Book Reviews
Economics for Independent Thinkers is useful to practitioners who make economic forecasts. Investment strategist Daniel Nevins, CFA, recounts becoming a skeptic about the application of quantitative methods to economics and about standard prediction methods, such as the lagging nature of consumer confidence surveys. He especially disdains economists who strive to make reality fit their models.
William Birdthistle provides a witty description of mutual fund design and categorizes its imperfections entertainingly, offering more palatable alternatives. This slender volume is a welcome addition to the library of the professional and retail investor alike.
This comprehensive study of the structure, price dynamics, and valuation of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) addresses their current uses in various investment settings. It attributes the rapid growth of ETFs to factor-based investing and the rise of robo-advisers. The book is a fascinating deep dive into all categories of ETFs, including equity, fixed income, foreign currencies, and alternative investments, with a particular focus on issues of tracking and liquidity.
A Man for All Markets is the autobiography of a man regarded by many as the father of quantitative finance. His story is one of a mathematician who moved from solving such casino games as blackjack to applying his skills to option pricing and statistical arbitrage. As he recounts his journey, he provides insights for all money managers on how to generate an edge and beat the markets through deep research.
Leading econometricians address the issue of statistically identifying and measuring business cycle regimes and turning points. They provide a framework for modeling and predicting cyclical shifts. This work is relevant for investment managers interested in matching business cycle analysis with asset allocation decisions.
High Yield Debt succeeds as a concise and thorough primer on the speculative-grade debt market, including not only high-yield bonds but also leveraged loans and other related asset types. The author, who manages a credit hedge fund, presents sound conclusions on such controversial topics as the impact of exchange-traded funds on market volatility. The book is an invaluable resource for its target market of institutional decision makers.
Household finance was once the investment and planning wallflower, but this is no longer the case. Stacked vertically, these three tomes, numbering about 1,000 pages each, could well serve as a footstool. And just as a footstool provides access to something otherwise out of reach, this extensive collection affords readers access to a rich chronology of developments in this field hitherto dispersed in academic journals.
Global macro is as much an exercise in navigating the political economy as it is an alternative investment strategy. Practitioners must recognize its limitations and remember that change is the one constant.
Your Complete Guide to Factor-Based Investing is invaluable to practitioners who wish to design optimal portfolios. The authors define basic terms and discuss practical issues of implementation.
Sharing insights from top value investors, the authors discuss the strategies that make concentrated value investing profitable while revealing how to reduce and manage risk over time.