Book Description

Legendary trader Larry McMillan does it-again-offering his personal options strategies for consistently enhancing trading profits
Larry McMillan's name is virtually synonymous with options. This "Trader's Hall of Fame" recipient first shared his personal options strategies and techniques in the original McMillan on Options. Now, in a revised and Second Edition, this indispensable guide to the world of options addresses a myriad of new techniques and methods needed for profiting consistently in today's fast-paced investment arena. This thoroughly new Second Edition features updates in almost every chapter as well as enhanced coverage of many new and increasingly popular products. It also offers McMillan's personal philosophy on options, and reveals many of his previously unpublished personal insights. Readers will soon discover why Yale Hirsch of the Stock Trader's Almanac says, "McMillan is an options guru par excellence."
Lawrence G. McMillan (Morristown, NJ) is President of McMillan Analysis Corporation. As the foremost authority on options, Mr. McMillan is publisher of the Option Strategist, a leading advisory newsletter for the options community, and creator of the innovative fax service "Daily Volume Alerts." He is also the author of the bestselling books Profit with Options (0-471-22531-2) and McMillan on Options (0-471-11960-1). A recipient of the Trader's Hall of Fame Award, Mr. McMillan is also a sought-after speaker and options educator, and conducts options training workshops around the country. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Nitty-gritty street smarts for options traders
"McMillan on Options" is a rare kind of book, and one of the very best.Especially revealing are the discussions in Chapter 4, "The Predictive Power of Options", on how certain patterns of option trading volume and implied volatility can be tip-offs to insider activity and sharp moves in the underlying stock, and on how to take practical advantage of such patterns.The chapters on trading systems and on how to trade volatility and the volatility skew were also well written and useful to the active options trader.All in all, I would recommend this book to anyone seriously contemplating getting involved in the options game.

In fact, "McMillan on Options" and "Options as a Strategic Investment" (a real classic, also by McMillan), were among the very few options books that I made reference to in my own recent work ("Advanced Option Pricing Models", McGraw Hill, Feb 2005)

Jeffrey Owen Katz, Ph.D.

Exercise your option and buy this book!
As a ROP (registered Options principal) I feel I am uniquely qualified to review this book. First, understand that Larry McMillan is considered by many to be the best options mind on Wall Street (sorry Bernie Schaeffer). His knowledge of this less-than-logical derivative investment is the equivalent of Alan Greenspan’s knowledge of the economy.

My assessment: this is a good book. McMillan covers virtually every aspect of options trading: history, terms, strategies, volatility, theoretical approaches, etc. I am particularly impressed by Larry’s use of historical examples to bring complicated strategies down to basic levels.

This is not to say this is an easy read. An easy investment read is Peter Lynch’s "One Up on Wall Street". McMillan on Options is more like a doctor’s guide to brain surgery: the pictures are cool but the content can be complicated. Topics covered include spreads (verts, calendar, diagonal), straddles, combos, the greeks (delta, rho, theta, vega and gamma) and strategies that employ these. If volatility is your life, and you hold a hefty position in Rolaids futures, then this book is for you. I have not read a more comprehensive, useable options book. I believe all options traders and speculators should own McMillan on Options.

Good Followup to OAASI
My first McMillan book was Options as a Strategic Investment. New investors should read that book first then move on to this one.This book goes beyond the theory and actually gets down to some real useful strategies. If you are trading options or plan to, this book is a must read.I also recommend The Option Advisor by Bernie Schaeffer and Wall Street Money Machine I, II and III by Wade Cook.

Don't Trade Options Until You Read This Book
As founder of "Traderscoach.com" I thought this book providedthe reader with a realistic view of trading options.

You will learn alotabout options and the proper approach to trading that is necessary to be aconsistant winner.

McMillion writes this book in a no-nonsense realisticstyle.Pay attention to what he says.

Fell FREE to visit our Web-site"Traderscoach.com" which deals with Trading Psycology as well asother material realted to trading.

Pays for itself after one trade.
Two things make this book very educational and useful: 1.) Several strategies and ways of using options that I never thought of.From ratio spreads to trading volatility, this book demonstrates how versatile andprofitable option trading can be. 2.) Stories of how NOT to trade.Theseare both entertaining and effective at teaching the risks and rewards ofoption trading.

I really would have liked to see more mathematicalformulas than the few in the appendix, and a supplemental web resourcelinking to Futures information and inexpensive option commisions would havemade the book more valuable. ... Read more

Book Description

Too often, finance courses stop short of making a connection between textbook finance and the problems of real-world business. Financial Modeling bridges this gap between theory and practice by providing a nuts-and-bolts guide to solving common financial models with spreadsheets. Simon Benninga takes the reader step by step through each model, showing how it can be solved using Microsoft Excel. In this sense, this is a finance "cookbook," providing recipes with lists of ingredients and instructions.

Areas covered include computation of corporate finance problems, standard portfolio problems, option pricing and applications, and duration and immunization. The second edition contains six new chapters covering financial calculations, cost of capital, value at risk (VaR), real options, early exercise boundaries, and term structure modeling. A new technical chapter contains a potpourri of tips for using Excel.

Although the reader should know enough about Excel to set up a simple spreadsheet, the author explains advanced Excel techniques used in the book. The book includes chapters dealing with random number generation, data tables, matrix manipulation, and VBA programming. It also comes with a CD-ROM containing Excel worksheets and solutions to end-of-chapter exercises. ... Read more

Reviews (36)

Excellent book due to its simple practicality
I highly recommend this book to any aspiring financial analyst. It is definitely worth it, even at the list price.

Want to master the fundamentals of basic finance using Excel? then this is one of the few books on the market that really meet this need. Want to set up more advanced mathmatics modeling? well as the introduction of this explains, this book is more like a cookbook: it lists the required basic ingredients and the culinary process but if you want to spice the dish (financial model) up, it is up to the individuals to dig out those advanced formulas from the financial trade journals and apply them to the models.

I first saw the first edition of this book in my college library. took it home and was EXCITED. I was looking for a practical book that would show me the intricacies of Excel for setting up financial models and this was like a god-sent. Like one of the other reviewers said, this book combined basic finance, Excel functions, and VBA programming. To add practicality to this book, Professor Benninga even showed how to download financial data from the internet. Granted it is rather basic, but it adds to the usability of his book, making it a well-round book.

The best parts are end-of-the chapter exercises. Solutions are provided in the accompanying CD-ROM. See how many ways can you solve the same problem.

