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Programming & Computing / Re: Accessing Market Data
« Last post by jprentice on July 12, 2010, 02:55:45 PM »
Take a look at northbridge - it does just what you describe.  I've used it with mySql at my last company, but I think it supports SQL Server too.  Don't know how your reporting group plans to access the data, but they also have an Excel add-in if the "reporting" is actually in the form of spreadsheets.
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Programming & Computing / Accessing Market Data
« Last post by sviswanathan on July 12, 2010, 12:49:13 PM »
My firm wants me to provide CDS spreads and iTraXX/ABX/CDX indices to our reporting group.  I need to load this information into our SQL Server database.  Does anyone know of a tool that will allow me to do this without a lot of programming?
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Trading Forum / Return On Equity Ratio?
« Last post by Nirmala on July 09, 2010, 02:38:55 AM »

The Return on equity or ROE is a financial ratio that measures the return based of the equity of the stock. This is considered to be one of the best fundamental indicators.

The Formula is

ROE= Net Income / Total average equity

Generally you want to see a stock with a high Return on equity. This is not always the case however. Some industries will have a higher ratio while others will naturally come out with a lower ratio.
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Trading Forum / trading of business
« Last post by madhushree on June 03, 2010, 01:58:04 AM »
“Trading as a Business” has always been a very good way to sum up my approach
to trading. Every principle and idea in this book ultimately refers back to the
notion that trading ultimately is a business and should be approached as such.
In the final analysis, business is simply the effective management of cash flow. A
successful business generates more cash than it consumes. This is the goal of
trading as well.
For most businesses, the key to success is attracting and keeping competent
people. Personnel issues can and should consume a significant amount of time
and effort, because a business really is only as good as its people. Trading for the
most part eliminates this task, and also relieves us of the headaches and problems
associated with managing employees.
Trading is a solitary endeavor. You will be freed from dealing with employees and
the problems associated with managing employees, you will not be distracted by
absenteeism, withholding taxes, EEOC rules and regulations, and disgruntled
employee law suits. The only relationships you must manage are between you and
the markets, and between you and yourself.
Bill Williams used to say that trading is the ultimate psychotherapy. He was right.
Trading will expose some of your most prominent personality quirks as you
attempt to trade your strategy. The more you learn about strategy trading, and the
more you learn about yourself, the better a trader you will be.



http://www.otrader.com.au/dloads/tab/Chap9.pdf :-*
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Trading Forum / Towards a greater network
« Last post by bigsmoqe on May 07, 2010, 01:09:08 AM »
The currency trade network has since its inception built a network of business partners and stock exchanges.  This network is now engaged in currency trade and it mostly deals with the prominent currencies of the world.  The forex trading plan is continuously updated according to the newer developments in the financial markets across the world in any trading day.  Often currency traders look to the stock market to offset the losses that are likely to be encountered due to unavoidable situations.

An understanding of the operational procedures that guide this network is essential to conclude transactions with ease.  We have not discussed the procedures of this network because it is continuously changing as it is yet to build the requisite infrastructure and offer its services to the investors.  However, some of the prominent currency trading platforms are already considering major changes in the way they work and do business.  Consider the approach taken by a new currency trading network.  This network often interfaced with the following entities, which are also called its business partners:
•   Depository participants
•   Issuer company/registrar and transfer (R&T) agents of the companies
•   Clearing corporation/clearing house (CC/CH) of the prominent stock exchanges

For beginners, the best option is to be part of a virtual network that will get them familiarized regarding the emerging situation that they are likely to face in the live currency trading environment.  It is not an easy thing, but the initial effort helps in the long run.  In earlier times, due to the absence of the virtual network, customers that entered into the currency trade had to face difficult situations and the not so confident ones had to exit at short notice.  It is up to the new comer to decide as to how long he intends to use the virtual network to get familiarized with the currency trade.  Once he is confident, he can enter into the live environment under the tutelage of a prominent trader.  Today the number of currency traders is increasing with each passing year.
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Books and Research Material / Re: Monte Carlo Methods in Financial Engineering
« Last post by eric2010 on March 13, 2010, 12:25:09 AM »
I have read this textbook and i like it so much specially computational finance.
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Numerical Methods / short rate models-application
« Last post by Murat on January 07, 2010, 01:19:10 AM »
Dear All,

