As stock prices and investor confidence have collapsed in the wake of Enron, WorldCom, and the dot-com crash, people want to know how this happened and how to make sense of the uncertain times to come. Into the breach comes one of Wall Street's legendary investors, Leon Levy, to explain why the market so often confounds us, and why those who ought to understand it tend to get chewed up and spat out. Levy, who pioneered many of the innovations and investment instruments that we now take for granted, has prospered in every market for the past fifty years, particularly in today's bear market. In The Mind of Wall Street he recounts stories of his successes and failures to illustrate how investor psychology and willful self-deception so often play critical roles in the process. Like his peers George Soros and Warren Buffett, Levy takes a long and broad view of the rhythms of the markets and the economy. He also offers a provocative analysis of the spectacular Internet bubble, showing that the market has not yet completely recovered from its bout of "irrational exuberance." The Mind of Wall Street is essential reading for all of us, whether we are active traders or simply modest contributors to our 401(k) plans, as volatile and unnerving markets come to define so much of our net worth.
Lack of financial knowledge is not only an economic consideration, but also a social concern garnering greater attention from school administrators, governmental agencies and policymakers. This concern highlights the fact that widespread gaps in levels of financial literacy exist, and at risk are those who are least familiar with complex savings and investment vehicles, and with financial planning concepts and their long-term benefits. Today’s complex financial services market offers investors an endless array of products and services to meet individual financial needs, and the degree of choice requires the knowledge to evaluate the options, and the ability to identify those that best suit individual needs and circumstances. This book collates a wealth of expertise and insight, and aims to provide a new generation a higher understanding of the various investment products and services in the marketplace, and to increase the likelihood of attaining a secure financial future. In addition, the material will educate those interested in increasing their aptitude about financial choices, and will assist in gaining a greater understanding of the benefits of saving through securities investments. The content provides knowledge that will empower individuals to make better-informed investment decisions, assist in planning for their future, and will make a contribution to creating a sound lifestyle during working years and through-out retirement. The curriculum focuses on relevant knowledge, and provides ample opportunities for an integrated learning experience. Throughout the program of study, students will not only learn important concepts, but will have ample opportunities through coursework and assignments to apply these concepts to real and simulated practice situations. On the high school and undergraduate levels, this supplemental book shall appropriately pair with courses that include Math Applications in the Real World, Personal Financial Planning, Introduction to Investments, Money and Finance, or Money and Banking. At the graduate level, the book compliments courses which provide analysis of financial instruments, financial markets, or insurance and investment companies. Courses that are commonly offered on the graduate level include Financial Management, Investment Analysis, or Personal Financial Planning. Prerequisites are not required, as these are lower level classes. Many of the modules are commonly taught at most Universities – and several of the classes are required for Business and Finance majors. A few points should be made regarding how the instructional aids contained in this manual can be used. Firstly, a section at the end of the chapter contains questions, self-test problems and case analyses. This Guide provides answers to the questions, problems, and cases. PowerPoint slides are included to aid the pedagogy. We encourage educators to modify the slides in the manner that best fits the course. Instructors can contact the publisher or the author to request supplemental material. Secondly, since there is no single best way to teach a financial literacy course – the optimal class structure will vary with students' backgrounds, the instructors' interests, the number of students, and the fit of the content in the overall curriculum. Volume 1 consists of subject content, commonly used abbreviations, core analysis, exercises, case analyses and an extensive glossary. Future volumes will cover bonds, mutual funds and annuities. We trust readers will find this guide to be a valuable resource for gaining insight and best practices relevant to saving and investment participation. The Author, Clifford D. Wright
This account of the sophisticated financial hub that was 17th-century Amsterdam “does a fine job of bringing history to life” (Library Journal). The launch of the Dutch East India Company in 1602 initiated Amsterdam’s transformation from a regional market town into a dominant financial center. The Company introduced easily transferable shares, and within days buyers had begun to trade them. Soon the public was engaging in a variety of complex transactions, including forwards, futures, options, and bear raids, and by 1680 the techniques deployed in the Amsterdam market were as sophisticated as any we practice today. Lodewijk Petram’s award-winning history demystifies financial instruments by linking today’s products to yesterday’s innovations, tying the market’s operation to the behavior of individuals and the workings of the world around them. Traveling back in time, Petram visits the harbor and other places where merchants met to strike deals. He bears witness to the goings-on at a notary’s office and sits in on the consequential proceedings of a courtroom. He describes in detail the main players, investors, shady characters, speculators, and domestic servants and other ordinary folk, who all played a role in the development of the market and its crises. His history clarifies concerns that investors still struggle with today—such as fraud, the value of information, trust and the place of honor, managing diverging expectations, and balancing risk—and does so in a way that is vivid, relatable, and critical to understanding our contemporary world.
