Modern portfolio theory (MPT), which originated with Harry Markowitz's seminal paper "Portfolio Selection" in 1952, has stood the test of time and continues to be the intellectual foundation for real-world portfolio management. This book presents a comprehensive picture of MPT in a manner that can be effectively used by financial practitioners and understood by students.

Modern Portfolio Theory provides a summary of the important findings from all of the financial research done since MPT was created and presents all the MPT formulas and models using one consistent set of mathematical symbols. Opening with an informative introduction to the concepts of probability and utility theory, it quickly moves on to discuss Markowitz's seminal work on the topic with a thorough explanation of the underlying mathematics.

• Analyzes portfolios of all sizes and types, shows how the advanced findings and formulas are derived, and offers a concise and comprehensive review of MPT literature
• Addresses logical extensions to Markowitz's work, including the Capital Asset Pricing Model, Arbitrage Pricing Theory, portfolio ranking models, and performance attribution
• Considers stock market developments like decimalization, high frequency trading, and algorithmic trading, and reveals how they align with MPT
• Companion Website contains Excel spreadsheets that allow you to compute and graph Markowitz efficient frontiers with riskless and risky assets

If you want to gain a complete understanding of modern portfolio theory this is the book you need to read.

Modern portfolio theory (MPT), which was introduced by Harry Markowitz's seminal paper "Portfolio Selection" over sixty years ago, has stood the test of time. Both his original theory and extensions made to the model by Professors James Tobin and Bill Sharpe have won Nobel Prizes. Today, MPT has grown to impact portfolio managers, financial service organizations, individual investors, and the finance and economics classrooms of universities around the world.

Building on three previous editions of the book Portfolio Analysis, of which coauthor Jack Clark Francis was an integral part, Modern Portfolio Theory skillfully provides a concise review of portfolio theory and offers new insights. It can help busy finance professionals stay current on the theoretical developments in their field and allow students to gain a solid foundation in what MPT encompasses.

Divided into six comprehensive parts, this reliable resource addresses various aspects of portfolio analysis by tracing the contributions made by different people in the decades since MPT was created. Along the way, it also explores new developments that may make MPT more valuable than ever. Topics that are discussed in detail include:

• Probability foundations
• Utility analysis
• Mean-variance portfolio analysis
• Non-mean-variance portfolio analysis
• Asset pricing models
• Implementation of portfolio theory
• Portfolio performance evaluations

And while this book uses mathematical and statistical explanations in its coverage of models and other subjects, the material is presented in way that is understandable to a wide range of readers—from finance veterans to those just entering the field—and supplemented with graphs.

The coauthors have also created several Excel spreadsheets that compute Markowitz efficient frontiers under various assumptions and circumstances. This user-friendly software is available online and can be easily downloaded. In addition, resources for professors can be found on Wiley's Global Education website.

Engaging and accessible, Modern Portfolio Theory contains essential insights on this discipline and offers a comprehensive look at its foundations, evolution, and implementation in today's dynamic world of finance.