Sign inRecent Commentaries tagged (book-reviews)
Book Review: Diary of a Hedge Fund Manager
This is a book that gives a feeling for being in hedge fund management, rather than a dry description of what needs to be done if you are in the rare position of being asked to manage a hedge fund. The author was an ambitious guy. Growing up in Canada, he wanted to play professional hockey. ...
Book Review: Reminiscences of a Stock Operator (Annotated Edition)
I read Reminiscences of a Stock Operator around ten years ago. I was trying to understand trading dynamics in the market, and the book was mentioned frequently. It is a classic. But can a classic be made better? In this case yes. Jon Markman, an able financial writer, has written notes...
Book Review: Wealth, War & Wisdom
The first thing I do when a PR flack sends me a book is throw away their summary. Unlike other reviewers, I read the books. The publisher sent me this book, but I did not ask for it. All that said, I thought Wealth, War & Wisdom was a great book, and I spent more time on it than I normally do...
Book Review: The Only Three Questions That Count
I resisted getting this book when it first came out. Much as I enjoy Ken Fisher as a writer, and appreciate the interaction that I have had with him over the years, the title turned me away. “Three questions? Only three? Investing is far more complex than that.” I would say that to...
Book Review: Why are we so Clueless about the Stock Market?
This is a basic book. If you are trying to introduce someone to investing, this would have value. It uses concepts familiar to every man to explain that there is nothing amazing about good investing — it is just common sense sharply applied. In terms of deep insight, I don’t see a lot of it,...
One Dozen or so Books on Economics
One reader asked me: David do you have a Top 10 book list on Economic Theory for beginners? Just finished “The Myth of the Rational Market” and loved it. But I don’t know what to read next. Or let me ask the question another way, should I start with reading books on Austrian economics? Hayek?...
Where Can I Learn the Investment Math? The Bond Math?
I was recently asked where to look for how to understand quantitative investing, fixed income, etc. Let me try to explain. I have reviewed in the past Investing by the Numbers (Frank J. Fabozzi Series). This is a good book that covers a wide number of areas in quantitative investing without...
Book Review: 100 Minds That Made The Market
Some people are hard to buy gifts for. With books, there is often a trade-off between books that say a lot, and those that people are willing to read. One book that I think hits the sweet spot is 100 Minds That Made The Market, by Ken Fisher. Why do I think this? This book is 100 little...
Book Reviews of Two Very Different Books
Tonight’s book reviews are of two very different, yet very similar books: Fire Your Stock Analyst!: Analyzing Stocks On Your Own (2nd Edition) and, Far from Random: Using Investor Behavior and Trend Analysis to Forecast Market Movement. Why different? Well, the first relies on fundamental...
Book Review: Dynamic Asset Allocation
James Picerno writes the popular blog The Capital Spectator. One of his main topics is asset allocation. He has a book coming out in February called Dynamic Asset Allocation: Modern Portfolio Theory Updated for the Smart Investor. Asset allocation is important. It determines much of the...
Book Review: The Ten Roads to Riches
Many dream of riches. Few achieve them. Why? It usually involves self-denial and hard work. It’s not that anyone can’t achieve riches, if they start young enough, but they won’t make the sacrifices to do so. A strong education helps, but is not absolutely required. As my old boss Eric...
Book Review: Warren Buffett on Business
In the Fall of 2005, I was at the Annual Meeting of the Casualty Actuarial Society in exotic Baltimore, Maryland. The Keynote address was by Roger Lowenstein who did a talk on two topics. Warren Buffett the great investor, and the looming problems from the demographic crisis. At the end of...
Book Review: Where Keynes Went Wrong
When I was a grad student, I always felt weird about Keynes. I grew up in a home that was not explicitly “free market” but was implicitly so. My Dad was a small businessman and my Mom was a retail investor (as well as home manager). My Dad’s business did well, but it had its share of hard...
Book Review: Market Indicators
Every one one us has limited bandwidth for analysis of data. We pick and choose a few ideas that seem to work for us, and then stick with them. That is often best, because good investors settle into investment methods that are consistent with their character. But every now and then it is...
