The Business of Investment Banking: A Comprehensive Overview

In recent years, monumental events have altered the financial landscape, and the investment banking industry has been likewise transformed.

In the United States, deregulation has permitted new affiliations among banks, securities firms, and insurance companies, allowing them to offer a broader range of services. At the same time, deregulation overseas has spurred investment in foreign markets and accelerated a sweeping trend toward globalization. On the other hand, corporate scandals like those at Enron and WorldCom have prompted Congress to impose stringent new regulations in an effort to restore public confidence in the capital markets. Meanwhile, advances in information technology have changed the way Wall Street firms present their products to the public and have made vast informational resources available online.

Investment banks must navigate the shifting regulatory terrain and counter mounting competition, while taking full advantage of burgeoning investment banking opportunities. In meeting these challenges, timely and accurate information is a critical asset.

In The Business of Investment Banking, Dr. K. Thomas Liaw provides an inclusive, up-to-date guide to the evolving investment banking industry. In this new edition, Dr. Liaw offers a substantial revision of his bestselling text, responding to requests from educators and professionals alike.

Incorporating the most recent developments in the industry, the author describes:

• Financial holding companies, full-service investment banks, boutique investment banks, and their lines of businesses
• Strategies for risk management, such as market risk, credit risk, operating risk, reputation risk, legal risk, and funding risk
• Career opportunities in investment banking, career paths, recruitment, and the application and interview process
• Key investment banking operations, including venture capital and buyouts, M&A services, equity underwriting, debt underwriting, securitization, financial engineering, investment management, and securities services
• Fundamentals for successful trading, arbitrage strategies, and technical trading techniques
• Regulatory issues and strategies relating to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and analyst conflict of interest
• Ethics and professionalism

In addition, Dr. Liaw discusses investment banking opportunities in China, Japan, the EMU, and emerging markets, as well as the special challenges that come with globalization.

A staple of industry training programs and a valued reference among banking professionals in its first edition, The Business of Investment Banking, Second Edition adds a wealth of new information to an already indispensable practical resource.

Dr. K. THOMAS LIAW holds a PhD from Northwestern University and is Chairman of the Department of Economics and Finance at St. John's University. He has written several books on investment banking, capital markets, stocks and bonds, and China's banking and securities markets. He has co-edited several books on emerging markets and has published numerous articles in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, swaps, repurchase agreements, and market risks. He speaks on the subjects of investment banking and capital markets at corporate programs and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation and World Bank conferences. He is President of the Chinese American Academic and Professional Society, a director of State Bancorp, Inc., and the State Bank of Long Island, and a practicing consultant who has advised several companies.