Professor Benninga always outlines the assumptions and explains the parameters of each model. We should remember that in many instances, unrealistic assumptions lead to way-of-the mark numbers, rendering the whole modeling process and its calculations useless.

Want to become a advanced-level financial modeler? then master the fundamentals first! this book gets you started.

P.S. I also highly recommend to anyone just starting with Excel modeling to read William J. Orvis's Excel for Scientists and Engineers. It is a bit outdated but still highly useful for its chapters on curve fitting, VBA programming and raw data manipulation.

Chicken Soup for the Financial Analyst's Soul
If you need to build a working valuation model, calculate the risk of a portfolio with 100+ securities, or figure out what return you might expect to get from a portfolio of high-yield bonds, then you'll find Simon Beninga's "Financial Modeling" merits far more than five stars: this is one book that is indispensable.

One of the biggest problems I ran into during my MBA program was the way my professors taught Corporate Finance. I had great profs, true, but they were teaching theoretical concepts from theoretical textbooks. Sure, you learned the basics: CAPM, net present value, basic options and futures, Arbitrage Pricing Theory, VAR and TEV, but I have always maintained that the best way of learning a subject---particularly corporate finance---is by getting your hands dirty and digging into the guts of the material.

Since Corporate Finance, off-balance sheet instruments aside, isn't very dirty, the best way to get a hands-on practical approach in terms of Capital Structure, the appropriate discount rate to use in pricing an asset, risk, and optimal debt and dividends is to program in Excel and Visual Basic. The problem is that many top finance texts don't offer supplemental material to translate the theoretical concepts into actual valuation and spreadsheet models, which any financial analyst will contend is the life-blood of the industry.

With that in mind, Simon Beninga's "Financial Modelling" is a kind of "Joy of Cooking" for initiate investment bankers, corporate financiers, controllers, analysts, and anyone who wants to use core Corporate Finance concepts in the real world. Beninga goes through the standard laundry list of Corporate Finance text topics---from the optimal risky portfolio to the term structure of interest rates---and shows you how to translate these concepts into workable spreadsheet models that can illustrate, illuminate, and get to the heart of a problem.

If you're a new MBA or financial analyst, you'll find much to love in Beninga's approach, and by pairing the newly expanded 2nd edition up with a top theoretical finance textbook (Ross, Westerfield et al.'s "Corporate Finance" is a fine example) you'll get the most out of your MBA program and have a solid foundation for building Excel and Visual Basic financial models that work.

I liken "Financial Modeling" to a cookbook, in that Beninga provides all the ingredients necessary to the model at hand: he begins with a sprinkling of theory, whether it's modeling a bond portfolio's immunization, calculating the cost of capital, estimating a portfolio's Beta with no short-selling, or pricing put and call options using both the binomial theorem and Black-Scholes. His writing is spare, terse, and to the point, but I have learned more about advanced corporate finance theory through Beninga's marvellously pithy writing and copious Excel examples than I have in reading ten 'top of the list' finance books.

In addition to nicely expanded sections on options (including portfolio insurance) and leasing (including the technically sophisticated subject of leveraged leasing, which requires Excel to comprehend), Beninga concludes his sprightly little tome with a section on getting the most out of Excel (useful little shortcuts that a financial analyst will need but may not have heard of) and a nice little introductory primer on programming in Visual Basic.

"Financial Modeling" is an absolute essential if you're going to make Corporate Finance your profession. For an equally elegant and practical treatment of building discounted cash flow models for businesses, the reader would be advised to pick up Beninga's "Corporate Finance", which, while not equally oriented in spreadsheet modeling, is one of the most terse, accessible, and reasonably technically sophisticated Corp-Fin books on the market today.

Very Good - MBA Students This Is a Must Own
This is a very good book in showing the reader how to utilize and manipulate Excel for financial problem solving and modeling applications. If you are looking for a book that will show you how to build a leverage buy-out or m&a model from scratch, your expectations are way too high. What this book shows you is how to build those types of models by showing you how to model and use various Excel functions to build the various subsections of those types of complicated models and link them all together. I highly recommend this book to MBA students who are career changers and are looking to enter corporate finance or consulting careers where quantative Excel usage is part of the job. This book shows you how to get the most out of Excel, which is a very user friendly software package. The book comes with a CD-ROM which has examples as utilized in the book and homework problems which are good and can be somewhat hard which forces you to learn Excel for financial applications. If you are a quick learner and highly motivated, you will get a lot out of this book. Nothing is to be feared. It is all to be mastered. By buying this book and working out the Excel problems and exercises on my own, my confidence level with Excel and my own modeling skills has shot up. Given what I have learned from this book, i consider the price to be a bargain. This is very much a learning by doing book. You will get a lot out of it.

Excellent book for any novice on financial modeling
I have used this book and recommended to others. It is certainly one of the best books on financial modelling, especially if you are a novice in modeling. It gives step by step clear techniques for various problems. It is very easy to read, with excellent examples. Hope you can enjoy this book as much as I have.

Financial Modeling - 2nd Edition
Great intro to financial modeling, excellent text for undergrad finance and MBA students. Learn core financial topics and Excel simultaneously. Takes financial theory and applies it in excel with real "nuts and bolts" applications. Includes a CD with all the speadheets on it which is alone worth the price. No advanced math or statistics needed, although it would help the reader. Perhaps too basic for a student/graduate Ph.D. in Economics/Finance or M.S. in Financial Engineering. ... Read more

Book Description

Designed to form the basis of an undergraduate course in mathematical finance, this book builds on mathematical models of bond and stock prices and covers three major areas of mathematical finance that all have an enormous impact on the way modern financial markets operate, namely: Black-Scholes' arbitrage pricing of options and other derivative securities; Markowitz portfolio optimization theory and the Capital Asset Pricing Model; and interest rates and their term structure. Assuming only a basic knowledge of probability and calculus, it covers the material in a mathematically rigorous and complete way at a level accessible to second or third year undergraduate students. The text is interspersed with a multitude of worked examples and exercises, so it is ideal for self-study and suitable not only for students of mathematics, but also students of business management, finance and economics, and anyone with an interest in finance who needs to understand the underlying theory. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A very good book
This is a very good book for teaching financial mathematics. The only snag is the absence of Black-Scholes equations. The discussion of Portfolio analysis is an excellent addition.

