Financial markets dominate the contemporary economy. They govern industrial and commercial development. They impose their laws on governments. But what are the principles that rule them? Are the workings of these financial markets totally chaotic, or is there some discernable form of logic behind them, one that can be studied and reconstructed with certainty?

Specialised market rooms in Paris, Tokyo or Chicago are under the sway of mathematics. But will mathematics ultimately enable us to master the markets on which our entire economy depends?

The author offers tools for better financial regulation.

Nicolas Bouleau, a mathematician, is a professor at L'Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées and a winner of the Montyon Prize, awarded by the French Academy of Sciences.