Theory of Financial Risk and Derivative Pricing: From Statistical Physics to Risk Management

Summarizing market data developments, some inspired by statistical physics, this book explains how to better predict the actual behavior of financial markets with respect to asset allocation, derivative pricing and hedging, and risk control. Risk control and derivative pricing are major concerns to financial institutions. The need for adequate statistical tools to measure and anticipate amplitude of potential moves of financial markets is clearly expressed, in particular for derivative markets. Classical theories, however, are based on assumptions leading to systematic (sometimes dramatic) underestimation of risks.

Jean-Philippe Bouchaud co-founded the company Science & Finance, which merged with Capital Fund Management (CFM) in 2000, where he now supervises the research team with Marc Potters. He teaches statistical mechanics and finance in various Grandes Écoles, and has worked at CRNS and CEA-Saclay. He was awarded the CRNS Silver Medal in 1996.

Marc Potters has been Head of Research at CFM since 1998, where he supervises thirty physics PhD's. He has published numerous articles in the new field of statistical finance, in particular on Random Matrix Theory applied to portfolio management. He works on various concrete applications of financial forecasting, option pricing and risk control.