setting. The book may be used in a semester-long course on structured credit as part of a business or finance curriculum. Whether you are a market professional, a university student or faculty member, or simply a financially savvy layperson, look no further for an up-to-date and thorough introduction to this rapidly growing and exciting field. Dr. Arvind Rajan, Managing Director, Citigroup Global Markets, is engaged in proprietary trading of Structured Credit products, and until recently, was global head of Structured Credit Research and Strategy at Citigroup. Glen McDermott (New York, NY) is Director of Fixed Income Sales and the former head of CDO Research at Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Ratul Roy is head of CDO Strategy for Citigroup Global Markets and has spent the prior nine years in structuring or analyzing CDOs and other structured credit products.
THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO CREATING A POWERFUL STRATEGY FOR INVESTMENTS IN CREDIT HEDGE FUNDS Following the credit crisis that rocked the global markets, many investors were left with a great sense of unease. However, when faced with historically low interest rates in a world awash with liquidity, they flocked back into the credit market. But this wave of liquidity will soon come to an end. Investors are grappling with their need for return generation while trying to navigate an increasingly volatile credit market. Given its inherent flexibility, the hedge fund structure is ideal for investing in the credit market. In Investing in Credit Hedge Funds, PAAMCO credit strategist Putri Pascualy shows how to profit from a variety of credit-focused investments, including: HIGH-YIELD BONDS - Capitalize on the inefficiencies in the market for levered companies STRESSED / DISTRESSED MARKETS - Develop mastery of the bankruptcy and reorganization processes to spot your best opportunities BANK LOANS - Take advantage of loans' structural seniority and collateral while navigating credit, liquidity, and operational risk CONVERTIBLE BONDS - Apply trading acumen to invest in hybrid instruments that combine the best features of bonds and equities SOVEREIGN DEBT - Understand the difference between the corporate and sovereign bond market and manage the macroeconomic risks in a credit portfolio Investing in Credit Hedge Funds provides in-depth research on the most commonly used structuring vehicles, the legal rights and responsibilities of all parties, and the pros and cons of separately managed accounts. It provides practical, expert advice on conducting operational due diligence and best practices in mitigating counterparty risks to avoid the fates of those who suffered losses as Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, and MF Global went down. And it reveals practical risk-management techniques unique to credit investing. Investing in Credit Hedge Funds provides a fully rounded education in creating a powerful credit portfolio that will instantly put you ahead of the investing pack. PRAISE FOR INVESTING IN CREDIT HEDGE FUNDS "Read this book if you want to understand how a leading hedge fund-of-fund investor evaluates distressed credit opportunities in the aftermath of the financial crisis." --Bruce Brittain, Executive Vice President, Product Management Group, PIMCO "Arms the institutional investor with the tools to conduct a more robust evaluation of a credit hedge fund's strategy, structure, and operational credibility. It is a practical resource for the diversified institutional investor." -- Susan Ridlen, Assistant Treasurer, Eli Lilly and Company "Provides insight for investors to become more equipped to deal with the ever-evolving credit markets in the future." -- Lorraine Spurge, CEO of Maplestone Capital Advisors, LLC
John J. Murphy has updated his landmark bestseller Technical Analysis of the Futures Markets, to include all of the financial markets. This outstanding reference has already taught thousands of traders the concepts of technical analysis and their application in the futures and stock markets. Covering the latest developments in computer technology, technical tools, and indicators, the second edition features new material on candlestick charting, intermarket relationships, stocks and stock rotation, plus state-of-the-art examples and figures. From how to read charts to understanding indicators and the crucial role technical analysis plays in investing, readers gain a thorough and accessible overview of the field of technical analysis, with a special emphasis on futures markets. Revised and expanded for the demands of today's financial world, this book is essential reading for anyone interested in tracking and analyzing market behavior.
A comprehensive guide to credit risk management The Handbook of Credit Risk Management presents a comprehensive overview of the practice of credit risk management for a large institution. It is a guide for professionals and students wanting a deeper understanding of how to manage credit exposures. The Handbook provides a detailed roadmap for managing beyond the financial analysis of individual transactions and counterparties. Written in a straightforward and accessible style, the authors outline how to manage a portfolio of credit exposures--from origination and assessment of credit fundamentals to hedging and pricing. The Handbook is relevant for corporations, pension funds, endowments, asset managers, banks and insurance companies alike. Covers the four essential aspects of credit risk management: Origination, Credit Risk Assessment, Portfolio Management and Risk Transfer. Provides ample references to and examples of credit market services as a resource for those readers having credit risk responsibilities. Designed for busy professionals as well as finance, risk management and MBA students. As financial transactions grow more complex, proactive management of credit portfolios is no longer optional for an institution, but a matter of survival.
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.
A timely guide to making the best investment strategies even better A wide variety of strategies have been identified over the years, which purportedly outperform the stock market. Some of these include buying undervalued stocks while others rely on technical analysis techniques. It's fair to say no one method is fool proof and most go through both up and down periods. The challenge for an investor is picking the right method at the right time. The Little Book of Stock Market Profits shows you how to achieve this elusive goal and make the most of your time in today's markets. Written by Mitch Zacks, Senior Portfolio Manager of Zacks Investment Management, this latest title in the Little Book series reveals stock market strategies that really work and then shows you how they can be made even better. It skillfully highlights earnings-based investing strategies, the hallmark of the Zacks process, but it also identifies strategies based on valuations, seasonal patterns and price momentum. Specifically, the book: Identifies stock market investment strategies that work, those that don't, and what it takes for an individual investor to truly succeed in today's dynamic market Discusses how the performance of each strategy examined can be improved by combining into them into a multifactor approach Gives investors a clear path to integrating the best investment strategies of all time into their own personal portfolio Investing can be difficult, but with the right strategies you can improve your overall performance. The Little book of Stock Market Profits will show you how.
