Foreword

My name is Dr Natasha Kozul and I gained my MSc in Computing and PhD in Nuclear Biophysics at the University of London, United Kingdom. I subsequently worked in Investment Banking divisions of Barclays Capital and Royal Bank of Scotland in City of London for almost 10 years.

I still remember the first time I set foot in one of those banking giants for my job interview. Fresh from research work, spending days surrounded by X-ray generators and specimens, I was plunged into the world of marble and polished steel, of open-plan offices and trading floors full of young high-earning and ambitious people. It was an instant shock, but I easily adapted to it and loved it. It was not just the financial rewards that attracted me, or others, to this environment. It was the idea that we, 25- to 30-year-olds, were driving the world economy. That we, each in a different way – from a quantitative analyst who writes the product pricing models, to the programmer who codes the software – made a difference in the international business. That came with enormous amount of responsibility, but it gave us a huge ‘buzz’. Even now, when I am no longer working in investment banking, I enjoy following the market moves, merger stories and reminiscing about the ‘good old days’.

I have written this book in the hope that it will provide an interesting insight into this wonderful world, closed off from everyday people. It should arm its reader with a comprehensive overview of the workings of the investment banking industry. It covers a wide range of products and strategies, providing an excellent basis for further study or an entry position in any financial institution worldwide.

Even though most concepts covered in this book are extremely complex, I have tried to explain them in a way that would not put a non-mathematician to sleep. I hope that you will enjoy reading it and find it useful in your day-to-day work and future career.

Dr Natasha Kozul