Financial Claims and Derivatives

Financial Claims and Derivatives provides a thorough introduction to financial instruments, exploring both financial claims and financial derivatives. It also covers commodity derivatives. The text assumes no previous knowledge of economics or finance. To aid understanding, it uses a jargon-free approach, and it explains numerous examples, many of which are drawn from the financial press. The early chapters examine a wide range of financial claims, focusing especially on securities, and they include an introduction to the analysis of portfolios and asset pricing. The remaining chapters are concerned with derivatives, taking in turn forwards, futures, options and swaps. These chapters include a discussion of forward prices and future prices, and they also give a rigorous introduction to option pricing, where they apply the principles to many different types of option. This text gives an exceptionally clear account of financial claims and derivatives. It is invaluable for anyone wishing to grasp the basic concepts. All the key terms are carefully explained and the text and tables cover the data that is published regularly in the financial pages of the press.

King (economics, U. of Stirling) explains the main financial instruments currently in use in Britain. He assumes no prior knowledge of economics or finance and chooses his language accordingly, and combines hypothetical examples with examples of information published regularly in the press. Chapter-end questions support classroom use. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

David King is Head of English at St Andrew's Lutheran College on the Gold Coast and has also worked in a range of Catholic, Independent and State schools in Queensland. Dave was Project Officer for the Boys and Literacy Project and co-authored 'Boys and Literacy: Meeting the Challenge' (James Cook University and DEETYA). He is a regular presenter at and contributor to ETAQ conferences and workshops.