Book excerpt: It is not uncommon to meet professionals in financial services who have only a vague idea of what their colleagues actually do. The root cause is specialization and the subsequent development of jargon that makes communication between common specialists faster and more precise but is virtually impenetrable to everybody else. The Bank Analyst’s Handbook provides a modern introduction to financial markets and intermediation. Individual subject areas are covered in a thorough but clear and succinct manner. The breadth of the author’s experience as a sell-side bank analyst is exploited to good effect to pull together these threads and create a coherent framework for the analysis of financial markets, whether these are in advanced economies or developing markets. The Handbook is well-written and highly accessible. It builds on orthodox financial theory (with all of its flaws and controversies) but also highlights many of the real problems involved with translating such theory into practice. It can be appreciated at many different levels and this explains its wide target readership. The Bank Analyst’s Handbook: Bridges the gap between the more superficial introductory books and specialist works Covers all the important functions and subjects related to the financial services industry Provides a comprehensive overview for financial services professionals, business school students, consultants, accountants, auditors and legal practitioners, analysts and fund-managers and corporate managers. "An excellent guide for any professionals who are coming into the banking industry. Extremely well-written, covering clearly and lucidly a range of topics which many bankers themselves don't understand. I will make this book mandatory reading - no, make that studying - for anybody I hire to work as a financial sector consultant." —Chris Matten, Executive Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers "A great insight into the often murky and impenetrable world of banking... compulsory reading for analysts and investors alike." —Hugh Young, Managing Director, Aberdeen Asset Management Asia Ltd