A great introduction to financial engineering
This is a great book at a great price. As an undegraduate student reading for a degree in mathematics with financial management, I've found this textbook to be of great help in the derivative securities and portfolio theory modules I am doing this year. There is a nice balance between examples, theory, and exercises (all complete with solutions). The examples and excercises have been particularly helpful to me - they don't just illustrate and consolidate the various topics, but most importantly prepare the ground for the exciting new ideas to come. Compared to other books recommended for my mudules in mathematical finance, this is by far the most readable. What seems to be daunting mathematical theory full of unnesessary abstractions in the other books I have tried, this one has somehow managed to appear easy, indeedd almost obvious when you come to think of it (just look at pricing American options, for example!).

There are a few typos in various places and it is well worth visiting the book's web page at www.springeronline.com/1-85233-330-8 (and click on the accompanying website) for a list of corrections. At the same place, I have also located some nice Excel files that can be downloaed, with numerical solutions to case studies and excercises in the more advanced chapters - these are neatly designed and are of great help in following the text. I just wish there was even more material covered in similar Excel files.

In all respects, a great book this, and well worth spending under 20 quid.

an excellent introduction
Absolutely fantastic introduction to Financial Engineering. The first thing that strikes me about this gem is that it is very readable: the authors' writing style is straight-forward and concise, and at the same time manages to explain the concepts very well: no lecturing, no wordiness. There is a prevailing pattern of presentation to ideas: introduction, example, theorem, proof, excercise, and it works out wonderfully. The text is well integrated with equations. Well worth the money. ... Read more

Book Description

"An excellent and comprehensive source of information on hedge funds! From a quantitative view Lhabitant has done it once again by meticulously looking at the important topics in the hedge fund industry. This book has a tremendous wealth of information and is a valuable addition to the hedge fund literature. In addition, it will benefit institutional investors, high net worth individuals, academics and anyone interested in learning more about this fascinating and often mysterious world of privately managed money. Written by one of the most respected practitioners and academics in the area of hedge funds." -Greg N. Gregoriou, Professor of finance and research coordinator in the School of Business and Economics at Plattsburgh State University of New York.

"This is a landmark book on quantitative approaches to hedge funds. All those with a stake in building hedge fund portfolios will highly profit from this exhaustive guide. A must read for all those involved in hedge fund investing."-Pascal Botteron, Ph.D., Head of Hedge Fund Product Development, Pictet Asset Management

"François-Serge Lhabitant's second book will prove to be a bestseller too - just like Hedge Funds: Myths and Limits. He actually manages to make quantitative analysis 'approachable'- even for those less gifted with numbers. This book, like its predecessor, includes an unprecedented mix of common sense and sophisticated technique. A fantastic guide to the 'nuts and bolts' of hedge fund analysis and a 'must' for every serious investor."-Barbara Rupf Bee, Head of Alternative Fund Investment Group, HSBC Private Bank, Switzerland

"An excellent book, providing deep insights into the complex quantitative analysis of hedge funds in the most lucid and intuitive manner. A must-have supplement to Lhabitant's first book dealing with the mystical and fascinating world of hedge funds. Highly recommended!"-Vikas Agarwal, Assistant Professor of Finance, J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University

"Lhabitant has done it again! Whereas most books on hedge funds are nothing more than glorified marketing brochures, Lhabitant's new book tells it how it is in reality. Accessible and understandable but at the same time thorough and critical."-Harry M. Kat, Ph.D., Professor of Risk Management and Director Alternative Investment Research Centre, Cass Business School, City University

"Lhabitant's latest work on hedge funds yet again delivers on some ambitious promises. Successfully bridging theory and practice in a highly accessible manner, those searching for a thorough yet unintimidating introduction to the quantitative methods of hedge fund analysis will not be disappointed."-Christopher L. Culp, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor of Finance, Graduate School of Business, The University of Chicago and Principal, Chicago Partners LLC ... Read more

Book Description

The Definitive 4-in-1 Reference Guide to Alternative Assets

Many books cover individual alternative asset classes, but none offers a comprehensive examination of the four major classes as presented in the Handbook of Alternative Assets. This complete handbook merges data and strategies scattered in numerous volumes into one handy guide for the serious investor. The four major classes discussed are:

• Hedge funds
• Commodity and managed futures
• Private equity
• Credit derivatives

Organized by sections–one for each alternative asset class–the Handbook of Alternative Assets demonstrates the benefits and risks of each alternative asset and reveals how these asset classes can be incorporated into a diversified portfolio.

Through expert advice, the Handbook of Alternative Assets details each of four major alternative asset classes and breaks down their quantitative statistical value as well. With this comprehensive handbook on your desk, you’ll begin to use alternative asset classes to both hedge and expand any portfolio. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The Handbook of Alternative Assets
The Definitive 4-in-1 Reference Guide to Alternative Assets Many books cover individual alternative asset classes, but none offers a comprehensive examination of the four major classes as presented in the Handbook of Alternative Assets. This complete handbook merges data and strategies scattered in numerous volumes into one handy guide for the serious investor. The four major classes discussed are: Hedge funds Commodity and managed futures Private equity Credit derivatives Organized by sections-one for each alternative asset class-the Handbook of Alternative Assets demonstrates the benefits and risks of each alternative asset and reveals how these asset classes can be incorporated into a diversified portfolio. Through expert advice, the Handbook of Alternative Assets details each of four major alternative asset classes and breaks down their quantitative statistical value as well. With this comprehensive handbook on your desk, you'll begin to use alternative asset classes to both hedge and expand any portfolio.
The Handbook of Alternative Assets discusses and describes four types of alternative assets: hedge funds, private equity, credit derivatives and commodity futures.

Truely a Handbook
.
I used this book for my preparations towards CAIA Level 1 exam. And I am impressed. Mr. Anson is an authority and this is truely a great book for Alternative Investment aspirants.

If you want to have a very solid grasp of any of the following alternative investment approaches then this is the book you should turn to -

Hedge funds
Commodity and managed futures
Private equity (5 catagories)
....Venture Capital
....LBOs
....Mezzannine Financing
....Distressed Debt

....CrossOver/Interval/PIPE and PEPE funds
Credit derivatives
Corporate Governance

Mr. Anson helps you build strong fundamentals. Actually he clearly explains what constitutes Alternative Assets(Aha !!!) as against fundamental and/or capital assets and what is meant by alternative investment strategies.

This is followed by a rigorous analysis of the topics listed above in that order.

I particularly enjoyed his coverage of Hedge Funds. He explains each of the 10 Hedge Fund strategies in a systematic fashion. From a variety of angles including Market(S&P500), Risk, Regulatory, Due Diligence/Operational/Administrative perspective.

