Investment Science by David G. Luenberger

Product Description

Fueled in part by some extraordinary theoretical developments in finance, an explosive growth of information and computing technology, and the global expansion of investment activity, investment theory currently commands a high level of intellectual attention. Recent developments in the field
are being infused into university classrooms, financial service organizations, business ventures, and into the awareness of many individual investors. Modern investment theory using the language of mathematics is now an essential aspect of academic and practitioner training.
Representing a breakthrough in the organization of finance topics, Investment Science will be an indispensable tool in teaching modern investment theory. It presents sound fundamentals and shows how real problems can be solved with modern, yet simple, methods. David Luenberger gives thorough yet
highly accessible mathematical coverage of standard and recent topics of introductory investments: fixed-income securities, modern portfolio theory and capital asset pricing theory, derivatives (futures, options, and swaps), and innovations in optimal portfolio growth and valuation of multiperiod
risky investments. Throughout the book, he uses mathematics to present essential ideas of investments and their applications in business practice. The creative use of binomial lattices to formulate and solve a wide variety of important finance problems is a special feature of the book.
In moving from fixed-income securities to derivatives, Luenberger increases naturally the level of mathematical sophistication, but never goes beyond algebra, elementary statistics/probability, and calculus. He includes appendices on probability and calculus at the end of the book for student
reference. Creative examples and end-of-chapter exercises are also included to provide additional applications of principles given in the text.
Ideal for investment or investment management courses in finance, engineering economics, operations research, and management science departments, Investment Science has been successfully class-tested at Boston University, Stanford University, and the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, and used
in several firms where knowledge of investment principles is essential. Executives, managers, financial analysts, and project engineers responsible for evaluation and structuring of investments will also find the book beneficial. The methods described are useful in almost every field, including
high-technology, utilities, financial service organizations, and manufacturing companies.
Product Details
Amazon Sales Rank: #69936 in Books
Published on: 1997-07-03
Number of items: 1
Binding: Hardcover
512 pages
Editorial Reviews

Review
"A great book. Professor Luenberger has created a masterpiece that can serve as both an excellent introduction for novices and as a rich source of examples and well explained fundamental principles for more advanced readers."--Milan Lukic, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

"Outstanding book. Very intuitive development of a reasonably mathematical subject. Log-optimal integrated into main budget theory. Excellent."--Edwin T. Burton, University of Virginia

"An excellent text. It is unique in being as precise as a mathematically oriented reader could wish re: financial jargon."--Viswanath Ramakrishna, University of Texas at Dallas

Advance Praise

"Options and continuous-time finance are important enough to warrant a whole course in MBA programs. David Luenberger's book makes continuous time finance accessible to any student who has mastered elementary calculus and probability theory, and motivates the subject by using it to solve a broad range of option-type problems relating to stock, bond, and commodity markets." -- Jack Treynor, President, Treynor Capital Management, Inc.

"This textbook takes a refreshing approach to the science of investing. It is extremely well-written. Financial principles and ideas are laid out clearly and in an orderly fashion. The proofs to theorems are elegant yet intuitive." -- Joseph Cherian, Department of Finance, School of Management, Boston University

"Investment Science is a wonderful textbook treatment of investment theory for the quantitatively-minded undergraduate or masters student. This book is typical of David Luenberger's uncanny way of simplifying complex technical material without loss of rigor. He divides and conquers the subject, starting with the basics of simple fixed-income securities, and building up to the valuation and hedging of derivative securities in a dynamic setting under uncertainty. There is a lovely interplay of arbitrage calculations, portfolio selection for individual investors, and market equilibrium. The book will be especially valuable for those entering the subject from other quantitative fields."--Darrell Duffie, Stanford University Graduate School of Business

"The book is very clearly written and introduces advanced concepts (e.g. duration and convexity of bonds) in relatively simple and intuitive ways early in the book. There are lots of carefully thought out examples to illustrate important points and applications of particular methodologies. Overall, the book does a great job of taking a reader who knows essentially nothing about finance from very basic concepts up through rather advanced valuation topics." -- James E. Hodder, University of Wisconsin-Madison

"This text is a breakthrough in the organization of very important theory." --Lloyd Nirenberg, Director, Business Development, National Semiconductor Corp.

"This book provides great insights and practical approaches for anyone interested in the relation between markets and decisions. It is written in a unique and creative manner." --Nick V. Arvanitidis, CEO,IDEA GmbH., and Former CEO, Sequus Pharmaceuticals

About the Author
David G. Luenberger, Professor in Engineering-Economics Systems and Operations Research, Stanford University. He has written several successful books with Addison-Wesley and John Wiley publishers.
Customer Reviews

The book's a book
The book was fine, but the shipping was absolutely horrible. This is the first and last time I ever try to buy a textbook online - I hate UPS!

It might be a good finance book,
but it's a terrible math book.

Too often, explanations, examples, and problems do not clearly explain the meanings of variables and applicable assumptions. This poor presentation of material makes the book barely usable to someone trying to learn the material for the first time.

superb coverage of subject matter
Prof. Luenberger currently teaches at Stanford and this book is used as the textbook for a 2-quarter series in investment science there. The coverage is concise and the math is manageable and yet extremely practical. I agree that this an excellent self-study book in the subject of investment science.