Mathematical Financial Economics


Book Description

This textbook is an elementary introduction to the key topics in mathematical finance and financial economics - two realms of ideas that substantially overlap but are often treated separately from each other. Our goal is to present the highlights in the field, with the emphasis on the financial and economic content of the models, concepts and results. The book provides a novel, unified treatment of the subject by deriving each topic from common fundamental principles and showing the interrelations between the key themes. Although the presentation is fully rigorous, with some rare and clearly marked exceptions, the book restricts itself to the use of only elementary mathematical concepts and techniques. No advanced mathematics (such as stochastic calculus) is used.




Introduction to the Economics and Mathematics of Financial Markets


Book Description

An innovative textbook for use in advanced undergraduate and graduate courses; accessible to students in financial mathematics, financial engineering and economics. Introduction to the Economics and Mathematics of Financial Markets fills the longstanding need for an accessible yet serious textbook treatment of financial economics. The book provides a rigorous overview of the subject, while its flexible presentation makes it suitable for use with different levels of undergraduate and graduate students. Each chapter presents mathematical models of financial problems at three different degrees of sophistication: single-period, multi-period, and continuous-time. The single-period and multi-period models require only basic calculus and an introductory probability/statistics course, while an advanced undergraduate course in probability is helpful in understanding the continuous-time models. In this way, the material is given complete coverage at different levels; the less advanced student can stop before the more sophisticated mathematics and still be able to grasp the general principles of financial economics. The book is divided into three parts. The first part provides an introduction to basic securities and financial market organization, the concept of interest rates, the main mathematical models, and quantitative ways to measure risks and rewards. The second part treats option pricing and hedging; here and throughout the book, the authors emphasize the Martingale or probabilistic approach. Finally, the third part examines equilibrium models—a subject often neglected by other texts in financial mathematics, but included here because of the qualitative insight it offers into the behavior of market participants and pricing.




Finance, Economics, and Mathematics


Book Description

The compiled works of the man behind the evolution of quantitative finance Finance, Economics, and Mathematics is the complete Vasicek reference work, including published and unpublished work and interviews with the man himself. The name Oldrich A. Vasicek is synonymous with cutting-edge research in the finance fields, and this book comes straight from the source to bring you the undiluted mother lode of quant wisdom from one of the founders of the field. From his early work in yield curve dynamics, to the mean-reverting short-rate model, to his thoughts on derivatives pricing, to his work on credit risk, to his most recent research on the economics of interest rates, this book represents the life's work of an industry leader. Going beyond the papers, you'll also find the more personal side inspirational as Vasicek talks about the academics and professionals who made lasting impressions and collaborated, debated, and ultimately helped spawn some of his greatest thinking. Oldrich Vasicek has won virtually every important award and prize for his groundbreaking research in quantitative finance. You've followed his work for years; this book puts it all in a single volume to give you the definitive reference you'll turn to again and again. Explore Vasicek's insights on topics he helped create Discover his research and ideas that have gone unpublished—until now Understand yield curves and the Vasicek model from the source himself Gain a reference collection of some of the most influential work in quantitative finance Vasicek's research is the foundation of one of the most important innovations in finance. Quants around the world have been influenced by his ideas, and his status as thought leader is cemented in the annals of finance history. Finance, Economics, and Mathematics is the definitive Vasicek reference every finance professional needs.




Mathematics for Economics and Finance


Book Description

Mathematics has become indispensable in the modelling of economics, finance, business and management. Without expecting any particular background of the reader, this book covers the following mathematical topics, with frequent reference to applications in economics and finance: functions, graphs and equations, recurrences (difference equations), differentiation, exponentials and logarithms, optimisation, partial differentiation, optimisation in several variables, vectors and matrices, linear equations, Lagrange multipliers, integration, first-order and second-order differential equations. The stress is on the relation of maths to economics, and this is illustrated with copious examples and exercises to foster depth of understanding. Each chapter has three parts: the main text, a section of further worked examples and a summary of the chapter together with a selection of problems for the reader to attempt. For students of economics, mathematics, or both, this book provides an introduction to mathematical methods in economics and finance that will be welcomed for its clarity and breadth.




Mathematical Modeling in Economics and Finance: Probability, Stochastic Processes, and Differential Equations


Book Description

Mathematical Modeling in Economics and Finance is designed as a textbook for an upper-division course on modeling in the economic sciences. The emphasis throughout is on the modeling process including post-modeling analysis and criticism. It is a textbook on modeling that happens to focus on financial instruments for the management of economic risk. The book combines a study of mathematical modeling with exposure to the tools of probability theory, difference and differential equations, numerical simulation, data analysis, and mathematical analysis. Students taking a course from Mathematical Modeling in Economics and Finance will come to understand some basic stochastic processes and the solutions to stochastic differential equations. They will understand how to use those tools to model the management of financial risk. They will gain a deep appreciation for the modeling process and learn methods of testing and evaluation driven by data. The reader of this book will be successfully positioned for an entry-level position in the financial services industry or for beginning graduate study in finance, economics, or actuarial science. The exposition in Mathematical Modeling in Economics and Finance is crystal clear and very student-friendly. The many exercises are extremely well designed. Steven Dunbar is Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at the University of Nebraska and he has won both university-wide and MAA prizes for extraordinary teaching. Dunbar served as Director of the MAA's American Mathematics Competitions from 2004 until 2015. His ability to communicate mathematics is on full display in this approachable, innovative text.




