A clear new finance textbook that explains essential models and practices, and how the financial world works now Contemporary Financial Markets and Institutions: Tools and Techniques to Manage Risk and Uncertainty is an ideal introduction to finance for professionals and students. It covers the basic finance theory required to understand the contemporary financial world and builds on it to present finance in a detailed yet comprehensible way. It explains markets and institutions, and the central bank and government policies that influence how they operate. The book begins with an overview of basic finance theory, including investments, asset return behavior, derivatives pricing, and credit risk. It discusses topics that have dominated markets in recent decades, such as extreme events, liquidity, currency and debt crises, and radical changes in monetary policy and regulation. The concepts are presented alongside examples, strange market episodes, and data from recent experience. Contemporary Financial Markets and Institutions covers advanced credit topics like securitization in a straightforward, succinct way, without advanced mathematics, but with detailed examples using real market data. It integrates financial and macroeconomic content seamlessly. The book is suitable for use by undergraduate and graduate students, and by practitioners of all backgrounds. Abundant pedagogical resources in the book and online facilitate teaching. This book will help students and practioners: Learn the basic concepts and models in finance, including investment, asset pricing, uncertainty and risk, monetary policy and the regulatory system Explore recent developments, from the expansion of central banks to the chaos in commercial banking to changes in financial technology, that are dominating markets worldwide Gain knowledge of risk types, models, and measurement methods, and the impact of regulation Prepare yourself for a successful career in finance, or update your existing knowledge base with this comprehensive reference guide Ideal as a sole or supplementary textbook for beginning and advanced finance courses, as well as for practitioners in finance-related fields, this book takes a unique, market-focused approach that will serve readers well in our turbulent and puzzling times.