The coverage of Commodity Derivatives is also superb. Although confined to 4 chapters this coverage is sufficient to gain an intermediate level insight into the Commodities.

The coverage for Private Equity is less comprehensive(but good) compared to it's actual scope in real world. I particularly expected a more rigorous coverage for LBOs.

Although I did not touch credit derivatives and CorpGov I could tell you for sure that these topics must have been covered well.
As I read 19 out of 22 chapters.

To put it in a nutshell - This is a very good book for Hedge fund aspirants and prospective Alternative investment professionals.

For more info about CAIA please visit www.caia.org. ... Read more

Book Description

PRAISE FOR Modern Investment Management

"This powerful book brilliantly discovers the routes to superior investment results in the roots of economic theory. In the process, it combines elegance of presentation with the highest levels of lucidity. The authors offer lessons that neither the scholar nor the investor-in-action can afford to ignore."
––Peter Bernstein, bestselling author of Capital Ideas: The Improbable Origins of Modern Wall Street and Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk

"In Modern Investment Management: An Equilibrium Approach, Bob Litterman and his colleagues at Goldman Sachs Asset Management provide the reader with a gentle introduction to modern financial theory and a survey of their own monumental contributions to theory and practice. The role of the late Fischer Black is amply noted."
––Harry M. Markowitz, 1990 Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics

"This comprehensive guide to equilibrium investing is perhaps the finest demonstration of the relevance of financial theory to investment practice. Both the academy and industry owe a huge debt to this exceptionally talented team for reuniting their paths. Study this book carefully and keep it close at hand if you are serious about investing or teaching about it."
––Mark Kritzman, Managing Partner, Windham Capital Management Boston and Research Director, The Research Foundation of the Association for Investment Management and Research (AIMR)

"This book develops a powerful framework for making better investment decisions. The equilibrium approach frees you up to focus on what you know, without being blinded by what you don’t know."
––Andre Perold, Professor, Senior Associate Dean, Faculty Director
Harvard Business School

"An invaluable investment manual ably supported by the highest-quality financial theory, but well peppered with common sense. The fund manager and the institutional investor ignore this book at their peril. It will be a key reference book for our pension plan."
––David Morgan, Chief Executive, Coal Pension Trustees Services Ltd.

"This novel and ambitious book breaks new ground in demonstrating how modern investment theory can be refined and adapted to practice. The authors’ experience as investment professionals in a sophisticated institutional setting lends much credibility to their skillful blending of rigorous analysis, intuition, and real-world application."
––Robert F. Stambaugh, Ronald O. Perelman Professor of Finance
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Oldschool
Nicely written from a journalistic perspective but rather old fashioned. Many mistakes and deliberate false claims in order to suit product interests of Goldman Sachs. Examples:

In the chapter on asset liability management there is always an analytical case for equities. However the only reason is that GS does not allow duration as a choice variable. Otherwise beta (in their formula) would become one and the optimal equity allocation is zero. Accidental? I doubt it.

They also claim to have found (earlier) a better method than Stambaugh on dealing with missing data. However either you publish or you shut up.

Waste of time for serious quants

The definitive equilibrium investing title
My highest commendations to the asset management team at Goldman Sachs. They have come together and created a highly comprehensive tome that covers all the bases within the realm of modern investment theory. Their solid equilibrium approach is applied to all areas, from traditional investments to alternative asset classes, from institutional funds to private wealth, using analysis and real world applications. Incredibly thorough, extremely recommended. ... Read more

Book Description

Market Models provides an authoritative and up-to-date treatment of the use of market data to develop models for financial analysis. Written by a leading figure in the field of financial data analysis, this book is the first of its kind to address the vital techniques required for model selection and development. Model developers are faced with many decisions, about the pricing, the data, the statistical methodology and the calibration and testing of the model prior to implementation. It is important to make the right choices and Carol Alexander's clear exposition provides valuable insights at every stage.

In each of the 13 Chapters, Market Models presents real world illustrations to motivate theoretical developments. The accompanying CD contains spreadsheets with data and programs; this enables the reader to implement and adapt many of the examples. The pricing of options using normal mixture density functions to model returns; the use of Monte Carlo simulation to calculate the VaR of an options portfolio; modifying the covariance VaR to allow for fat-tailed P&L distributions; the calculation of implied, EWMA and 'historic' volatilities; GARCH volatility term structure forecasting; principal components analysis; and many more are all included.

Market Models: A Guide to Financial Data Analysis is the ideal reference for all those involved in market risk measurement, quantitative trading and investment analysis.

... Read more

Reviews (14)

A financial Bible for both profesionals and researchers
Market Models is an essential tool for practioners who would like to gain fundamental expertise on financial modeling. Aside from the practical view, Alexander's book has got such a clear and comprehensive reading that even the most inexpert individuals can get enthusiastically involved in learning issues related to risk management, investment analysis and financial forecasting. Recent econometric techniques on time series are brilliantly applied with real examples on the finance field. The book demonstrates that the author has a great knowledge on both a theoretical as well as a practical basis on market modeling and knows how to combine the two aspects in a very intelligent way. I considered this book to be a fundamental reference for either financial profesionals and academics.

MARKET MODELS
As a Ph.D candidate in finance at the University of Quebec at Montreal (specializing in hedge funds), I believe that Market Models is the leading text in the area of financial data analysis. Professor Alexander is considered as the leader by many in this field. Her many years of experience on both sides of the Atlantic (over 10 years) in consulting on risk management and investment analysis with positions in highly respected banking firms has put together this little gem of a book (long awaited). Professor Alexander's emphasis is based on understanding concepts and implementing solutions. Her past books have been best sellers and are extensively used both in academia and by financial institutions. This book is the only one of its kind that deals with key techniques for selecting and developing models, while using the latest insights into the pricing and hedging of options. At the same time the book focuses on a linear algebraic approach as an important tool for the anlaysis of financial systems. The book nicely deals with traditional time series analysis and is explained using 1)cointegration to long short equity hedge funds and 2) high frequency data prediction using neural networks. This book is a must read for academics, risk management specialists, money managers, analysts and others looking for a clear presentation of the subject. Congratulations on a great text. Hope a second volume is on the way.

Worth the money
If you are looking for detailed rigorous mathematical development then look elsewhere, that is not the reason to purchase this book. It is targeted towards application and there it excels. I have not seen any other book on this topic that so effectively presents a level-headed applied approach that keeps the basic assumptions of the models firmly in sight.
What tool fits when is nicely discussed.

