Extensively revised and updated, this fourth edition brings the reader up to speed with the latest developments in financial markets, providing a brilliantly clear guide to a complex world that even those who work in it often find hard to understand. With chapters on the markets that deal with money, foreign exchange, equities, bonds, commodities, financial futures, options and other derivatives, the book explains why these markets exist, how they work, and who trades in them, and provides a run-down of the factors that affect prices and rates.