Theory of Financial Risk and Derivative Pricing: From Statistical Physics to Risk Management

by Jean-Philippe Bouchaud, Marc Potters

Overview

Summarizing market data developments, some inspired by statistical physics, this book explains how to better predict the actual behavior of financial markets with respect to asset allocation, derivative pricing and hedging, and risk control. Risk control and derivative pricing are major concerns to financial institutions. The need for adequate statistical tools to measure and anticipate amplitude of potential moves of financial markets is clearly expressed, in particular for derivative markets. Classical theories, however, are based on assumptions leading to systematic (sometimes dramatic) underestimation of risks.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521741866
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	01/22/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jean-Philippe Bouchaud co-founded the company Science & Finance, which merged with Capital Fund Management (CFM) in 2000, where he now supervises the research team with Marc Potters. He teaches statistical mechanics and finance in various Grandes Écoles, and has worked at CRNS and CEA-Saclay. He was awarded the CRNS Silver Medal in 1996.

Marc Potters has been Head of Research at CFM since 1998, where he supervises thirty physics PhD's. He has published numerous articles in the new field of statistical finance, in particular on Random Matrix Theory applied to portfolio management. He works on various concrete applications of financial forecasting, option pricing and risk control.

Table of Contents

Foreword; Preface; 1. Probability theory: basic notions; 2. Maximum and addition of random variables; 3. Continuous time limit, Ito calculus and path integrals; 4. Analysis of empirical data; 5. Financial products and financial markets; 6. Statistics of real prices: basic results; 7. Non-linear correlations and volatility fluctuations; 8. Skewness and price-volatility correlations; 9. Cross-correlations; 10. Risk measures; 11. Extreme correlations and variety; 12. Optimal portfolios; 13. Futures and options: fundamental concepts; 14. Options: hedging and residual risk; 15. Options: the role of drift and correlations; 16. Options: the Black and Scholes model; 17. Options: some more specific problems; 18. Options: minimum variance Monte-Carlo; 19. The yield curve; 20. Simple mechanisms for anomalous price statistics; Index of most important symbols; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...thought-provoking...The feeling one is left with after putting the book down is one of time well spent."
Risk

"...the authors offer fresh and valuable insights into financial markets." -
Mathematical Reviews

"The book is well written and self-contained...recommended to anyone interested in a new and fresh approach to the dynamics of financial markets."
Journal of Statistical Physics

"The book is interesting not only for physicists working in finance, but also practicioners and scholars with a mathematical or statistical background."
Journal of the American Statistical Association

From the Publisher