The complete guide to capital markets for quantitative professionals
by Alex Kuznetsov · first published 2007
88% recommend13% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A broad overview of the finance industry for technical readers, covering major markets, players and products, and roles open to quantitative or software people. Suits engineers moving into finance with no experience.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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I normally recommend The Complete Guide to Capital Markets for Quantitative Professionals by Alex Kuznetsov (despite the title you don't have to be a mathmo to read it, anyone with a technical mindset should be fine). I'd avoid relying upon articles like this one though, from my experience…
on “ Wall Street's Naked Swindle” ↗If you were allowed only the proverbial one book on the island, I'd recommend Kuznetsov's "The Complete Guide to Capital Markets for Quantitative Professionals". It is one of the rare books where the marketing blurb is actually a valid description: "...a comprehensive resource for readers with a background in science and technology who want to transfer their…
on “Ask HN: Good resources for learning+getting into Finance / Trading?” ↗If you're looking for an overarching guide to the finance industry - The Complete Guide to Capital Markets for Quantitative Professionals By Kuznetsov is a good book to start. This book explains the major financial markets, players and products, and what a technical/quantitative person could do there.
on “Quantly: News for quants” ↗The Complete Guide to Capital Markets for Quantitative Professionals http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Quantitative-Professionals-Mc... Great book. It's what I recommend to my new developers when we hire them without previous financial services experience.
on “Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?” ↗The Complete Guide to Capital Markets for Quantitative Professionals by Alex Kuznetsov is what I generally recommend developers entering investment banking to read. (despite "Quantitative Professionals" being in the title it's not math heavy, although you need to be able…
on “JPMorgan Pays for Shorting Madoff Without Telling Anyone” ↗…to SW development in the financial world (not quant though). I am currently halfway through a really excellent book aimed at technical people moving into finance (quant or otherwise). It's called The Complete Guide to Capital Markets for Quantitative Professionals" [0] (yes, I know, no prize for imaginative title). So far, it's been a fantastic read. Detailed, good information, and very well written. I saw the recommendation for the "Heard on the Street" book.…
on “How to Get a Quant Job in Finance” ↗…great to hear what your top recommendations are for books to read (I’ve noticed that your high-quality comments here on HN). Thanks. Books: Liar’s Poker, The Quants, Flash Boys, Against the Gods, The Complete Guide to Capital Markets for Quantitative Professionals MOOC courses: Financial Markets (Coursera), Computational Investing (Coursera), Mathematical Methods for Quantitative, Option Pricing (EdEx - got too difficult at the end) EDIT: Thanks for the pics,…
on “The History of the Black-Scholes Formula” ↗I really liked "The Complete Guide to Capital Markets for Quantitative Professionals"
on “Getting it wrong over coffee” ↗Would recommend the book The Complete Guide to Capital Markets for Quantitative Professionals, it's more an intro to how finance works rather than quant dev but will give you a sense of what it involves at a high-level.
on “Ask HN: What’s it like being a Quant or Quantitative Programmer” ↗I think "The Complete Guide to Capital Markets for Quantitative Professionals" comes close to what you're asking.
on “An Intern’s Guide to Trading” ↗This is OK as a book, I read much of it many years ago: The Complete Guide to Capital Markets for Quantitative Professionals (McGraw-Hill Library of Investment & Finance) Hardcover – 1 Dec 2006 by Alex Kuznetsov A book on trading is prob more useful. There are many public specs of exchanges. For example: http://www.cmegroup.com/confluence/display/EPICSANDBOX/MDP+3...…
on “Nanex Gets $700k Whistleblower Award from SEC” ↗