Finance, Economics, and Mathematics

Finance, Economics, and Mathematics

by Oldrich A. Vasicek, Robert C. Merton
Released December 2015
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781119122203

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

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Finance, Economics, and Mathematics is the complete Vasicek reference work, including published and unpublished work and interviews with the man himself.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  • Discover his research and ideas that have gone unpublished—until now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.

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright
  3. Foreword
  4. Preface
  5. Part One: Efforts and Opinions
    1. Chapter 1: Introduction to Part I
    2. Chapter 2: Lifetime Achievement Award
      1. Inspiration
      2. Pioneering
    3. Chapter 3: One-on-One Interview with Oldrich Alfons Vasicek
    4. Chapter 4: Credit Superquant
      1. Good Company
      2. Credit Is Due
  6. Part Two: Term Structure of Interest Rates
    1. Chapter 5: Introduction to Part II
    2. Chapter 6: An Equilibrium Characterization of the Term Structure
      1. Abstract
      2. Introduction
      3. Notation and Assumptions
      4. The Term Structure Equation
      5. Stochastic Representation of the Bond Price
      6. A Specific Case
      7. References
    3. Chapter 7: The Liquidity Premium
      1. References
    4. Chapter 8: Term Structure Modeling Using Exponential Splines
      1. Introduction
      2. Concepts and Terms
      3. The Model
      4. References
    5. Chapter 9: The Heath, Jarrow, Morton Model
      1. References
  7. Part Three: General Equilibrium
    1. Chapter 10: Introduction to Part III
    2. Chapter 11: The Economics of Interest Rates
      1. Abstract
      2. Introduction
      3. Optimal Investment Strategies
      4. The Equilibrium Economy
      5. Examples
      6. Term Structure Models
      7. Conclusions
      8. References
    3. Chapter 12: General Equilibrium with Heterogeneous Participants and Discrete Consumption Times
      1. Abstract
      2. Introduction
      3. The Equilibrium Economy
      4. Discrete Consumption Times
      5. Proof of Convergence
      6. Concluding Remarks
      7. References
    4. Chapter 13: Independence of Production and Technology Risks
      1. References
    5. Chapter 14: Risk-Neutral Economy and Zero Price of Risk
      1. Abstract
      2. Introduction
      3. An Economy in Equilibrium
      4. The Risk-Neutral Economy
      5. An Economy with Zero Price of Risk
      6. References
  8. Part Four: Credit
    1. Chapter 15: Introduction to Part IV
    2. Chapter 16: Credit Valuation
      1. The Approach
      2. The Firm's Value
      3. Loan Default
      4. Debt Structure
      5. Capital Flows
      6. Loan Pricing
      7. Portfolio Diversification
      8. Summary
    3. Chapter 17: Probability of Loss on Loan Portfolio
    4. Chapter 18: Limiting Loan Loss Probability Distribution
    5. Chapter 19: Loan Portfolio Value
      1. The Limiting Distribution of Portfolio Losses
      2. Properties of the Loss Distribution
      3. The Risk-Neutral Distribution
      4. The Portfolio Market Value
      5. Adjustment for Granularity
      6. Summary
      7. References
    6. Chapter 20: The Empirical Test of the Distribution of Loan Portfolio Losses
  9. Part Five: Markets, Portfolios, and Securities
    1. Chapter 21: Introduction to Part V
    2. Chapter 22: The Efficient Market Model
      1. Introduction and Summary
      2. Risk, Risk Aversion, and Compensation
      3. Measurement of Risk and Return
      4. Efficient Market Hypothesis
      5. The Role of the Portfolio in Risk Reduction
      6. The Capital Asset Pricing Model
      7. Generalization of the Model
      8. Conclusion
      9. References
    3. Chapter 23: A Risk Minimizing Strategy for Portfolio Immunization
      1. Abstract
      2. Introduction
      3. Immunization Risk
      4. Appendix: Proof of the Theorem
      5. References
    4. Chapter 24: The Tradeoff between Return and Risk in Immunized Portfolios
      1. Abstract
      2. Introduction
      3. Portfolio Value and Interest Rate Changes
      4. Immunization Risk
      5. Confidence Intervals
      6. Risk and Return
      7. References
    5. Chapter 25: Bond Performance: Analyzing Sources of Return
      1. Analysis of Return
      2. Measurement of Return Components
      3. Summary
      4. References
    6. Chapter 26: The Best-Return Strategy
      1. Introduction
      2. The Objective
      3. The Costs
      4. Nonuniform Costs
      5. Strategy Implementation
    7. Chapter 27: Volatility: Omission Impossible
      1. Introduction
      2. Stochastic Volatility Term Structure
      3. Term Structures of Interest Rates
      4. Volatility Exposure
      5. Index Tracking
      6. References
    8. Chapter 28: A Multidimensional Framework for Risk Analysis
      1. Abstract
      2. Introduction
      3. Risk Sources
      4. Risk Exposures
      5. Value at Risk
      6. Stress Testing
      7. Conclusions
      8. References
    9. Chapter 29: Plugging into Electricity
      1. Forward and Futures Contracts on Nonstorable Commodities: The Case of Electricity
      2. Forward, Futures, and Option Pricing in a Diffusion Setting
      3. Examples
      4. Expectations and Risk Premia
      5. Energy Price Spikes
      6. The spot price
      7. Conclusion
      8. Appendix A: Pricing of Futures, Forwards, and Options
      9. Appendix B: Spot Price Spikes
      10. Note
      11. References
    10. Chapter 30: Pricing of Energy Derivatives
      1. Examples
      2. Reference
  10. Part Six: Probability Theory and Statistics
    1. Chapter 31: Introduction to Part VI
    2. Chapter 32: A Note on Using Cross-sectional Information in Bayesian Estimation of Security Betas
      1. Abstract
      2. Introduction
      3. Bayesian Estimates
      4. Discussion and Conclusions
      5. References
    3. Chapter 33: A Series Expansion for the Bivariate Normal Integral
      1. Abstract
      2. Introduction
      3. The Expansion
      4. Numerical Results
      5. Appendix
      6. References
    4. Chapter 34: A Conditional Law of Large Numbers
      1. Abstract
      2. Introduction
      3. The Limit Theorems
      4. Proof of the Theorems
      5. References
    5. Chapter 35: A Test for Normality Based on Sample Entropy
      1. Abstract
      2. Entropy Estimation
      3. Test for Normality
      4. Acknowledgment
      5. References
    6. Chapter 36: Monotone Measures of Ergodicity for Markov Chains
      1. Abstract
      2. Introduction
      3. Some Basic Lemmas
      4. The Main Result
      5. Ergodic Chains in Discrete Time
      6. References
    7. Chapter 37: An Inequality for the Variance of Waiting Time under a General Queueing Discipline
      1. Abstract
      2. Introduction
      3. Assumptions and Definitions
      4. The Main Results
      5. References
  11. About the Author
  12. Index
  13. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Finance, Economics, and Mathematics
  • Author(s): Oldrich A. Vasicek, Robert C. Merton
  • Release date: December 2015
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781119122203