Essays in Derivatives (Frank J. Fabozzi Series) [Paperback]

Don M. Chance (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1998 | ISBN-10: 1883249465 | ISBN-13: 978-1883249465 | Edition: 1

Essays in Derivatives provides detailed coverage of various financial products related to derivatives in seven key areas: derivatives and their markets, the basic instruments, derivative pricing, derivative strategies, exotic instruments, and fixed income securities and derivatives.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Essays in Derivatives provides detailed coverage of various financial products related to derivatives in seven key areas: derivatives and their markets, the basic instruments, derivative pricing, derivative strategies, exotic instruments, and fixed income securities and derivatives.

Product Details

• Paperback: 333 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883249465
• ISBN-13: 978-1883249465
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,893,320 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Primer on Derivatives, November 5, 1999

By 

William Falloon, Corporate Editor, RISK Magaz... - See all my reviews

This review is from: Essays in Derivatives (Frank J. Fabozzi Series) (Paperback)

"Someone told me that each equation I included in the book would halve the sales," said theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in his landmark book, A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME. "I therefore resolved not to have any equations at all." Such a philosophy seems to have been adopted by 47-year-old Don M. Chance, First Union Professor of Financial Risk Management at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. In his new book, ESSAYS IN DERIVATIVES, Chance prides himself on keeping derivatives simple. It's a "Strunk & White" approach to talking about derivatives, and it works well for him. Originally a collection of 41 easy-to-read essays that first appeared on the web under the heading, "Derivatives Research Unincorporated", the book now includes 70 essays written with only a minimal amount of mathematical equations. All of the essays, says Chance, were re-edited and purged of the informal tone they sometimes took with Internet surfers when it was only an e-book. The idea of writing a derivatives book for those who prefer words to equations (or should I say, those like myself who understand words but not equations) appears to bode well for Chance. The book is a breeze to read, but quite informative. The e-book has also grown in breadth since first appearing on the web. After all, when Chance sometimes failed to add additional essays on a regular basis to the first 20 he originally penned, a spew of phone calls and emails came from a growing cult of derivatives readers on the Internet. "I was beginning to feel like the Ann Landers of derivatives," notes Chance in the preface to his new book. Ann Landers he may be, but the book is better than just some free advice. It is solid information for the right price. And I recommend it.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don Chance knows his Derivatives!, December 6, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Essays in Derivatives (Frank J. Fabozzi Series) (Paperback)

I am just about done with my MBA, and I have to say this is must-have book for the shelf. I read it cover to cover and now I find myself going to it for quick reference. It is really comprehensive and very thorough. The language is not the usual dense "academese," and I am most thankful to have--set forth in three short essays toward the end of the book--the differences in option pricing theory. This is the best overview on option pricing I've read yet.