Financial Derivatives

Financial Derivatives procides a thorough introduction to finacial derivatives designed to supplement a wide range of university finance and economics courses.
The text has two principle goals. First, it offers a broad overview of the different types of financial derivatives futures, options, options on futures, and swaps - while focusing on the principles that determine market prices. Second, the text presents financial derivatives as tools for risk management in a corporate setting, rather than as instruments of speculation. This approach is consistent with tye emergence of financial institutions and corporations as dominant forces in markets for financial derivatives. A new chapter 6, Risk Management and Finacial Engineering reflects the maturation of financial engineering as a financial speciality and illustrates how financial engineers use derivatives to manage risk.

Financial Derivatives provides a thorough introduction to financial derivatives and their importance to risk management in the corporate setting. The book has two principal goals: to offer a broad overview of the different types of financial derivatives while focusing on the principals that determine market prices, and to present financial derivatives as a tool for risk management in a corporate setting rather than as instruments of speculation.

Professor Robert W. Kolb taught investments at the University of Miami until 1996. He is the author and editor of over a dozen books and numerous articles on finance and investments. Kolb currently devotes his time to writing and research, especially in the areas of futures markets, investments and bond portfolio management.