Introduction to the Economics and Mathematics of Financial Markets (The MIT Press) - Hardcover

Cvitanic, Jaksa; Zapatero, Fernando

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0262033208 ISBN 13: 9780262033206

Publisher: MIT Press, 2004

Synopsis

An innovative textbook for use in advanced undergraduate and graduate courses; accessible to students in financial mathematics, financial engineering and economics.

Introduction to the Economics and Mathematics of Financial Markets fills the longstanding need for an accessible yet serious textbook treatment of financial economics. The book provides a rigorous overview of the subject, while its flexible presentation makes it suitable for use with different levels of undergraduate and graduate students. Each chapter presents mathematical models of financial problems at three different degrees of sophistication: single-period, multi-period, and continuous-time. The single-period and multi-period models require only basic calculus and an introductory probability/statistics course, while an advanced undergraduate course in probability is helpful in understanding the continuous-time models. In this way, the material is given complete coverage at different levels; the less advanced student can stop before the more sophisticated mathematics and still be able to grasp the general principles of financial economics.

The book is divided into three parts. The first part provides an introduction to basic securities and financial market organization, the concept of interest rates, the main mathematical models, and quantitative ways to measure risks and rewards. The second part treats option pricing and hedging; here and throughout the book, the authors emphasize the Martingale or probabilistic approach. Finally, the third part examines equilibrium models—a subject often neglected by other texts in financial mathematics, but included here because of the qualitative insight it offers into the behavior of market participants and pricing.

About this title

About the Authors

Jaksa Cvitanic is Professor of Mathematical Finance at the California Institute of Technology and Professor of Finance at EDHEC Business School.

Fernando Zapatero is Robert G. Kirby Chair in Behavioral Finance and Professor of Finance and Business Economics at the University of Southern California.

Edition details

• Publisher: MIT Press
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0262033208
• ISBN 13: 9780262033206
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 448