February 2011

The Evolution Of Technical Analysis
(212 pages, $29.95 hardcover, 2010, ISBN 978-1-576-60349-9) by Andrew W. Lo and Jasmina Hasanhodzic, published by Bloomberg Press, an imprint of John Wiley & Sons.

For years, technical analysis has been misconceived as gambling or magic. This form of “voodoo finance” has sought to spot trends in the market, past, present, and future. This work presents an account of the origins and development of this “black art” from ancient times to the rise of Wall Street as a world financial center. With deep roots in antiquity, technical analysis is part art, part science, seeking to divine predictable patterns in historical market prices. What started as superstitions and coincidences has developed into widespread practices involving computational algorithms and visualization techniques.

Additional information: www.wiley.com

How To Make Money In Stocks: 4th Ed.
(454 pages, $16.95 paperback, 2009, ISBN 978-0-07-161413-9) by William J. O’Neil, published by McGraw-Hill.

Through every type of market, this book has helped millions of investors learn the secrets of building wealth. This expanded, updated edition gives proven techniques for finding winning stocks before they make big gains, and give tips on picking the best stocks, mutual funds, and exchange traded funds (Etfs) to maximize your gains. There are 100 new charts and strategies to help you avoid the 21 most common investor mistakes.

Additional information: www.mhprofessional.com

Increasing Alpha With Options
(216 pages, $55 hardcover, 2010, ISBN 978-1-576-60365-9) by Scott H. Fullman, published by Bloomberg Press, an imprint of John Wiley & Sons.

Most of today’s money managers face pressure to increase alpha while protecting capital. These people must also be wary of changing market conditions that alter their most efficient strategies. Throughout his career, the author has used technical analysis to create strategies using options. This book outlines trading strategies using a combination of technical analysis, market indicators, and options. Options used with technical analysis can help avoid pitfalls and achieve alpha. Understanding how can make a difference to your portfolio’s bottom line.

Additional information: www.wiley.com

The Quant Investor’s Almanac 2011
(198 pages, $49.95 paperback, 2010, ISBN 978-0-470-63561-2) by Irene Aldridge and Seven Krawciw, published by John Wiley & Sons.

Quantitative investing has been shown to generate steady returns. However, those deploying quantitative investment strategies have closely guarded their secrets. This book was designed to help overcome this obstacle. It makes cutting-edge quantitative investment strategies accessible to all investors. This guide puts quantitative investing in perspective and provides the insights needed to manage a portfolio within such a framework. It focuses on strategies associated with some of today’s most accessible financial vehicles; stocks, bonds, mutual funds, Etfs, and more. Each section of the book outlines the latest quantitative investment strategies, explaining the key ideas behind each one and enabling you to deploy them in markets around the world.

Additional information: www.wiley.com

Tradestream Your Way To Profit
(284 pages, $27.95 hardcover, 2010, ISBN 978-0-470-57511-6) by Zack Miller, published by John Wiley & Sons.

The remarkable growth of social media, as in Facebook and Twitter, has provided an unprecedented level of access to some of the world’s most talented investors and resources. Through this work, the author embodies the nexus between asset management, equity research, and new Internet distribution technologies. He outlines a new way to look at investing that utilizes the Internet and social media to research and mimic successful investing strategies. Some of the strategies have been studied closely, while others are so new that they’re just beginning to be researched. Most of them can be implemented via free websites. The Internet has created some new models and methods for researching and making investments. This book explores the changes and explains how you can benefit from them.

Additional information: www.wiley.com

Zero-Sum Game
(256 pages, $27.95 hardcover, 2011, ISBN 978-0-470-62420-3) by Erika S. Olson, published by John Wiley & Sons.

This is the story of the multibillion-dollar bidding war that took place in 2007 between the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (Cme) and the Intercontinental Exchange (Ice) for the Chicago Board Of Trade (Cbot). Written by a former managing director at the Cbot, this work takes readers past the security guards, past the trading floor, and into the executive offices and the behind-the-scenes battle that led finally to the merger of bitter cross-town rivals Cbot and Cme into the Cme Group, which now controls 98% of the regulated futures market in the US. The author makes the inner workings of futures exchanges accessible, explaining what these institutions do, and who benefits from investing in derivatives. She also provides background and insight on the men in control. This is the inside story of how the world’s largest exchange came to be, and how it altered the landscape of the financial services industry.

Additional information: www.wiley.com