Nice book
I will consider this book as a good introduction to different ways to analyze market data (covering mainly equity but do touch on fixed income as well as currency). I would emphasize that the book model the market more from an empirical point of view. The author gives a good description of the GARCH model as well as PCA analysis. Being a fixed income derivatives trading, I find both sections particularly useful for real world trading. The risk modeling section should expand into topics other than VAR such as coherent risk measures which are more useful. The co-integration section is a must for any traders who want to trade mean-reversion or stats arbitrage.

Overall, I think that the book covers all basic to intermediate mathematics, econometrics and finance necessary for anyone who wants to model market data. The book explains how to use such model for trading, risk management as well as market data visualization / understanding.

A Lucid Essential Reference
Carol Alexander is a lucid writer and illustrator of financial models. It is a joy to find a book that is as well written as this with real-world examples. Professionals who need to refresh their model skills will make this their top book of choice. For modelers of credit derivatives needing good product descriptions, I highly recommend Tavakoli's book "Credit Derivatives and Synthetic Structures". ... Read more

Amazon.com

With the stock market breaking records almost daily, leaving longtime market analysts shaking their heads and revising their forecasts, a study of the concept of risk seems quite timely. Peter Bernstein has written a comprehensive history of man's efforts to understand risk and probability, beginning with early gamblers in ancient Greece, continuing through the 17th-century French mathematicians Pascal and Fermat and up to modern chaos theory. Along the way he demonstrates that understanding risk underlies everything from game theory to bridge-building to winemaking. ... Read more

Reviews (111)

No Risk here, The Odds areYou'll love it.
i'm very much a novice in the study of risk and probabilities; however, I've been lucky enough to come across some excellent business oriented books - but in actuality and thankfully far more philosophical than financial - (Fooled by Randomness for instance) lately that have done a masterful job of presenting this seemingly dry subject in a very fascinating way. Bernstein has probably written the quintessential historical study on Risk and Probability with this volume. It is filled with interesting details of the human qualities and quirks of the mathematicians and philosophers that investigated the problems of probablity and explains the mathematics involved with lucidity and wit. The book follows a chronological approach; however, it's also thematic to show the evolution of the subject of risk management and the influence of other sciences on it - such as evolution. Those that refuse to accept the idea that markets remain unpredictable despite the development of modern risk control mechanisms like derivatives, computer modelling, and modern financial instruments will find this book frustrating. Those who want a wquick fix investment solutions guide will be even angrier and will nort find anything useful here. This book belongs in the philosophy of science and History of Ideas sections far more than the business dept. Nonetheless, the serious and thoughtful investor is advised to read this book carefully. as someone who's lost in the stock markets himself the Bernstein's book can reduce the sting of the loss and impart some well needed wisdom. I no longer invest but I loved this book all the same.

Long on history, but short on risk management strategy
The title of my review is aimed at warning those expecting to find a risk management manual in this book that they will be disappointed. So will those who expect to find the links between the evolution modern statistics and acturial science to the rise of insurance markets and risk management instruments which have proliferated in this century. Many other books quite ably cover these interesting topics.

Instead, the author provides a broad sweeping history of how modern statistics evolved and which answers some questions of why it took so long for modern risk management institutions to emerge. Ancient Greeks, among others, who appeared to be within easy reach of developing statisical theory, nonetheless relegated their fate to the whims of gods, rather than making them amenable to analysis with probabilities and actuarial tables. Tracing modern risk management from the time of Jacob Bernoulli's attempt to develop probabilities from sample data, the author also shows how a knowledge of probabilities can ultimately generate value. QUOTE Reality is a series of conneceted events, each dependent on another, radically diffeent form games of chance in which the outcome of any single throw has zero influence on the outcome of the next throw UNQUOTE The book closes with risk management innovations that followed the emergence of financial volatlity in the 1970s.

Ultimately, this book may be of less interest to statisticians and investment professionals, other than those who have a curious interest in how today's highly developed set of instruments, institutions, and policies around risk came about from the foundations provided in statistical theory.

History Buffs: Here you go!
Against the Gods draws you through a vast time span. Peter Bernstein begins with the conception of the Arabic numbeting system, up through present time super speed computers. Although, the history found in this book is interesting, the title leads you to believe it is all about investment risks, however it is more of a history text book than a manual. This book is a story of theories and how they developed. You will learn quite a bit about ancient times and how things evolved into the way that they are now, but do not expect any great help or advice on how to deal with risks in the investment world. Once you get into this book, Bernstein's writing sytle draws you in. The book is interesting enough, Bernstein's knowledge of hisotry is astounding. History Buffs: here ya go!

Good outline of the history of risk
"Against the Gods" is a book outlining the history of risk. The book provides an outline of all the key players and their contribution to risk theory and management. Chronologically, the book begins in ancient times and stretches all the way to the present, where Bernstein delves into the works of modern day risk luminaries. The book is well written and the style is engaging, with the author always managing to find a way to keep the reader entertained as well as informed.

The book does not pretend to be a "how to" guide for risk management, nor should readers treat it as such. Although the book does discuss modern risk management tools such as derivatives, it is devoid of complex technical analysis and its treatment of such devices is limited to outlining their place in the history of risk. Those looking for technical trading analysis should seek elsewhere.

One of the key questions a potential reader of this book should be asking is "Does this book have any practical applications with regards to modern day risk management?" Whilst as mentioned above the book is not a step by step guide, I firmly believe the book is useful insofar as it enables the reader to avoid the pitfalls of the past. For example, capital markets are continually surprising those who hold an unwavering belief in "regression to the mean". The books provides an explanation of what this theory states, how it has been applied and where overzealous disciples have misused this principle in the past. Overall I would recommend this book as an informative and enjoyable read.

Neutral Recommendation - Do Not Buy - Maybe Borrow
I am going to give you a short review and to the point.

I read this book because it was recommended on "Money Talk" the national radio show on every weekend for 6 hours on investing - Bob Brinker hosting. He is an excellent market timer and gives solid advice. Follow his (diversified investment) advice and you will make lots of money and unlike mutual funds do better than the S&P 500 with low expense ratios.

He had a recommended reading list and he named this book. The book is a disappointment. It is light weight stuff. Only part is on the markets. Frankly I cannot recommend the book.

The point of the book is that the market carries risk. Most people know that and never put more than 4% in one stock. Even Bill Gates knows that and has quietly converted some of his Microsoft stock into other areas. So skip the book and just invest in government backed instruments or follow the golden rule, no more than 4% in one stock.

