Hey D-3CO, I have a suggestion. You may be putting the cart before the horse. You really need need to know how all of this fits together, and how these markets truly function. Before you start talking about hedges, arbitrage, swaps, etc. I would like to suggest that you look into the exam prep for the series 3, 66, 34 exams. Kaplan is a good outlet for the 3 and 66, and you can find the 34 in various form on the Net. Just because you may not be interested in OPM or working for a brokerage house, doesn't mean that this knowledge will not come in handy. As has been said by many experienced traders, "you need to understand the market you are trading in". The 66 is just in case you are successful enough to trade "Friends and Family", I don't know who would want to, but just in case, if you are in the states, it's good to understand the ins and outs.
The Ever Informative VIPER