Clojure for Finance

Key Features

• Apply the Clojure programming language in financial analytics and to build financial applications
• Work with high-level mathematical abstractions without having to implement low-level code for financial operations.
• This is a practical tutorial that takes you through real-world examples of financial analytics and applications with Clojure

Book Description

Clojure is a dynamic programming language with an emphasis on functional programming. Clojure is well suited to financial modeling as it is a functional programming language. Such languages help developers work with high-level mathematical abstractions without having to implement low-level code that handles the arithmetic operations.

Starting with the importance of representing data and calculations effectively, this book will take you all the way to being competent in financial analytics and building financial applications.

First, we introduce the notions of computation and finance, which will help you understand Clojure’s utility to solve real-world problems in many domains, especially finance. Next, we will show you how to develop the simple-moving-average function by using the more advanced partition Clojure data transformation function. This function, along with others, will be used to calculate and manipulate data.

You will then learn to implement slightly more complicated equations, how to traverse data, and deal with branching and conditional dispatch. Then, the concept of side-effecting and its various approaches are introduced, along with the strategy of how to use data as the interface to other systems. Finally, you will discover how to build algorithms while manipulating and composing functions.

What you will learn

• Quickly and effectively represent data and calculations using Clojure
• Use Clojure’s basic language tools such as laziness, immutability, and firstclass functions to solve real-world problems
• Explore mathematical derivatives to generate different wave forms
• Get acquainted with the advanced approaches to calculating and transforming data, and building algorithms
• Use Clojure’s functions to access, update, and compose data structures
• Be introduced to the concept of sideeffecting behavior and the different ways to handle it
• Compose simple and exponential functions together to get a buy or sell signal

About the Author

Timothy Washington is a senior software developer with over 15 years of experience in designing and building enterprise web applications from end to end. His experience includes delivering stable, robust software architectures to organizations ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. His skills include managing agile projects, systems analysis and design, functional programming, DSL and language design, and object-oriented design, with contributions to the open source community.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Orientation – Addressing the Questions Clojure Answers
Chapter 2: First Principles and a Useful Way to Think
Chapter 3: Developing the Simple Moving Average
Chapter 4: Strategies for Calculating and Manipulating Data
Chapter 5: Traversing Data, Branching, and Conditional Dispatch
Chapter 6: Surveying the Landscape
Chapter 7: Dealing with Side Effects
Chapter 8: Strategies for Using Macros
Chapter 9: Building Algorithms – Strategies to Manipulate and Compose Functions