Training on Futures & Options

BlackSwan intends to conduct a training program on F&O during NOV 5-7,2011 and repeat the same course on NOV 19-21,2011.

1. Signals from F&O by Devangshu Datta my favorite analyst here.
2. Measuring Volatility here.
3. Another good piece by Devangshu Datta.
4. Conquering Volatility
5. Article on F&O strategies as a template for analyzing market movement.

Infact, a collection of his articles in Smart Investor of Business Standard every Tuesday will make one a well informed trader or investor in Derivatives.

First Day of IPO Listing: Wild & Spurious Volatility

IPO Listing day fluctuations are abnormal. As CNBC anchors term it there are lot of fun and games in these counters as there are no price bands on listing day.

1. Financial Express on Listing Day Volatility
2. Report on IPO listing day volatility in Business Standard
3. Prithvi Haldea of Prime database on Listing Day price bands.
4. SEBI's earlier proposal of 25% price band on first day of IPO Listing.
5. DNA on the Violence of Volatility of New Listings. One has to participate to experience the abrupt price fluctuations.
6. Will pre-opening trade help in case of IPOs Listing day fluctuations ?
7. IPO manipulation behind these violent moves ? Sucheta Dalal here
8. Research article on IPO pricing
9. Scholarly article on IPO pricing. Infact the vast amount of availability of academic literature makes the study of financial markets endlessly fascinating and intellectually satisfying. A motivated student of financial markets can grasp all aspects of an issue from various sources and form an informed opinion.
10. Another article by SSS Kumar who is an alumni of SVUSBM and a student of Dr M S REDDY who is my professor at Tirupati.
11. Information assymetry in IPO pricing may necessitate not applying price bands on Day 1.
12. Today( Oct 23,2011)'s new listing VASWANI has allegations of dummy IPO subscription.  
13. Related Article on  Vaswani
14. Always fascinating prose by Dr Ajay Shah on IPOs. He reminds me of Larry Harris of Trading & Exchanges. His articles on Indian Finance together with Dr Susan Thomas of IGIDR will be a GITA on Indian Finance & Markets. Infact Dr Susan Thomas web page contains lot of notes on Econometrics and Finance which is a feast for students of Finance and Financial econometrics.
15. Another respected thinker on Indian Finance even quoted in India's Financial Markets Book.
16. MoneyLife on IPO manipulation

Must Read Finance Authors

During my approx 20 years of fascination for the subject of  Finance & Markets , I came across many fantastic authors which I will try to recollect here.

1. Bodie, Kane, Marcus on Investments
2. Luenberger  with Investment Science
3. Paul Willmott on Derivatives & Quantitative Finance
4. Aswath Damodaran on Investment Valuation
5. Larry Harris on Trading & Exchanges
6. Victor Niederhoffer on SPECULATION
7. Brett Steenbarger on Trading Psychology
8. N N Taleb on  Hedging &  Randomness
9. Anderson & Sweeney on Statistics
10. Fabozzi on Fixed Income
11. Ajay Shah & Susan Thomas on India's Financial Markets
12. Chris Brooks on Financial Econometrics
13. Hull on Options & Futures
14. Elton & Gruber on Portfolio Theory
15. Fuller & Farrel  on Investments
16. FX Diebold on Forecasting
17. Snedcor on Statistical Methods
18. J R Verma on Derivatives & Risk Management
19. Mark Hirschey on Investments - More on the Behavorial aspect.

BlackBox Sellers of Trading Education

Today I have attended a Seminar ( rather a sales pitch !) by a person in Hyderabad who wants to sell his 3-Day workshop and Trading Software.

1. The company's 3-Day workshop is priced at approx  Rs 40000/-.
2. All techniques of influencing the audience were used by the Trading system seller. Like anchoring the seminar  benefits to Rs 200000/- worth.
3. I personally could not identify with the speaker's motivational seminar with rather using flowery analogies, exaggerated claims, quoting outliers as if they are normal!
4. You can check the company's website  here
5. I would rather refer all my friends to Dr Brett  at www.traderfeed.blogspot.com
6. You have a life time of learning resources here by Dr Brett
7. I take the liberty to recommend you the book TRADING & EXCHANGES by Larry Harris for Rs 400 at 1 % of the company's workshop.