This survey of portfolio theory, from its modern origins through more sophisticated, "postmodern" incarnations, evaluates portfolio risk according to the first four moments of any statistical distribution: mean, variance, skewness, and excess kurtosis. In pursuit of financial models that more accurately describe abnormal markets and investor psychology, this book bifurcates beta on either side of mean returns. It then evaluates this traditional risk measure according to its relative volatility and correlation components. After specifying a four-moment capital asset pricing model, this book devotes special attention to measures of market risk in global banking regulation.

CHAPTER 1 MODERN PORTFOLIO THEORY.- CHAPTER 2 POSTMODERN PORTFOLIO THEORY.- CHAPTER 3 SEDUCED BY SYMMETRY, SMARTER BY HALF.- CHAPTER 4 THE FULL FINANCIAL TOOLKIT OF PARTIAL SECOND MOMENTS.- CHAPTER 5 SORTINO, OMEGA, KAPPA: THE ALGEBRA OF FINANCIAL ASYMMETRY.- CHAPTER 6 SINKING, FAST AND SLOW: RELATIVE VOLATILITY VERSUS CORRELATION TIGHTENING.- CHAPTER 7 TIME-VARYING BETA: AUTOCORRELATION AND AUTOREGRESSIVE TIME SERIES.- CHAPTER 8 ASYMMETRIC VOLATILITY AND VOLATILITY SPILLOVERS.- CHAPTER 9 A FOUR-MOMENT CAPITAL ASSET PRICING MODEL.- CHAPTER 10 THE PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS OF A SPATIALLY BIFURCATED FOUR-MOMENT CAPITAL ASSET PRICING MODEL.- CHAPTER 11 GOING TO EXTREMES: LEPTOKURTOSIS AS AN EPISTEMIC THREAT.- CHAPTER 12 PARAMETRIC VALUE-AT-RISK (VAR) ANALYSIS.- CHAPTER 13 PARAMETRIC VAR ACCORDING TO STUDENT'S T-DISTRIBUTION.- CHAPTER 14 COMPARING STUDENT'S T-DISTRIBUTION WITH THE LOGISTIC DISTRIBUTION

CHAPTER 15 EXPECTED SHORTFALL AS A RESPONSE TOMODEL RISK.- CHAPTER 16 LATENT PERILS: STRESSED VAR, ELICITABILITY, AND SYSTEMIC RISK.- CONCLUSION: FINANCE AS A ROMANCE OF MANY MOMENTS.