I am trying to write a paper about the short rate models and I would like to use Vasicek and CIR model and to do their comparison. I am writing from Turkey and I would like to implement these models to government eurobonds. I am reading the literature about short rate models but I wonder that is it possible to use Vasicek or CIR for modelling the eurobonds? They all have coupons and not in domestic currency. They are either denominated in dollars or euros. I don't know what do I need to do? Could you pls show me the way and give me some clues? Or Am I on the wrong way? Which model fits eurobonds (with coupons and foreign currency)?
 
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Books and Research Material / Computational Methods in Financial Engineering
« Last post by finhub on January 01, 2010, 07:06:21 PM »
Computational Methods in Financial Engineering
Essays in Honour of Manfred Gilli

Kontoghiorghes, Erricos J.; Rustem, Berc; Winker, Peter (Eds.)


2008, XIV, 425 p. 88 illus., Hardcover

ISBN: 978-3-540-77957-5

 
http://www.rayfile.com/files/f9820982-ba0d-11de-9cc0-0014221b798a/       





About this book
Computational models and methods are central to the analysis of economic and financial decisions. Simulation and optimisation are widely used as tools of analysis, modelling and testing. The focus of this book is the development of computational methods and analytical models in financial engineering that rely on computation. The book contains eighteen chapters written by leading researchers in the area on portfolio optimization and option pricing; estimation and classification; banking; risk and macroeconomic modelling. It explores and brings together current research tools and will be of interest to researchers, analysts and practitioners in policy and investment decisions in economics and finance.
"This book collects frontier work by researchers in computational economics in a tribute to Manfred Gilli, a leading member of this community. Contributions cover many of the topics researched by Gilli during his career: portfolio optimization and option pricing, estimation and classification, as well as banking, risk and macroeconomic modeling. The editors have put together a remarkable panorama of the rapidly growing and diversifying field of computational economics and finance."
Michel Juillard, Paris School of Economics and University Paris 8

Written for:
Researchers
Keywords:

Financial Engineering
Modelling of Financial Networks
Option Pricing
Portfolio Optimization
Risk Management
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Books and Research Material / Monte Carlo Methods in Financial Engineering
« Last post by finhub on January 01, 2010, 07:01:50 PM »
http://paid4share.net/file/13217/9780387004518-0387004513-rar.html   

Monte Carlo Methods in Financial Engineering (Stochastic Modelling and Applied Probability) (v. 53) (Hardcover)by Paul Glasserman



Editorial ReviewsReview
"Paul Glasserman has written an astonishingly good book that bridges financial engineering and the Monte Carlo method. The book will appeal to graduate students, researchers, and most of all, practicing financial engineers … You will want to have prior knowledge of both the Monte Carlo method and financial engineering. If you do, you will find the book to be a goldmine … So often, financial engineering texts are very theoretical. This book is not. The Monte Carlo method serves as a unifying theme that motivates practical discussions of how to implement real models on real trading floors. You will learn plenty of financial engineering amidst these pages. The writing is a pleasure to read. Topics are timely and relevant. Glasserman's is a must-have book for financial engineers." -Glyn Holton, Contingency AnalysisMathematical Reviews, 2004: "... this book is very comprehensive, up-to-date and useful tool for those who are interested in implementing Monte Carlo methods in a financial context."
From the reviews:

