Futures and Options: Theory and Applications (Current Issues in Finance Series)

Rating:
Summary: Too technical with few clear examples
Review: This book contains the most of the relevant topics regarding futures, options and derivatives. However, it lacks a discussion of interest rate swaps.

The most glaring flaw of the book is its technical depth without accompanying examples that are clear and explanatory. Furthermore, the index in the back of the book is not cross-referenced well to the topics you would expect (and are contained) in the book.

I would highly suggest purchasing an alternative book on the same topic by John C. Hull, Options, Futures and Derivatives. Hull's book contains much clearer examples without losing the technical theory necessary to obtain a complete understanding of the topic.

Rating:
Summary: A must buy for those who want to understand derivatives
Review: This book is truly one of the best of its kind. It introduces all the basics of futures and options that you need to know and also presents the mathematical details in a reasonable way. The text is extremely clear and easy to read and allows you to really understand the technical details of difficult subjects like option pricing. I was surprised to find step by step calculations and derivations of all necessary mathematical results. This is very essential when you want to obtain a solid understanding of derivatives. Derivatives books like that of John C. Hull are full of real world examples. This is something you won't find in this book. Nevertheless it is a great book for the beginner as well as the advanced. It is a must buy!