Jack in Toronto ... Read more

Book Description

Whether you are an investment professional managing billions of dollars or an individual investor with a small nest egg, TrimTabs Investing shows you how to beat the major stock market averages with less risk.  This groundbreaking book begins by comparing the stock market to a casino in which the house (public companies and the insiders who run them) buys and sells shares with the players (institutional and individual investors).  TrimTabs Investing argues that stock prices are primarily a function of liquidity—the amount of shares available for purchase and the amount of money available to buy them—rather than fundamental value.  Finally, it outlines the building blocks of liquidity theory and explains how you can use them to predict the direction of the stock market.

“Charles Biderman, a savvy and battle-scarred veteran of the investment wars, has fashioned an intriguing approach to making money in the stock market that adroitly avoids both heavy-breathing speculation and the standard Wall Street practices that enable investors, big and small, to lose money in good markets as well as bad. Aimed at the sophisticated investor (which may or may not be an oxymoron), the book is written in blessedly straightforward prose and is a worthwhile read for anyone with an urge to have a fling at investing.--Alan Abelson
Barron’s

“Since the days of Joseph and Pharaoh, it has been axiomatic that the size of the grain harvest affects the level of grain prices; but today’s investors have been slow to appreciate the fact that the supply of stock shares significantly determines the level of stock prices. Biderman’s long overdue book outlines the theory and evidence behind ‘Trading Float,’ the actual—and exploitable—power behind major moves in the stock market. --Paul Montgomery
CEO and CIO of Montgomery Capital Management

“‘Trade as corporate execs do, not as they say.’ Charles Biderman has built an impressive list of hedge fund clients from this essential insight, and this book does a great job explaining exactly how retail investors can incorporate it into their investing.” --Eric Zitzewitz
Assistant Professor of Economics, Stanford Graduate School of Business

“Charles Biderman is a smart thinker, clear writer—and he offers here some very interesting ideas. This book is for the little guy who enjoys reading about money and economics, even if he doesn’t adopt the strategies offered here; and for the professional or sophisticated investor, who, to a greater or lesser degree, just might.--Andrew Tobias
author of The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A truely unique approach to timing the stock market
If you are tired of conventional investing wisdom and curious of how the largest hedge funds have done so well - TrimTabs Investing is a must read.

The book is a great resource for investors who seek to make money in all market conditions. While most investors are wrapped up in second guessing earnings estimates, Charles Biderman has focused on the supply and demand of equity stock outstanding. Turns out, company insiders have been doing this all along and they know more about how they are doing than we do.

Using basic Liquidity Theory, which bases market timing recommendations on a fact-based approach that monitors the signal value of changes in the supply and demand of equity stock outstanding, Mr. Biderman provides a simple, transparent, and repeatable process for actively managing market exposure.

With a strong foundation in liquidity theory, you will have more confidence in going against the grain, shorting the market when it is over-backed and going long when equities are undervalued.

I highly recommend the book.

New indicators for supply and demand of stocks
This book presents a series of indicators that track the supply of stocks from corporations and the demand of stocks by the public and investment firms. The author has devised these indicators over a long time but only recently (compared to other indicators) has put them together in a working system. His company provides updates to all of these indicators but the author also tells you how to prepare a number of them yourself.

It appears that the getting the data is somewhat difficult and messy. It thus borders more on art than science, as some data series come out late (but they are lagging indicators) and some data is just irregular or estimated.

I like this book because it presents a new set of indicators along with a rationale. And because the indicators are "messy", hopefully I will be able to craft my own versions with similar effects.

The author's testing show great results over the exuberant 2000 decline, but I believe the time period of live testing has been to short and the messiness of the indicators themselves augur for more testing.

John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX ... Read more

Book Description

Steve Nison revolutionized the world of technical analysis when his two bestselling books introduced Japanese candlestick charting techniques to the western world. "Candles," he discovered, can signal shifts in trends and price patterns with amazing accuracy, and these "storyteller" charts also contain powerful applications for today’s volatile short-term markets.

In The Candlestick Course, Nison breaks new ground once again. From the basics through the more complex stages of pattern recognition, each chapter includes specific learning objectives, key terms, clear-cut instruction, and practical applications. Plus, each end-of-chapter quiz allows readers to perfect their charting abilities before moving on. This book is the ideal training tool for newcomers, and perfect for veterans looking to refine and hone their skills.

Focused on the needs of today’s active traders and investors, Nison:

• Provides a solid foundation to candlestick charts–reinforcing key skills as you go
• Reveals how to pinpoint critical market opportunities as they arise, by recognizing key candle signals
• Tests your ability to accurately analyze and interpret candle charts
• Demonstrates how candlestick concepts can trigger potent decision-support tools that can confirm–or enhance–buy/sell signals
• Includes a valuable "progressive charting" case study
• Ties all the aspects of candlesticks together through interactive examples and visual tests

Whether viewed as a supplement to Steve Nison’s other books and courses, or as your introduction to candlestick charting, this course book will familiarize you with the intriguing world of The Morning Star, The Hammer, The Dark Cloud Cover–and the many other powerful and precise patterns Nison shares with fellow traders and investors.

Not just a one-time read, The Candlestick Course can be used as a valuable reference source, and quick refresher course, time and again. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Frustrating
The content of this book is good. My criticism is that the layout is badly planned. You have to refer to charts on different pages, then look at the questions on another different page, then refer to the answers on another different page etc. Lots of flipping pages back and forth, kind of ruined it for me.

Shooting Stars and Belt Holds and Dark Cloud Cover
This is a great basic primer on candlestick charting techniques by the guy who allegedly introduced it into the west fifteen years ago. All the basic one, two, and three formations from spinning tops and high wave candles to piercing lines and cloud covers to three soldiers, harami cross and evening doji stars are there. It is pretty amazing that candlesticks are so much simpler but contain more information than standard western tick and point-and-figure charts. Among the things I learned were that hammers must have shadows twice as long as the real body, and the way windows (gaps) are used for support in Japanese trading. The book is arranged with quizzes, and while repetive (and there are a couple of minor mistakes, including on one of the questions), Nisson really drives home the message. Among the things he emphasizes are that candlesticks are best for signaling reversals, and that they are best supplemented by western techniques for price targets and confirmation. Although not quite a complete novice, I'm a slow reader but it only took me three hours to read this in the library. The last part of the book takes you through a chart and points out the formations-dispelling the common critique that technical analysis is completely subjective. Highly recommended and quite a contrast to the information overload of many other trading books.

