Mathematics and Statistics for Financial Risk Management

Mathematics and Statistics for Financial Risk Management is a practical guide to modern financial risk management for both practitioners and academics. The recent financial crisis and its impact on the broader economy underscore the importance of financial risk management in today's world. At the same time, financial products and investment strategies are becoming increasingly complex. Today, it is more important than ever that risk managers possess a sound understanding of mathematics and statistics. In a concise and easy-to-read style, each chapter introduces a different topic in mathematics or statistics. As different techniques are introduced, sample problems and application sections demonstrate how these techniques can be applied to actual risk management problems. Exercises at the end of each chapter and the accompanying solutions at the end of the book allow readers to practice the techniques they are learning and monitor their progress. A companion web site includes interactive Excel spreadsheet examples and templates. This comprehensive resource covers basic statistical concepts from standard deviation and correlation to regression analysis and hypothesis testing. Widely used risk models, including value at risk, factor analysis, Monte Carlo simulation, and stress testing are also explored. Time series analysis, interest rate modeling, optimal hedging, and many other financial topics are covered as well. The Second Edition of this popular guide includes two new chapters. The first new chapter, on multivariate distributions, explores important concepts for measuring the risk of portfolios, including joint distributions and copulas. The other new chapter, on Bayesian analysis, explores an approach to statistical analysis that is particularly useful in dealing with the short, noisy data sets that risk managers often face in practice. Mathematics and Statistics for Financial Risk Management is an indispensable reference for today's financial risk professional.