Book excerpt: An indispensable tool to steer readers thought the complex maze of hybrid instruments! Hybrid instruments - essentially bonds with an equity component - are found in a multitude of guises. This generic heading encompasses a seemingly endless array of financial instruments, including convertible bonds, mandatory convertibles, reverse convertibles, preferred shares, ELKS, DECS and Lyons. Within each one of these instruments are found a wide range of variations and features. These include reset, negative pledge, screw and forced conversion clauses, as well as step up coupons, call schedules, call options with soft and hard protection etc. The range of possibilities can seem bewildering, but it is this very flexibility which proves a huge attraction for investors, issuers and financial institutions. On the sell side companies issue these securities and corporate service departments advise on the type of options to include in them. On the buy side, investment managers seek to build portfolios with limited risk exposure using these securities and hedge funds utilise arbitrage opportunities between the convertible bond and the common share. The opportunities are endless but the seemingly labyrinthine complexities can prove daunting. The Handbook of Hybrid Instruments helps steer a clear path through the maze. Izzy Nelken has drawn together a team of experts to provide in-depth analysis of many of the key issues that both sellers and buyers require in order to operate effectively and profitably. A general introduction is followed by specific information on key clauses and variations, valuation methods, the impact on a firm's value following the public issuance of convertibles, details on when an issuer should call a convertible and the impact of these provisions on the price, the difficult requirement of input data to make sense of the models, indexes and reset convertibles. Finally, a highly useful glossary is provided of all the key terms used in this field. An analytical CD is also provided with the book, containing sample software of ConvB++. ConvB++ combines complex state of the art models with a simple, user friendly interface to assess fair values prices and to hedge parameters of hybrid instruments. The Handbook of Hybrid Instruments is an indispensable explanatory and analytical tool for all professionals looking for the latest thinking on convertibles from some of the world's leading experts.