Outstanding book! A must have for any technical trader
I'm reading this book now and it's amazing how much you can learn in so short a time. This is a small book but the information and the way it's presented is outstanding. I wish all of the books that required study put their material in this format. Each section has a quiz to determine that you understand the material. Not only that but detailed answers to each of the questions is included. You're getting double re-enforced learning. While it starts with the basics of candlesticks the book concludes with real examples of applying these patterns. What's really the kicker is that Steve shows how he integrates Western charting techniques with candlesticks to greatly improve the odds in trading.

I don't expect to be a trading wizard after reading through this book but I do expect my trades will be thought out more thoroughly with the right techniques.

Get this book even if you don't use candle charts now.

very useful book
this book is more likely study guide for candlestick charting techniques. it contains a lot of useful exercises to test your understanding on candlestick. i strongly suggest to read other nison books before you buy this book. i give this book 4 stars because this book very useful and give more knowledge to understand candlestick

Learn Candlesticks
This is a wonderful book. It does exactly what it claims. I've read a lot of trading books, and this is probably the only one that I've given 5 stars. Every trader has some familiarity with candlesticks, usually just enough to get into trouble trying to use them. Candlesticks can show changes in market psychology much more rapidly than traditional bar charts, but you need to know how to properly use them before using them as a major trading tool. This book really is a course that starts with the basics, then steps you through graduated complexity to using candlestick signals to trade a historical chart. Each section is followed by a quiz, with the answers provided. The answers are actually expanded course material. I learned the difference between a valid and an invalid signal. More than that, I learned how to properly use the signals. The book moves along rapidly, without a lot of irrelevant discussion or philosophy. It stays focused on the subject. I completed it in just a few hours. Get this book! Learn how to properly use candles in your trading. This course has made a difference in my trading. What more can I say? ... Read more

Book Description

Build a great financial services practice, AND a great life filled with passion, purpose and enthusiasm.

With more than one million financial services practitioners in the United States and Canada, competition for clients can be intense.While some professionals believe that working furiously around the clock at the expense of a personal life is the route to success, top-producing industry veterans Ron Carson and Steve Sanduski disagree.They believe that financial services is a commodity business, and as such, that performing better, delivering better financial plans, or having access to certain products doesn’t differentiate advisors effectively.Rather, differentiating through service, brand and relationship is the only sustainable way advisors can compete.

In Tested in the Trenches: A 9-Step Plan for Building and Sustaining a Million-Dollar Financial Services Practice the authors explain how securities representatives, insurance professionals, investment advisors and CPAs can do just that . . . and create great lives along the way. Based on concepts taught in professional coaching workshops worldwide, Tested in the Trenches outlines:

• The four “foundation” steps to success.
• Four ways to generate revenue.
• 15 habits of top achievers.
• Forms and checklists to organize your financial services practice.
• Online sources for additional business-building ideas and tools.

If you have the sincere desire to make significant improvements in your financial services business – and your life – clear your schedule, read Tested in the Trenches, then go back and implement each idea in the order it is presented.By doing so you’ll be prepared to join the rarefied group of personally fulfilled and professionally successful top achievers. ... Read more

Book Description

Praise for The Stock Market Course

"An essential guide for anyone who wants to avoid getting burned in the stock market. This book tells you how to make money and how not to lose it. Risk management is something that institutional investors have long employed to limit their losses and boost their long-term gains. This book explains risk thoughtfully and enjoyably."–Michael Molinski, Mutual Funds Editor and International Editor, CBSMarketWatch

"An excellent book that explains all of the critical factors that affect your investments. Comprehensively discusses how to analyze companies and markets. The simple descriptions paired with valuable online resources allow the reader to obtain critical information for making investing decisions.With the breadth of this coverage, you can’t help but learn something new!"–Victoria Vestal, Yahoo! Finance

"Fontanills and Gentile have written the comprehensive stock market book–stuff you want to know now, stuff you’ll have to know later. Complete the workbook and you’ll have fast-tracked your investing foundation."–Michael Smith, Cofounder of the BigEasy Investor www.bigeasyinvestor.com

"A classic must-read primer for both the novice and experienced investor...comprehensive and easy-to-read, this book provides an innovative approach for learning how to survive in today’s volatile markets. If you need the bottom line on trading do’s and don’ts, read this book!"–Julie Craig, eSignal

"A comprehensive book on the equity and option markets for both the new and experienced investor. Readers can benefit from increased knowledge and a focused and disciplined approach to the markets."–Eric Alexander, Managing Director, Wall Street Access (www.wsaccess.com)

"This is the best course I’ve seen in 20 years in the investment business...profit from it."–Clay H. Womack, Chairman & CEO, Direct Capital Markets, Inc.

"The best stock market introduction ever written for traders and investors searching for the path of trading success."–Francis Gagnon, Producer for Active Traders (LiveCharts & QCharts), Quote.com (www.quote.com)

"If you wish to increase your knowledge and profitability in trading and investing, here is where you’ll learn."–Bill M. Williams, PhD, CTA, and author of Trading Chaos and New Trading Dimensions ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A GREAT BOOK FOR ALL INVESTORS
I am the type of guy that buys all the books on investing that may give me at least one simple idea that might make me extra thousands of dollars. I am recommending this book as one that all investors may gain great investment ideas from. Other books that fit in this same catagory include: (1) Making Dollars With Pennies: How The Small Investor Can Beat The Wizards On Wall Street by R. Max Bowser, and (2) Guaranteed Profits With Small Stocks by R. Max Bowser. Both of these books are available on Amazon.

This book is a must!!
I purchased this book along with the Stock market course workbook for my husband and he loves it. Being a novice on the workings of the stock market we both wanted to be prepared before investing any money into the market either with an online or a traditional broker. This book has such a wealth of inforamation in it that I suggest if you are interested in investing you need to check out this book along with its wookbook. It is money well spent.

If you're looking for a pace to start...
I would highly recommend this book to anyone seriously looking for a good book on how the market and its many facets work. The book is correctly named, it reads like a textbook from a 101 college course and it even has a companion book (sold separatly) to "test" your knowlege of what you read in the textbook.
Bottom line - easy to understand, thorough, informative. Will provide good general understanding of the stockmarket.

