Includes bibliographical references and index.

Evolution of Finance: Venice, April 1470 -- The functions of finance -- The first step towards managing financial risk: diversification and collateral -- The second step towards managing financial risk: limited liability, bankruptcy laws, seniority rules, balance-sheet structure -- The third step towards managing financial risk: creating tradable instruments and liquidity in organised markets -- The final step towards managing financial risk: derivatives and financial engineering -- Could the acceleration in financial innovation since 1970 have been predicted? -- The Americanisation of Global Finance: Minnesota Banc Corporation -- The emergence of the American model of finance -- The crowning achievement: risk-management finance -- Maintaining market liquidity: the sine qua non of the "American model" -- Global finance: the result of exporting the "American model" -- Dramatic Events: How George Soros sees it -- The EMS crisis of 1992-93 -- Metallgesellschaft: in the red or in the black? -- Barings: victim of high-leveraged speculation and loose controls -- Bankers Trust: caveat emptor -- David Askin: the fallen star of the mortgage-backed securities sky -- Instability in emerging markets: Mexican tequila -- Hedge funds and the collapse of LTCM -- Derivatives and Their Markets -- The Revolution in Risk Management: Farming for the future -- What can derivatives achieve? -- Price discovery and volatility -- Is risk management a fundamental corporate objective? -- Risk management: science or fad? -- Mutualisation of Risk on Exchanges: Chicago's other side -- Evolution of exchange-traded financial derivatives -- Organisation of the exchanges -- What makes a successful exchange-traded contract? -- New product developments on the exchanges -- Exchanges for a global market -- Customised Risk Management in OTC Markets: How to lose money on a long put when markets crash -- Market developments -- Significant bank involvement -- Contagion risk -- Regulatory inadequacies for the specificities of OTC markets -- New developments -- Public Policy Options -- Are Derivatives a Threat to Global Financial Stability?: The global financial crash of October 2002 -- Systemic risk illustrated with the crises in Asia and Russia -- Derivatives: the dynamite for financial crises -- Global derivative finance: the fuse for contagion -- Challenges for the Established Financial Order: The butterflies of finance -- The classical paradigm of financial policy -- Paradise lost -- Reducing systemic risk: the Basle approach -- A Financial Policy Model for the Next Century: The challenge of global money -- Reform of the international financial system -- The architecture for regulatory rethinking -- Risk management through clearing-houses -- Phasing out the banking franchise and institutional regulation -- Redefining the relationship between central banks and financial intermediaries -- A Look into the Future -- Derivatives: the Future of Finance: Antofagasta (Chile), summer of 2020 -- The ascent of institutional investors -- Ownership and corporate governance -- Macro futures -- Real estate futures -- The end of banking? -- The origin of the species -- OTC versus exchange-traded contracts -- Americanisation of global finance -- Risk management: one of the most important innovations of the 20th century -- Work of the devil or social benefit? -- Financial structure in the 21st century -- Shifts of power -- Crystal ball gazing.

Derivatives have taken a lot of heat lately as the culprits behind a string of financial disasters, ranging from the Barings and LTCM disasters to the economic collapses of Brazil, Russia, and Mexico. In this book a leading international expert takes a clear-eyed look at the role of derivatives in today's global economy and makes a compelling argument for their continued use as a method for ensuring effective risk management in global markets. Steinherr assesses the role of derivatives in recent financial debacles, develops reasoned arguments for increased regulation of derivative markets, and makes fascinating predictions about the future of derivatives.-- A comprehensive, highly accessible overview of derivatives and their relationship to the broader financial markets