Blockchain and Crypto

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple of years, you’ve probably heard of Bitcoin—the game-changing digital currency used by millions worldwide.

But Bitcoin isn't just another way to buy stuff. It’s an anonymous, revolutionary, cryptographically secure currency that functions without the oversight of a central authority or government. If you want to get into the Bitcoin game but find yourself a little confused, Bitcoin for the ­Befuddled may be just what you’re looking for. Learn what Bitcoin is; how it works; and how to acquire, store, and spend bitcoins safely and securely.

You'll also learn:

• Bitcoin’s underlying cryptographic principles, and how bitcoins are created
• The history of Bitcoin and its potential impact on trade and commerce
• All about the blockchain, the public ledger of Bitcoin transactions
• How to choose a bitcoin wallet that’s safe and easy to use
• How to accept bitcoins as payment in your physical store or on your website
• Advanced topics, including Bitcoin mining and Bitcoin programming

With its non-technical language and patient, step-by-step approach to this fascinating currency, Bitcoin for the Befuddled is your ticket to getting started with Bitcoin. Get out from under the rock and get in the Bitcoin game. Just make sure not to lose your shirt.

A blockchain is a collection of data records, or "blocks," that are linked through using secure cryptographic hashes to form a "chain" that can be read and verified easily by anyone with the correct credentials but cannot be altered. This system is perfect for supply chains, health records, and other sensitive data where security and transparency are critical.

Blockchain in Action introduces the fundamental principles of the blockchain and teaches you to build secure applications that can be used for voting, private auctions, and electronic record management.

Building Ethereum Dapps introduces you to decentralized applications based on the Ethereum blockchain platform. In this book, you'll learn the principles of Dapps development by rolling up your sleeves and actually building a few!

If you think Bitcoin is just an alternative currency for geeks, it's time to think again. Grokking Bitcoin opens up this powerful distributed ledger system, exploring the technology that enables applications both for Bitcoin-based financial transactions and using the blockchain for registering physical property ownership. With this fully illustrated, easy-to-read guide, you'll finally understand how Bitcoin works, how you can use it, and why you can trust the blockchain.

Join the technological revolution that's taking the financial world by storm. Mastering Bitcoin is your guide through the seemingly complex world of Bitcoin, providing the knowledge you need to participate in the internet of money. Whether you're building the next killer app, investing in a startup, or simply curious about the technology, this revised and expanded third edition provides essential detail to get you started.

Bitcoin, the first successful decentralized digital currency, has already spawned a multibillion-dollar global economy open to anyone with the knowledge and passion to participate. Mastering Bitcoin provides the knowledge. You supply the passion.

The third edition includes:

• A broad introduction to Bitcoin and its underlying blockchain—ideal for nontechnical users, investors, and business executives
• An explanation of Bitcoin's technical foundation and cryptographic currency for developers, engineers, and software and systems architects
• Details of the Bitcoin decentralized network, peer-to-peer architecture, transaction lifecycle, and security principles
• New developments such as Taproot, Tapscript, Schnorr signatures, and the Lightning Network
• A deep dive into Bitcoin applications, including how to combine the building blocks offered by this platform into powerful new tools
• User stories, analogies, examples, and code snippets illustrating key technical concepts

Blockchain is the backbone of cryptocurrencies, it has had a massive impact in many sectors, including finance, supply chains, healthcare, government, and media. It’s also being used for cutting edge technologies such as AI and IoT. This new edition is thoroughly revised to offer a practical approach to using Ethereum, Hyperledger, Fabric, and Corda with step-by-step tutorials and real-world use-cases to help you understand everything you need to know about blockchain development and implementation. With new chapters on Decentralized Finance and solving privacy, identity, and security issues, as well as bonus online content exploring alternative blockchains, this is an unmissable read for everyone who wants to gain a deep understanding of blockchain.

The book doesn’t shy away from advanced topics and practical expertise, such as decentralized application (DApp) development using smart contracts and oracles, and emerging trends in the blockchain space. Throughout the book, you’ll explore blockchain solutions beyond cryptocurrencies, such as the IoT with blockchain, enterprise blockchains, and tokenization, and gain insight into the future scope of this fascinating and disruptive technology.

By the end of this blockchain book, you will have gained a thorough comprehension of the various facets of blockchain and understand the potential of this technology in diverse real-world scenarios.

What you will learn

• Grasp the mechanisms behind Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies
• Understand cryptography and its usage in blockchain
• Become familiar with the theoretical foundations of smart contracts and blockchain consensus
• Develop DApps using Solidity, Remix, Truffle, and Ganache
• Solve issues relating to privacy, identity, scalability, and security in enterprise blockchains
• Dive into the architecture of Ethereum 2.0
• Delve into emerging trends like DeFi, NFTs, and Metaverse
• Explore various applications, research topics, and future directions of blockchain

Who this book is for

This book is for blockchain enthusiasts from all backgrounds, including software developers and programmers who want to learn how to build DApps, business executives and managers who want to explore the benefits and challenges of leveraging blockchain in different industries, and system architects and solution designers who want insight into blockchain architecture, consensus mechanisms, and security considerations. It is also a useful reference guide for blockchain development professionals who want to build fast and highly secure transactional applications. Basic knowledge in any programming language will come in handy.

Algorithmic trading, once the exclusive domain of institutional players, is now open to small organizations and individual traders using online platforms. The tool of choice for many traders today is Python and its ecosystem of powerful packages. In this practical book, author Yves Hilpisch shows students, academics, and practitioners how to use Python in the fascinating field of algorithmic trading.

You'll learn several ways to apply Python to different aspects of algorithmic trading, such as backtesting trading strategies and interacting with online trading platforms. Some of the biggest buy- and sell-side institutions make heavy use of Python. By exploring options for systematically building and deploying automated algorithmic trading strategies, this book will help you level the playing field.

• Set up a proper Python environment for algorithmic trading
• Learn how to retrieve financial data from public and proprietary data sources
• Explore vectorization for financial analytics with NumPy and pandas
• Master vectorized backtesting of different algorithmic trading strategies
• Generate market predictions by using machine learning and deep learning
• Tackle real-time processing of streaming data with socket programming tools
• Implement automated algorithmic trading strategies with the OANDA and FXCM trading platforms

In the newly revised Second Edition of Quantitative Trading: How to Build Your Own Algorithmic Trading Business, quant trading expert Dr. Ernest P. Chan shows you how to apply both time-tested and novel quantitative trading strategies to develop or improve your own trading firm.

You'll discover new case studies and updated information on the application of cutting-edge machine learning investment techniques, as well as:

• Updated back tests on a variety of trading strategies, with included Python and R code examples
• A new technique on optimizing parameters with changing market regimes using machine learning.
• A guide to selecting the best traders and advisors to manage your money

Perfect for independent retail traders seeking to start their own quantitative trading business, or investors looking to invest in such traders, this new edition of Quantitative Trading will also earn a place in the libraries of individual investors interested in exploring a career at a major financial institution.

In a world of changing privacy regulations, identity theft, and online anonymity, identity is a precious and complex concept. Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) is a set of technologies that move control of digital identity from third party “identity providers” directly to individuals, and it promises to be one of the most important trends for the coming decades. Now in

Self-Sovereign Identity, privacy and personal data experts Drummond Reed and Alex Preukschat lay out a roadmap for a future of personal sovereignty powered by the Blockchain and cryptography. Cutting through the technical jargon with dozens of practical use cases from experts across all major industries, it presents a clear and compelling argument for why SSI is a paradigm shift, and shows how you can be ready to be prepared for it.

Professional and individual traders haverelied on Trading Systems and Methods for over three decades. Acclaimed trading systems expert Perry Kaufman provides complete, authoritative information on proven indicators, programs, systems, and algorithms. Now in its sixth edition, this respected book continues to provide readers with the knowledge required to develop or select the trading programs best suited for their needs. In-depth discussions of basic mathematical and statistical concepts instruct readers on how much data to use, how to create an index, how to determine probabilities, and how best to test your ideas. These technical tools and indicators help readers identify trends, momentum, and patterns, while an analytical framework enables comparisons of systematic methods and techniques.

This updated, fully-revised edition offers new examples using stocks, ETFs and futures, and provides expanded coverage of arbitrage, high frequency trading, and sophisticated risk management models. More programs and strategies have been added, such as Artificial Intelligence techniques and Game Theory approaches to trading. Offering a complete array of practical, user-ready tools, this invaluable resource:

• Offers comprehensive revisions and additional mathematical and statistical tools, trading systems, and examples of current market situations
• Explains basic mathematical and statistical concepts with accompanying code
• Includes new Excel spreadsheets with genetic algorithms, TradeStation code, MetaStock code, and more
• Provides access to a companion website packed with supplemental materials

Trading Systems and Methods is an indispensable reference on trading systems, as well as system design and methods for professional and individual active traders, money managers, trading systems developers.