A good book for a beginner
Easy explanations of most of the things a trader should know. There are some typos and errors, but overall the book is packed with useful information. The material does not require any previous economics or business knowledge, but will be useful for pros as well. I recommend it to everyone

All about Risk Management - A must read
I already had quite a bit of knowledge about investing and trading before studying this course, but still learned more. My only regret is that this wasn't available 5 years ago. ... Read more

Book Description

Comprehensive text with enough background material to refresh and reinforce earlier courses in corporate finance and enough advanced material to stimulate the most advanced learner.The predominant strengths of clarity, current coverage, and friendliness to learner and instructors continues in this new edition.Some of the areas where coverage has been expanded include corporate governance and reform, valuation, value based management, cash flow, and newly updated material on real options.The instructor's resources enable outstanding presentations and learning. ... Read more

Book Description

One of the best languages for the development of financial engineering and instrument pricing applications is C++. It has several features that allow developers to write robust, flexible and extensible software systems. It is an ANSI/ISO standard, fully object-oriented and interfaces with many third-party applications. It has support for templates and generic programming, massive reusability using templates (‘write once’) and support for legacy C applications.

In this book we bring C++ to the next level by applying it to the design and implementation of classes, libraries and applications for option and derivative pricing models. We employ modern software engineering techniques to produce industrial-strength applications: -

• Using the Standard Template Library (STL) in finance
• Creating your own template classes and functions
• Reusable data structures for vectors, matrices and tensors
• Classes for numerical analysis (numerical linear algebra …)
• Solving the Black Scholes equations, exact and approximate solutions
• Implementing the Finite Difference Method in C++
• Integration with the ‘Gang of Four’ Design Patterns
• Interfacing with Excel (output and Add-Ins)
• Financial engineering and XML
• Cash flow and yield curves

Included with the book is a CD containing the source code in the Datasim Financial Toolkit that you can use directly. This will get you up to speed with your C++ applications by reusing existing classes and libraries.

'Unique... Let's all give a warm welcome to modern pricing tools.' Paul Wilmott, mathematician, author and fund manager ... Read more

Book Description

Praise for The Logical Trader
Applying a Method to the Madness

"Fisher’s messianic willingness to share with the public the successful system he has developed is an opportunity to be exploited."
–from the Foreword by Paul Tudor Jones
Chairman and CEO, Tudor Investment Corp.

"Mark takes the same mental approach to trading that professional athletes and coaches use to succeed on the court. He has taken several college and pro athletes and provided them a game plan for life after basketball."
–John Calipari, Head Basketball Coach, Memphis University
Former NBA Head Coach, New Jersey Nets

"I have been actively involved in the markets (foreign exchange, equities, derivatives) since the early 1970s–as a trader on the CBOT floor in the bond and note ‘pits,’ as a foreign exchange dealer at a large multinational bank, as the head of a bank’s futures brokering operation, as a reasonably widely known analyst of the world capital markets writing a daily commentary on these markets, and as a trader on my own. I’ve read a myriad number of ‘how to’ books on trading, most of which have proven to be of little merit, if any. However, from the outset, reading and understanding Mark’s insights into his ACD system in The Logical Trader, I’ve learned methods of trading that I probably understood intuitively but now understand logically and with almost numerical rationality. The reading may be difficult for the beginning trader, but the lessons learned will be immediately beneficial; of that I am certain. I strongly endorse this book for the beginner and professional trader alike."
–Dennis Gartman, Editor/Publisher, The Gartman Letter, LC

In trading, as in life, you need a plan. In The Logical Trader: Applying a Method to the Madness, expert trader Mark Fisher reveals a plan and a method that he has used for over twenty years to successfully trade.

Mark Fisher has taught thousands of people–from traders on the floors of major exchanges to individual investors in front of computer screens–how to trade stocks, commodities, even currencies, using his highly successful and innovative ACD method. Now, in The Logical Trader, Fisher will teach you how to use the ACD method to trade more effectively and profitably than ever before. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Where's the meat???
I truly believe that Mark Fisher is a great trader and his ACD trading system is one of the best. Who am I to stand opposite to Paul Tudor Jones who wrote in the Foreword that besides the four Bibles of the business (Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Lefevre, Technical Analysis of Stock Trends by McGee and Edwards, The Elliot Wave Theorist by Prechter and Market Wizards by Schwager), he was going to add this book to his list of must reads for the beginning trader.

The critical drawback is, unless you subscribe with a fee to the author's research material or become his client (MBF is the largest clearing firm in the Nymex), you dont know what those time, trading period and vehicle specific inputs for the ACD system are, and everything written in the book becomes sales talk alike.

Nevertheless, with respect to Tudor Jones, I do agree with his compliment of Chapter 7 (The ACD version of Ripley's Believe it or Not) that it "presents incredible, real stories from the trading pit. Experienced traders will see themselves and their flaws in these stories, while novices can learn from these professional traders' mistakes". However, how can one single chapter compensate the cost of the whole 8 chapter book?

p.s.

1. Suprisingly, the domain mentioned in the book ...is registered but not in operation yet.

2. The "meat" of Chapter 7 include:
- Good News/Bad Action: When the news is good and the market just does not rise correspondly, sell.

- I have no clue: When a market goes up or down for no apparent reason, it tends to go a lot further int hat direction than people can imagine.

- Be the house: The more time you spend at the tabls, the more bets you are going to place, and the greater the probability that you will eventually walk out of the casino as a loser. The casino would rather not have someone make a single large wager and, win or lose, immediately walk away.

- Next!: An important rule of trading is that time is much more important than price. If the market doesnt move your way within a short time of putting on a trade, just get out.

An excellent book, but...
Overall, this is book provides some execellent insights into the thinking patterns of a successful daytrader.

My complaints:

A) On many occasions, Fisher refers the reader to "the Appendix" for further details and examples. Well, some of the information is there, and some of it is missing. At the price Wiley is charging for this book, they could have had an editor clear up those dangling references.

B) A more serious issue is that Fisher's ACD trading system depends on a number of market-specific time and price parameters, which the author says are calculated using his firm's "proprietary methods." So, if you want to use the trading techniques he describes in this book, you'll need to get some historical intraday data and do a little number crunching of your own to fill in the missing information.

Well worth it
In my opinion, the single most important idea presented in the
book is that the opening range is a signficant reference point
in volatile and liquid markets. This results in an excellent
risk/reward entry point.

I felt that some of the presentation in the book could be
improved. Especially the Macro ACD chapter. He does not
explain the premise behind the rating scheme (atleast I could
not find it). The book is also lacking in money management
techniques.

Some of his insights are original (value of money, teaching
being therapeutic etc)

In summary, I would highly recommend this book. Every trader
has a particular momemt in his trading career when the light
goes on in his mind. The concept introduced in this book
was that light for me.

Interesting and amuzing but no Toby Crabel
Toby Crabel's articles de