Introduction to Business covers the scope and sequence of most introductory business courses. The book provides detailed explanations in the context of core themes such as customer satisfaction, ethics, entrepreneurship, global business, and managing change. Introduction to Business includes hundreds of current business examples from a range of industries and geographic locations, which feature a variety of individuals. The outcome is a balanced approach to the theory and application of business concepts, with attention to the knowledge and skills necessary for student success in this course and beyond. This is an adaptation of Introduction to Business by OpenStax. You can access the textbook as pdf for free at openstax.org. Minor editorial changes were made to ensure a better ebook reading experience. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
"This book provides a good foundation for the beginning investor who is setting out to venture in the stock market. It tells you in plain English about the fundamentals of stock market and investment strategies to deepen your investing literacy. If you're looking for good advice on which stock to buy and when to sell it, you can find it in this book."—Best Ways to Invest Money Blog Investing in the stock market is a great way to build your wealth, but for those of us who aren't professional stockbrokers, knowing what information to trust and where to put your money can seem overwhelming. Stock Market Investing for Beginners provides you with the strategic advice and knowledge necessary to make informed investment decisions. Equipping you with everything you need to take control of your financial future, Stock Market Investing for Beginners removes the guesswork from investing. Stock Market Investing for Beginners gives you the tools to start investing wisely and successfully, with: A Comprehensive Overview covering the fundamentals of stock market investing Strategic Advice on buying, selling, owning, and diversifying Invaluable Tips on building your financial portfolio through stock market investing "As a financial advisor, I recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn the Wall Street stock market game and build wealth."—Cheryl D. Broussard, reader and financial advisor Learn how to make the best of your investment with Stock Market Investing for Beginners.
Jeffrey Hirsch discusses how to capture market-beating returns by following specific stock market cycles While predicting the direction of the stock market at any given point is difficult, it's a fact that the market exhibits well-defined and sometimes predictable patterns. While cycles do not repeat exactly all of the time, statistical evidence suggests that cyclical tendencies are very strong and should not be ignored by investors. The Little Book of Stock Market Cycles will show you how to profit from these recurring stock market patterns and cycles. Written by Jeffrey Hirsch, President of the Hirsch Organization and Editor-in-Chief of the Stock Trader's Almanac, this reliable resource explains why these cycles occur, provides the historical evidence behind them, and shows you how to capture consistent profits from them moving forward. In addition to describing his most widely followed cycles and patters, Hirsch also discusses both longer term boom-bust economic cycles and shorter term tendencies involving the best days, weeks, and months of the year to trade the market. The methods found here follow everything from presidential election cycles to the "Santa Claus" effect Written by Jeffrey Hirsch, the pre-eminent authority on market cycles and seasonal patterns The strategies explored are easy-to-implement, and based on research that has proven profitable over the course of time For investors looking to beat the buy-and-hold philosophy, The Little Book of Stock Market Cycles will provide simple, actionable ideas that have stood the test of time and consistently outperformed the market.
The efficient markets hypothesis has been the central proposition in finance for nearly thirty years. It states that securities prices in financial markets must equal fundamental values, either because all investors are rational or because arbitrage eliminates pricing anomalies. This book describes an alternative approach to the study of financial markets: behavioral finance. This approach starts with an observation that the assumptions of investor rationality and perfect arbitrage are overwhelmingly contradicted by both psychological and institutional evidence. In actual financial markets, less than fully rational investors trade against arbitrageurs whose resources are limited by risk aversion, short horizons, and agency problems. The book presents and empirically evaluates models of such inefficient markets. Behavioral finance models both explain the available financial data better than does the efficient markets hypothesis and generate new empirical predictions. These models can account for such anomalies as the superior performance of value stocks, the closed end fund puzzle, the high returns on stocks included in market indices, the persistence of stock price bubbles, and even the collapse of several well-known hedge funds in 1998. By summarizing and expanding the research in behavioral finance, the book builds a new theoretical and empirical foundation for the economic analysis of real-world markets.
All you need to know about buying and selling stocks Too often, textbooks turn the noteworthy details of investing into tedious discourse that would put even a hedge fund manager to sleep. Stock Market 101 cuts out the boring explanations of basic investing, and instead provides hands-on lessons that keep you engaged as you learn how to build a portfolio and expand your wealth. From bull markets to bear markets to sideways markets, this primer is packed with hundreds of entertaining tidbits and concepts that you won't be able to get anywhere else. So whether you're looking to master the major principles of stock market investing or just want to learn more about how the market shifts over time, Stock Market 101 has all the answers--even the ones you didn't know you were looking for.
Sparked with wit and humor, this clever and insightful book provides clear evidence that the stock market is inefficient. In the author's view, models based on rational economic behavior cannot explain important aspects of market behavior. The book tackles important issues in today's financial market in a highly conversational and entertaining manner that will appeal to most readers. Chapter topics include: estimating expected return with the theories of modern finance, estimating portfolio risk and expected return with ad hoc factor models, payoffs to the five families, predicting future stock returns with the expected-return factor model, super stocks and stupid stocks, the international results, the topography of the stock market, the positive payoffs to cheapness and profitability, the negative payoff to risk, and the forces behind the technical payoffs to price-history. For anyone who wants to learn more about today's financial markets.
Updated with a new chapter that draws on behavioral finance, the field that studies the psychology of investment decisions, the bestselling guide to investing evaluates the full range of financial opportunities.