"This recent book is a valuable addition to the references devoted to Monte Carlo methods. … the author succeeded in choosing the most actual topics in financial engineering and in presenting them in an appropriate way by keeping a suitable balance between mathematical rigour and an audience friendly language. … To help the reader, three appendices provide basic results on convergence concepts … . A large bibliography of 358 entries accompanies this text. In short, the reader will find this book extremely lucid and useful." (Radu Theodorescu, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1038 (13), 2004)
"To keep it short, let me summarize the recension in one phrase: Paul Glausserman’s book is a ‘strong buy’ for everybody in the financial community. … one gets 596 pages full of valuable information on all aspects of Monte Carlo simulation. … Altogether, I can encourage everyone interested in Monte Carlo methods in finance to read the book. It is very well written … comes with a carefully selected bibliography (358 references) and a helpful index, thus making it really worth the buy." (Ralf Werner, OR – Spectrum Operations Research Spectrum, Issue 27, 2005)
"Glasserman’s new book is a remarkable presentation of the current state of the art of Monte Carlo Methods in Financial Engineering. … lot of material which is sometimes hard to access has been composed into one volume. … a high quality monograph which is both suitable as a reference for practitioners and researchers as well as a textbook … . The list of references is by itself a valuable aspect. The refreshing writing style of the author is tailor-made for the thirsty reader … ." (Uwe Wystup, www.mathfinance.de, November, 2003)
"aul Glasserman has written an astonishingly good book that bridges financial engineering and the Monte Carlo method. The book will appeal to graduate students, researchers, and most of all, practicing financial engineers. It is an advanced book. … The presentation is masterful. … You will learn plenty of financial engineering amidst the pages. The writing is a pleasure to read. Topics are timely and relevant. Glasserman’s is a must-have book for financial engineers." (www.riskbook.com, Dezember, 2003)
"This book is divided into three parts. … the aim of the author is … to give a precise description of the different techniques in order to facilitate their implementation. In my opinion, this book is a very comprehensive, up-to-date and useful tool for those who are interested in implementing Monte Carlo methods in a financial context." (Benjamin Jourdain, Mathematical Reviews, 2004g)
"The publication of this book is an important event in computational finance. For many years, Monte Carlo methods have been successfully applied to solve diverse problems in financial mathematics. By publishing this book the author deserves much credit for a very good attempt to lift such applications to a new level. … the book may well become a major reference in the field of applications of Monte Carlo methods in financial engineering. This is because the book is well structured and well written … ." (A Zhigljavsky, Journal of the Operational Research Society, Vol. 57, 2006)


Product Description
Monte Carlo simulation has become an essential tool in the pricing of derivative securities and in risk management. These applications have, in turn, stimulated research into new Monte Carlo methods and renewed interest in some older techniques. This book develops the use of Monte Carlo methods in finance and it also uses simulation as a vehicle for presenting models and ideas from financial engineering. It divides roughly into three parts. The first part develops the fundamentals of Monte Carlo methods, the foundations of derivatives pricing, and the implementation of several of the most important models used in financial engineering. The next part describes techniques for improving simulation accuracy and efficiency. The final third of the book addresses special topics: estimating price sensitivities, valuing American options, and measuring market risk and credit risk in financial portfolios. The most important prerequisite is familiarity with the mathematical tools used to specify and analyze continuous-time models in finance, in particular the key ideas of stochastic calculus. Prior exposure to the basic principles of option pricing is useful but not essential. The book is aimed at graduate students in financial engineering, researchers in Monte Carlo simulation, and practitioners implementing models in industry.


Product Details
Hardcover: 602 pages
Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (August 7, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0387004513
ISBN-13: 978-0387004518

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Careers In Quantitative Finance / The future of financial engineering
« Last post by bizman on January 01, 2010, 06:52:20 PM »
Hi all,
I am studying undergraduate stats/CS and very interested in quantitative finance and want to pursue a career in this area. But after the global finance crisis, I feel a bit worried about the future of financial engineering. A lot of quant jobs/businesses have lost and may never come back. The financial services industry is now under more stringent regulation and scrutiny, which may lead to less room for financial innovation. And financial innovation is the heart of FE. What's the future of FE? Will there be any new financial innovations as we have seen in the past few years?
If FE is hard in future, will risk management be more promising? I have been thinking about my career future for a while and I really look forward to some suggestions from people who have industry experience in FE and risk management. Any opinion will be very appreciated. Thanks.
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