When it first published in
spring 1998, Derivatives: The Wild Beast of Finance made bold predictions and
recommendations for the future of global finance. Alfred Steinherr explained that, without
effective risk management, the incredible explosion in the use and value of derivatives
could destabilise the entire global market structure. His views and suggested solutions
were not universally accepted. And then, suddenly, in the space of a few months many of
the inherent dangers he set out became reality - the Asian crisis took a vicious toll on
the tiger economies and the Russian bear collapsed, heralding the ultimate destruction of
the most celebrated hedge fund of recent years - Long-Term Capital Management. The
knock-on effect of the LTCM collapse was so severe that the US Fed was forced to
intervene. In this extensively revised paperback edition, Alfred Steinherr brings the
story up to date and uses the opportunity to analyse and reflect on the effectiveness of
the solutions he offered first time around. Much of the more technical material from the
original edition has been removed to produce a highly readable and thought-provoking
explanation of the origins and benefits of global finance, while once again assessing the
dangers - imagined and real - that still lurk within this fascinating world. Time alone
will tell how much heed is taken this time. "Alfred Steinherr has written a
fascinating book that examines the role derivatives play in developing the world economy
today, and the part they will have in shaping the financial markets of tomorrow.. For
practitioners, officials and students alike, Steinherr has provided a lively and
informative canter through the world of derivatives." Investors Digest ". a
welcome departure from most texts on the topic. Books on derivatives seem either to be
ludicrously sensationalist or steeped in higher level mathematics. In contrast, this work
by Alfred Steinherr is both accessible and rigorous." Investment Adviser ". will
give a useful insight into the relationship between the derivatives market and the wider
financial markets to the general reader.. a highly informative read for those who really
want to get to grips with what the derivatives markets are all about." The Investor
"Steinherr brings a lucid approach to a complex topic with this book [and] has
produced a comprehensive overview which manages to combine a readable style with
considerable detail and thought-provoking ideas for the future." European Fund Manage
Table of Contents
Preface to the Revised
Paperback Edition
Introduction
Part I A Look Back
1 Evolution of Finance
Venice, April 1470
1 The functions of finance
2 The first step towards
managing financial risk: diversification and collateral
3 The second step towards
managing financial risk: limited liability, bankruptcy laws, seniority rules,
balance-sheet structure
4 The third step towards
managing financial risk: creating tradable instruments and liquidity in organised markets
5 The final step towards
managing financial risk: derivatives and financial engineering
6 Could the acceleration in
financial innovation since 1970 have been predicted?
7 Conclusion
Notes
2 The Americanisation of
Global Finance
Minnesota Banc Corporation
1 The emergence of the
American model of finance
2 The crowning achievement:
risk-management finance
3 Maintaining market
liquidity: the sine qua non of the "American model"
4 Global finance: the result
of exporting the "American model"
5 Conclusion
Notes
3 Dramatic Events
How George Soros sees it
1 The EMS crisis of
1992-93
2 Metallgesellschaft: in the
red or in the black?
3 Barings: victim of
high-leveraged speculation and loose controls
4 Bankers Trust: caveat
emptor
5 David Askin: the fallen
star of the mortgage-backed securities sky
6 Instability in emerging
markets: Mexican tequila
7 Hedge funds and the
collapse of LTCM
8 Conclusion
Notes
Part II Derivatives and
Their Markets
4 The Revolution in Risk
Management
Farming for the future
1 What can derivatives
achieve?
2 Price discovery and
volatility
3 Is risk management a
fundamental corporate objective?
4 Risk management: science
or fad?
5 Risk management: some
examples
6 Conclusion
Notes
5 Mutualisation of Risk on
Exchanges
Chicago's other side
1 Evolution of
exchange-traded financial derivatives
2 Organisation of the
exchanges
3 What makes a successful
exchange-traded contract?
4 New product developments
on the exchanges
5 Exchanges for a global
market
6 Conclusion
Notes
6 Customised Risk Management
in OTC Markets
How to lose money on a long
put when markets crash
1 Market developments
2 Significant bank
involvement
3 Contagion risk
4 Regulatory inadequacies
for the specificities of OTC markets
5 New developments
6 Conclusion Notes
Part III Public Policy
Options
7 Are Derivatives a Threat
to Global Financial Stability?
The global financial crash
of October 2002
1 Systemic risk illustrated
with the crises in Asia and Russia
2 Derivatives: the dynamite
for financial crises
3 Global derivative finance:
the fuse for contagion
4 Conclusion Notes
8 Challenges for the
Established Financial Order
The butterflies of finance
1 The classical paradigm of
financial policy
2 Paradise lost
3 Reducing systemic risk:
the Basle approach
4 Conclusion Notes
9 A Financial Policy Model
for the Next Century
The challenge of global
money
1 Reform of the
international financial system
2 The architecture for
regulatory rethinking
3 Risk management through
clearing-houses
4 Phasing out the banking
franchise and institutional regulation
5 Redefining the
relationship between central banks and financial intermediaries
6 Conclusion Notes
Part IV A Look into the
Future
10 Derivatives: the Future
of Finance
Antofagasta (Chile), summer
of 2020
1 The ascent of
institutional investors
2 Ownership and corporate
governance
3 Macro futures
4 Real estate futures
5 The end of banking?
6 Conclusion Notes
11 Conclusions
1 The origin of the species
2 OTC versus exchange-traded
contracts
3 Americanisation of global
finance
4 Risk management: one of
the most important innovations of the 20th century
5 Work of the devil or
social benefit?
6 Financial structure in the
21st century
7 Shifts of power
8 Crystal ball gazing
Glossary
References
Index
308 pages