The Greeks and Hedging Explained

Most books on financial derivatives focus on either the investment side of the business or on the mathematical models to price them. However, there is a gap between how quantitative researchers, analysts, structurers, risk managers and traders look and communicate on derivatives problems. In particular there often is a strong emphasis on pricing rather than hedging or risk management.

This book fills a gap for a technical but not impenetrable guide to hedging options, and the 'Greek' (Theta, Vega, Rho, and Lambda) parameters that represent the sensitivity of derivatives prices. Taking the viewpoint of the front office practitioner, the book introduces the various option hedging strategies and the mathematics behind them in a concise but thorough manner. The book begins at an elementary level, with an introduction to the Black–Scholes formula (upon which most quantitative finance is built) from a practitioner perspective. The Greeks and Hedging Explained then develops the many themes that are omitted from many textbooks but which actually make up most of what happens in practice – including the effect of day conventions, interest rates and sticky deltas. The book features numerous illustrations, worked examples and, where appropriate, highlights market conventions over academic assumption.

The Greeks and Hedging Explained is a welcome addition to the Financial Engineering Explained series and will serve as a foundation text for some of the more complex titles in the series.

About the Author

Peter Leoni graduated in 2003 with a PhD in mathematical physics and then stumbled into the fascinating world of finance. He started his professional career in Belgium working for KBC Asset Management as a risk manager, modelling equity and interest rate derivatives. Later on he moved into ING as a front office quant on the exotic derivatives desk. In 2007 he switched his career path toward commodities with a particular focus on energy modelling. He spent four years in the trading unit of GDF Suez in Brussels and then worked for a private fund in Geneva, Macquarie Bank in London and currently for the London/Geneva office of a privately owned trading firm. He also holds the position of visiting professor for the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium.