When I managed a hedge fund in the late 1990s, computer-based trading was a mysterious technique only available to the largest hedge funds and institutional trading desks. Weve come a long way since then. With this book, Drs. Romero and Balch lift the veil from many of these once-opaque concepts in high-tech finance. We can all benefit from learning how the cooperation between wetware and software creates fitter models. This book does a fantastic job describing how the latest advances in financial modeling and data science help todays portfolio managers solve these greater riddles. -Michael Himmel, Managing Partner, Essex Asset Management I applaud Phil Romeros willingness to write about the hedge fund world, an industry that is very private, often flamboyant, and easily misunderstood. As with every sector of the investment landscape, the hedge fund industry varies dramatically from quantitative black box technology, to fundamental research and old-fashioned stock picking. This book helps investors distinguish between these diverse opposites and understand their place in the new evolving world of finance. -Mick Elfers, Founder and Chief Investment Strategist, Irvington CapitalAbout the Author:Dr. Philip J. Romero is an economist, policy analyst, band applied mathematician, and former California chief economist. He has been Dean and is currently Professor of Business Administration at the University of Oregons Lundquist College of Business.