Dynamics of markets

by Joseph L. McCauley

Standard texts and research in economics and finance ignore the absence of evidence from the analysis of real, unmassaged market data to support the notion of Adam Smith's stabilizing Invisible Hand. The neoclassical equilibrium model forms the theoretical basis for the positions of the U.S. Treasury, the World Bank and the European Union, accepting it as their credo. It provides the theoretical underpinning for globalization, expecting to achieve the best of all possible worlds via the deregulation of all markets. In stark contrast, this text introduces a new empirically-based model of financial market dynamics that explains volatility, prices options correctly and clarifies the instability of financial markets. The emphasis is on understanding how real markets behave, not how they hypothetically 'should' behave. This text is written for physics graduate students and finance specialists, but will also serve as a valuable resource for those with a less mathematical background.