As a result of the reverberations of the crisis in credit markets world wide, investors in financial markets and institutions have witnessed mammoth slides in global stock markets, the privatization and state sponsored takeover of financial institutions and, in an effort to restore equilibrium to markets, the temporary ban on the practice of the short selling of shares in certain financial institutions.

To that end, the rationale behind this book is to respond to the dynamics of this much changed financial market environment by providing a text that presents a more up-to-date description of financial markets – one that offers more current insight into the behaviour of financial markets and financial sector institutions than is currently represented in available books on the subject. Particular strengths include:

An international focus with detailed analysis of financial markets in mainland Europe and Asia, not just the Anglo-Saxon world

An emphasis on risk management and financial regulation

A concentration on behavioural aspects of financial markets

Wedding this new approach to all the customary hallmarks of a typical intermediate financial markets and institutions textbook, its overall aim is to help students in degree programmes specializing in Economics and Finance, Banking, Accounting, or Business and Management appreciate the value of financial markets and institutions and to be able to use techniques in an up to date context.