Advances in Mathematical Finance


Book Description

This self-contained volume brings together a collection of chapters by some of the most distinguished researchers and practitioners in the field of mathematical finance and financial engineering. Presenting state-of-the-art developments in theory and practice, the book has real-world applications to fixed income models, credit risk models, CDO pricing, tax rebates, tax arbitrage, and tax equilibrium. It is a valuable resource for graduate students, researchers, and practitioners in mathematical finance and financial engineering.




Financial Economics


Book Description

Financial economics is a fascinating topic where ideas from economics, mathematics and, most recently, psychology are combined to understand financial markets. This book gives a concise introduction into this field and includes for the first time recent results from behavioral finance that help to understand many puzzles in traditional finance. The book is tailor made for master and PhD students and includes tests and exercises that enable the students to keep track of their progress. Parts of the book can also be used on a bachelor level. Researchers will find it particularly useful as a source for recent results in behavioral finance and decision theory.




Financial Statistics and Mathematical Finance


Book Description

Mathematical finance has grown into a huge area of research which requires a lot of care and a large number of sophisticated mathematical tools. Mathematically rigorous and yet accessible to advanced level practitioners and mathematicians alike, it considers various aspects of the application of statistical methods in finance and illustrates some of the many ways that statistical tools are used in financial applications. Financial Statistics and Mathematical Finance: Provides an introduction to the basics of financial statistics and mathematical finance. Explains the use and importance of statistical methods in econometrics and financial engineering. Illustrates the importance of derivatives and calculus to aid understanding in methods and results. Looks at advanced topics such as martingale theory, stochastic processes and stochastic integration. Features examples throughout to illustrate applications in mathematical and statistical finance. Is supported by an accompanying website featuring R code and data sets. Financial Statistics and Mathematical Finance introduces the financial methodology and the relevant mathematical tools in a style that is both mathematically rigorous and yet accessible to advanced level practitioners and mathematicians alike, both graduate students and researchers in statistics, finance, econometrics and business administration will benefit from this book.




The Economics of Continuous-Time Finance


Book Description

An introduction to economic applications of the theory of continuous-time finance that strikes a balance between mathematical rigor and economic interpretation of financial market regularities. This book introduces the economic applications of the theory of continuous-time finance, with the goal of enabling the construction of realistic models, particularly those involving incomplete markets. Indeed, most recent applications of continuous-time finance aim to capture the imperfections and dysfunctions of financial markets—characteristics that became especially apparent during the market turmoil that started in 2008. The book begins by using discrete time to illustrate the basic mechanisms and introduce such notions as completeness, redundant pricing, and no arbitrage. It develops the continuous-time analog of those mechanisms and introduces the powerful tools of stochastic calculus. Going beyond other textbooks, the book then focuses on the study of markets in which some form of incompleteness, volatility, heterogeneity, friction, or behavioral subtlety arises. After presenting solutions methods for control problems and related partial differential equations, the text examines portfolio optimization and equilibrium in incomplete markets, interest rate and fixed-income modeling, and stochastic volatility. Finally, it presents models where investors form different beliefs or suffer frictions, form habits, or have recursive utilities, studying the effects not only on optimal portfolio choices but also on equilibrium, or the price of primitive securities. The book strikes a balance between mathematical rigor and the need for economic interpretation of financial market regularities, although with an emphasis on the latter.




The Mathematics of Financial Modeling and Investment Management


Book Description

the mathematics of financial modeling & investment management The Mathematics of Financial Modeling & Investment Management covers a wide range of technical topics in mathematics and finance-enabling the investment management practitioner, researcher, or student to fully understand the process of financial decision-making and its economic foundations. This comprehensive resource will introduce you to key mathematical techniques-matrix algebra, calculus, ordinary differential equations, probability theory, stochastic calculus, time series analysis, optimization-as well as show you how these techniques are successfully implemented in the world of modern finance. Special emphasis is placed on the new mathematical tools that allow a deeper understanding of financial econometrics and financial economics. Recent advances in financial econometrics, such as tools for estimating and representing the tails of the distributions, the analysis of correlation phenomena, and dimensionality reduction through factor analysis and cointegration are discussed in depth. Using a wealth of real-world examples, Focardi and Fabozzi simultaneously show both the mathematical techniques and the areas in finance where these techniques are applied. They also cover a variety of useful financial applications, such as: * Arbitrage pricing * Interest rate modeling * Derivative pricing * Credit risk modeling * Equity and bond portfolio management * Risk management * And much more Filled with in-depth insight and expert advice, The Mathematics of Financial Modeling & Investment Management clearly ties together financial theory and mathematical techniques.