Jorion, Philippe : University of California-Irvine
Philippe Jorion, Professor and Corporate Partners Research Scholar at the University of California at Irvine,
teaches courses in Futures and Options, International Financial Management, and International Portfolio Management.
He has an MBA and a Ph.D. in International Finance from the University of Chicago and has taught at Columbia University,
the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, INSEAD, and the University of British Columbia. He has authored
more than fifty publications on topics such as global portfolio investments and derivative markets.
Review
"Every local government official involved in the financial government of his or her jurisdiction should
spend a few hours reading this book. It is an eye opener illustrating once again the effect of too much power concentrated
in too few hands and the complacency that occurs based on a successful track record...Philippe Jorion weaves an
interesting story of Robert Citron and his world, the growth in power with his successes, the changes in the securities
markets, and the effect of leverage...This book serves as a mini-textbook on the strategies and securities used
in the investment of the Orange County Investment Pool...The book is well worth the time spent reading it."
-- Government Financial Review
"The explanation of the causes of the bankruptcy...are interesting and informative."
-- The CPA Journal
"Jorion...knows his subject...Every county treasurer should study this work, as should students of finance
and economics. The general investor would also be wise to review the contents. But everyone who unfolds these pages
should come away with the author's final words firmly embedded in the investing psyche: 'Understand the inherent
risks of your investment position and your exposure to these risks, and do not buy any product that you cannot
understand or price with reasonable accuracy.' The lesson of Orange County should not go unlearned."
-- Academic Library Book Review
"Jorion cannot be praised enough for his ability to make the complex world of financial instruments understandable...Not
a single reader--including those in dire need of a derivatives education--will be lost because of the groundwork
he has laid."
-- Risk Magazine
"Jorion...delivers a lucid and surprisingly readable account of Citron's disastrous magic show."
-- The Orange County Register
"Those interested in learning what really happened in Orange County will find that time invested in Jorion's
book is well spent. Recommended for public and academic libraries."
-- Library Journal
"An easy-to-follow primer on the supposedly 'exotic' derivatives market...and an interesting narrative
of the factors leading to a financial disaster."
-- Orange County Business Journal
"Jorion helpfully highlights telltale signs of impending doom that guardians of civic wealth may care to
watch for." ...and..."Jorion also offers some revealing insights into the life of Robert Citron, the
veteran treasurer of Orange County, whose highly risky investment strategy spawned the financial black hole that
swallowed the municipality."
-- Financial Times
"Professor Jorion presents a very readable account of the Orange County fiasco, including the people, politics
and financial instruments involved. He also includes a non-mathematical discussion of risk--including its measurement
and monitoring--which the Orange County treasurer, supervisors, and ideally its voters should have understood."
-- Harry M. Markowitz, President, Harry Markowitz Co., Nobel Laureate in Economics
Academic Press Web Site, March, 2000
Summary
How can a municipal investment pool, which is supposed to be safe, lose billions of dollars? What are derivatives
and how did they contribute to this tragedy? In December 1994, Orange County became the largest municipality in
U.S. history to become bankrupt. By borrowing heavily and placing the wrong bets, Orange County Treasurer Robert
Citron lost $1.7 billion of Orange County's $7.4 billion investment portfolio. Big Bets Gone Bad: Derivatives and
Bankruptcy in Orange County is the first detailed description of the Orange County bankruptcy. Author Philippe
Jorion, the only professor in Orange County who teaches and researches derivatives, is uniquely placed to understand
the technical details of the portfolio and climate in the Orange County municipal government that encouraged the
decisions that led to the bankruptcy.
Big Bets Gone Bad provides an introduction to the U.S. bond market and details Federal Reserve Chairman Greenspan's
efforts to tighten credit. Its description of the $35 trillion derivatives market makes the losses of Barings Bank,
Kashima Oil, West Virginia, and Metallgesellschaft more understandable. Big Bets Gone Bad explains what everyone
should know about tax monies and public investments. Because nobody likes to lose $1.7 billion.
Table of Contents
Introduction.
Robert Citron and His World.
Bond Basics.
Repos.
Damned Derivatives?
Structured Notes.
Rocket Scientists--It Gets Technical.
The Need for Capital.
Going Bankrupt.
Citron's Strategy (the Repo Man).
Suing Wall Street.
The Bondholders.
Placing Blame.
Fallout in the County.
Lessons in Risk.
Risk and Derivatives.
Do We Need Regulation?
Conclusions.
Epilogue.
Bibliography.
Glossary of Financial Terms.
Subject Index.