The Math Behind Wall Street: How the Market Works and How to Make It Work for You

By outlining and explaining the enigmatic terms and concepts used to track and ultimately determine stock movements, The Math Behind Wall Street: How the Market Works and How to Make it Work for You, by Bentley College mathematics professor Nicholas Teebagy, is designed to provide average investors with financial tools that usually are the province of professionals. Intimidated by the likes of ARCH/GARCH models and neural networks? Don't be. Teebagy begins by describing the basics of probability and risk in order to clarify the way that uncertain future events are taken into account to form a well-reasoned investment analysis. In clear language, and with the welcome assistance of numerous charts and graphs, he then goes on to specify how all this can be used to calculate the potential performance of an entire portfolio. Lastly, he offers an introduction to advanced topics such as the aforementioned ARCH/GARCH models (for tracking periods of continued volatility) and neural networks (which attempt to imitate the way human brains process information). While not for the fiscally faint of heart, this short but information-packed volume will assist serious investors as they try to keep ahead of evolving market trends. --Howard Rothman