Customer Reviews

Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives with Derivagem CD (7th Edition)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the definitive introduction to derivatives. As evidence of its relevance, the following chapters are assigned to Financial Risk Manager (FRM) candidates: Hedging Strategies using Futures (Chapter 3), Determination of Forward and Futures Prices (5), Interest Rate Futures (6), Swaps (7), Properties of Stock Options (9), Trading Strategies Involving Options (10), Binomial Trees (11), Black-Scholes-Merton Model (13), Greeks (15), Volatility Smiles (16), Exotic Options (22).

Given that this is an expensive text, the most frequent question I get is, do I need to buy the latest edition? Perhaps you do not: the updates from fifth to sixth edition, and from sixth to seventh edition, have both been modest "version" upgrades. Here is a rule-of-thumb: the more introductory the topic (i.e., the earlier the chapter), the less likely you want/need the upgrade. The early chapters on futures, hedging, interest rate futures, swaps, and option pricing have barely changed since the fifth edition. Further, from what i can tell, the end-of-chapter questions are largely the same/similar.

In regard to the seventh, in addition to a number of refinements (e.g., some reorganization), the two noticeable differences are: a new chapter on valuation of employee stock option (a particular expertise of Hull's) and more material on certain credit derivatives (CDOs, credit default swap) including a bit more help on Gaussian copula. However, in regard to credit derivatives, in total, Hull gives a quick tour which may be challenging to the new learner. It is maybe not the best place to start for credit derivatives per se.

But, this is the gold standard, a work of art, as far as finance texts go. It may be an introduction but it offers encyclopedic breadth. I've read it several times over, worked most of the problems, taught from it, argued with it, and yet I keep needing to refer to it--Hull is the trusted adviser you call in a crunch, because you know he knows--full mastery is probably still years away.

I was planning to buy this book for a few years.
This is a classical book on Derivatives. A must have for anyone that is interested in learning how derivatives work and how to price them.
It provides good reasoning and intuitive ideas on risk-neutral pricing. I tried learning that from other books before but the main ideas are so well explained here that now I can understand what those other books say (concepts like market price of risk and the equivalent martingale result for change of numeraire). Interest rate derivatives are well introduced here and the new chapter on more numerical procedures extends the results from previous chapters to dynamics with stochastic volatility and so on.
So, this is a must have and basic reading book for any quant analyst.

For a book this expensive, you would think there would be solutions to the chapter problems but, beware, there are NOT. You must shell out another $40 to get the solutions manual. The chapters are well-written but how about the poor students?

Hull provides an excellent introduction to the world of financial engineering. I find myself referring to his text after years in industry. He glosses over more advanced topics such as variance reduction techniques, random number generation, and martingales, however he provides excellent references to these topics. I actually wish he wrote texts on credit and interest rate derivatives as, unlike many in the industry, John Hull can write elegantly and succinctly. He takes care to build up the topics in an intuitive way. His treatise of the Black Scholes model is a little light on details, however, Wilmott and Shreve pick up the slack in their texts.

I woul say this is a MUST buy for anyone who wants to work in finance.

Good book, Thank you! It is cheap and helpful for me! It is new inside the book. Thanks a lot.

Not just people in Sales & Trading / Structuring, but anyone who worries about the role of derivatives needs to first give this important book a read through: It simply and elegantly explains the role of derivatives.

Don't make judgments about things you don't understand: read hull and learn

It is suitable for person who are starting to study finance.All things about derivetives are told more detailed. There are many examples to explain terms.
This book is new and its quality is also very well.

great purchase. it works very well and is exactly as it was described. i would recommend this to a friend. i've been very happy with it.

The book had some highlighting that I didn't think would be there when i ordered it, but then I got the book and it had lots of highlighting. It wasn't exactly in the promised condition.

Even the subject cover by the book. The author masters in explaning it a lot of examples, comprehensive language and a lot of exercises.
I enjoyed the book and started to use it as a course book.