Quantitative Methods For Investment Analysis [Hardcover]

Richard A. DeFusco (Author), Dennis W. McLeavey (Author), Jerald E. Pinto (Author), David E. Runkle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2004 | ISBN-10: 1932495088 | ISBN-13: 978-1932495089 | Edition: 2

Quantitative Methods for Investment Analysis, Second Edition responds to the need for a globally relevant guide to applying quantitative analysis to the investment process. It provides the evenness of subject matter treatment, consistency of mathematical notation, and continuity of topic coverage so critical to the learning process. Examples and problems are investment oriented and reflect the global investment community. This second edition of an authoritative treatment of quantitative methods in investments serves readers worldwide as part of the Chartered Financial Analyst® curriculum. Valuable for self-study and general reference, this textbook provides clear, example-driven coverage of the range of quantitative methods the investment professional needs to know. The illustrative in-chapter problems and the extensive end-of-chapter questions and problems serve to reinforce learning and understanding of the material.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard A. DeFusco, CFA, is an associate professor of finance at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). He earned his CFA charter in 1999. A member of the Omaha-Lincoln Society of Financial Analysts, he also serves on committees for CFA Institute. Dr. DeFusco’s primary teaching interest is investments, and he coordinates the Cornhusker Fund, UNL’s student-managed investment fund. He is the author of a number of journal articles, primarily in the field of finance. Dr. DeFusco earned his bachelor’s degree in management science from the University of Rhode Island and his doctoral degree in finance from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Dennis W. McLeavey, CFA, is director for curriculum at CFA Institute. He earned his CFA charter in 1990. During the early 1990s, Dr. McLeavey taught in the Boston University and the Boston Security Analysts Society’s CFA review programs. Prior to joining CFA Institute in 2000, he served on various committees in the organization. Most recently, he coauthored the fifth edition of International Investments with Bruno Solnik. He is also a coauthor of the CFA Institute textbook Analysis of Equity Investments: Valuation, as well as two college textbooks, Production Planning and Inventory Control and Operations Research for Management Decisions. During his 25-year academic career, he taught at the University of Western Ontario, the University of Connecticut, the University of Rhode Island (where he founded a student-managed fund), and Babson College. He also served as chair of the CFA Institute Retirement Investment Policy Committee and is a New York Stock Exchange Arbitrator. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Western Ontario and a doctorate in production management and industrial engineering from Indiana University. Jerald E. Pinto, CFA, is director in the CFA Program Division at CFA Institute. Previously, he was principal of TRM Services in New York City, where he consulted to corporations, foundations, and partnerships in investment planning, portfolio analysis, and quantitative analysis. Dr. Pinto also taught finance at the New York University Stern School of Business after working in the banking and investment industries in New York City. He was a visiting scholar at CFA Institute and is a coauthor of the CFA Institute textbook Analysis of Equity Investments: Valuation. He holds an MBA from Baruch College and a PhD in finance from the Stern School. David E. Runkle, CFA, is principal and research manager at Piper Jaffray. He is an adjunct professor of finance in the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, where he teaches equity security analysis. Previously, Dr. Runkle was a research officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. He is the author of more than 20 academic articles and the recipient of a number of awards, including the Wriston Prize for Outstanding Teaching (Brown University), the Elijah Watt Sells Award for outstanding performance on the Certified Public Accountant examination, and a four-star rating as an outstanding professor in the Business Week Guide to the Best Business Schools. Dr. Runkle is a member of the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants and a member of the CFA Institute Financial Accounting Policy Committee. He received a BA in economics from Carleton College and a PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 721 pages
• Publisher: CFA Institute; 2 edition (July 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932495088
• ISBN-13: 978-1932495089
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #78,526 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Think twice before buying, March 7, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Quantitative Methods for Investment Analysis (Hardcover)

I have purchased this book because it was recommended reading for the CFA program.
Unfortunately, this book has really disappointed me. The author explains nothing but general statistics but attempts to add an "investment dimension" to his explanations. The writing style is anything but educational. The output is a unstructured, complicated and uncomprehensive text with examples that only add to your confusion. In many of the passages you get lost and don't understand what the author is trying to get across to you or where he is leading. The author frequently jumps from one topic to another and skips important information, not to mention the numerous printing errors in the text. I found myself struggling on one of the passages half an hour, when I finally decided to look up the same topic in the statistics book in the library. It explained everything in a matter of seconds.
Think twice before buying this book. Get ANY introductory business statistics text (e.g. Statistics for Management and Economics by Gerald Keller) - they ALL cover the SAME topics in a MUCH more understandable way.

31 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Only average textbook, December 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Quantitative Methods for Investment Analysis (Hardcover)

This book does not do a good job in explaining the basic concepts of Statistics and how to apply it for quantitative analysis of Investments. The only reason why this book sells is that it is part of the recommended texts for the CFA program and the authors are part of the AIMR board. I am pursing the CFA charter as well as my masters in Economics and I would suggest the book "Introductory Statistics" by Thomas H. Wonnacott, Ronald J. Wonnacott which does an awesome job in explaining the basic concepts of Statistics. You would understand WHY we do such and such instead of memorizing formulae.

11 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A big improvement, April 21, 2004

By 

dean_from_sa (Plano,TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Quantitative Methods for Investment Analysis (Hardcover)

This text is a great improvement over the material the CFA program used in the mid-90s. Since it is intended to provide a survey of basic statistics and their applications in finance, it would be wrong to expect a deep treatise on any one subject. There are many real world applications used to describe the concepts tackled in this book. The learning outcomes listed at the beginning of each chapter provide a road map for the reader so that all salient points will be absorbed.

Will this book be the only one you will need to become a quantitative analyst? No, but it is a great starting point. If you are desiring more depth perhaps a review of the abstracts on the AIMR website would lead you more involved, scholarly efforts.