Description
Book SynopsisAn accessible and thorough review of the international financial markets
Life in the Financial MarketsHow They Really Work And Why They Matter To Youoffers the financial services professional, and anyone interested in knowing more about the profession, an entertaining and comprehensive analysis of the financial markets and the financial services industry. Written by Daniel Lacallea noted portfolio manager with EcoFin and well-known media personalitythe book goes beyond a simple summary and offers solid advice on the future of the global financial markets. This great resource also includes a review of effective strategies and forecasts the trends that represent potential opportunities for investors.
The book reviews the recent history of the financial crisis and includes information on hot topics such as derivatives and high frequency trading. An in-depth section on investment banking is written from the perspective of a successful practitioner and
Table of Contents
Preface xi
Acknowledgements xiii
Part I The financial markets: Who they are, what they are, how they work 1
Chapter 1 “Thinking against the box” 3
Chapter 2 The financial market: Complex and volatile 9
Chapter 3 Welcome to London 25
Chapter 4 The market doesn’t attack, it defends itself 37
Chapter 5 The Lehman crisis and the change in mentality: Habits and customs 43
Chapter 6 Traders, “robots” and speculators 55
Part II The debt crisis and the great lie of free money 71
Chapter 7 The debt market 73
Chapter 8 Welcome, investors! 83
Chapter 9 The European and sovereign debt crises 85
Chapter 10 Credit-rating agencies 95
Chapter 11 When the problem only seemed to be Greece 99
Chapter 12 Why was the break-up of the euro feared? 105
Chapter 13 Evil speculators: Someone else is to blame 111
Chapter 14 Snowballing debt 115
Chapter 15 The damned risk premium 119
Chapter 16 Derivatives: Weapons of mass destruction? 125
Chapter 17 The illusion of easy money: The investment banks and the great deception 131
Chapter 18 Stimulus policies and kicking the can down the road 137
Chapter 19 Lies and mistakes of the debt crisis 147
Chapter 20 Economic liberty and austerity 165
Part III Hedge funds and the stock market 173
Chapter 21 Hedge funds: The bad guys of the economic crisis? 175
Chapter 22 Active management 181
Chapter 23 Critics and reality 185
Chapter 24 Strategies 187
Chapter 25 Building portfolios 193
Chapter 26 Closeness makes the heart grow fonder: How to identify investment opportunities 197
Chapter 27 Short positions in a portfolio 203
Chapter 28 Banning short selling and the Tobin tax 207
Chapter 29 Recommendations 211
Chapter 30 The long-term illusion… and the opportunity of value investing 223
Chapter 31 A strange case: Companies with politicians 231
Chapter 32 Communication with the market and attractiveness to investors 239
Chapter 33 Why invest in a hedge fund? 245
Chapter 34 Ten golden rules for investing 249
Chapter 35 “Warning” phrases and comments 253
Chapter 36 Books and films about the market 259
Chapter 37 A day in the life of an investment fund 263
Chapter 38 Farewell 271
Euro-crisis and “exceptions” 275
Recommended reading 285
Index 287
