Product Description

This title sets out to equip the lay reader with a clear and thorough explanation of financial derivatives and how they work. It features an introduction to the entire realm of derivatives, utilising a range of real life examples to provide a broad outlook on the subject matter which is global in perspective. It also presents a lucid conceptual background to derivatives by avoiding unecessary technical details.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1326488 in Books
• Published on: 2001-05-26
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 203 pages

Review
"A great Read...perfect for senior managers and directors who need a non-technical understanding of what derivatives are all about." John Hull, Maple Financial Chair in Derivatives and Risk Management Director, Bonham Centre for Finance "Admirably fills the long-standing gap between highly technical texts on derivatives mathematics which often leave their readers unaware of the financial contexts of the uses of these instruments and popularisations which tend to emphasise disaster stories at the expense of communicating the key issues behind derivatives." Eric S. Reiner, UBS Warburg "In their new book father and son authors - Phelim and Feidlim Boyle have successfully demystified the subject in their informative and entertaining overview. The style and low price of this book not only puts derivatives within easy reach of the lay reader, but will also provided refreshing new insights for the more experienced practitioner." Swiss Derivatives Review, Published by Adams Associates "I found this book well worth a read. What it attempts, and achieves, is an unintimidating introduction to derivatives explaining their uses, highlighting the risks, and providing plenty of background and context." Leon Jones, The Actuary Magazine, December 2001

About the Author
Phelim Boyle grew up in Northern Ireland and was educated at Dreenan School and Queen's University in Belfast. He obtained a PhD in physics from Trinity College, Dublin and subsequently qualified as an actuary. He became enchanted with options in the early 1970s and since then, has published many papers on derivatives. Phelim was the first person to use the Monte Carlo method to value options. Currently he is Director of the Centre for Advanced Studies in Finance at the University of Waterloo, Canada where he holds the J. Page Wadsworth Chair in Finance. Feidhlim Boyle was born in Dublin and grew up in Vancouver, Edinburgh and Waterloo in Ontario. He received his undergraduate education in political science at Queen's University in Kingston and then a MPhil from Trinity College, Dublin. While attending the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, where he received his MBA, he served as a portfolio manager of the Cayuga Fund LLC. Feidhlim has several years of experience in a variety of roles within the equity divisions of ScotiaMcLeod Inc and Goldman, Sachs & Co. He lives in New York.

Customer Reviews

Harvard Business School - Working Knowledge, October 30, 2001

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Harvard Business School - Working Knowledge, October 30, 2001
By A Customer
Derivatives: The Tools That Changed Finance
by Phelim P. Boyle

Risk Books, 2001
HBSWK Pub. Date: Oct 22, 2001

If you start to feel queasy when the conversation turns to derivatives, this is the book for you. Finance professor Phelim Boyle and his fund manager son, Feidhlim, have teamed up to demystify derivatives for the layman in Derivatives: The Tools That Changed Finance. Starting with the underlying concepts behind derivatives, this dynamic duo explains what derivatives are, how they can decrease (or increase) risk, and how they work. Using analogies of tennis matches, hanging chads, and walks in the woods, the authors bring the concept of derivatives down to earth. If your company uses derivatives to manage risk, or you just want to know what they are all about, you'll get a great education with this small investment.