Investment and Finance Book Reviews

A revised version of the classic guide to Wall Street which explains why fund managers so often lag behind Wall Street.

This book, by Burton G. Malkiel is absolutely essential reading for anyone hoping to work in Wall Street, The City or the financial services industry in general, but it also makes great bed-time reading for the rest of us too (well maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but if you are reading this, I would guess that you are interested in the workings of the finance industry) This book was originally written in 1973, but has been updated regularly to cover the many changes that have happened in the various markets since the first edition.

The emphasis of the book is summed up in the brilliant title: The market is random and a chimpanzee could beat a well paid fund-manager.

Written by the famous economist, Bemjamin Graham, an essential reference for value investors.

A book detailing years of accumulated wisdom from one of the all-time investment greats. Loss minimization is more important than profit maximization.

Graham's investment guide was first published in 1949 and described by Warren Buffett as "the best book on investing ever written"

This book by Nassim Nicholas Taleb looks at risk and reward in an interesting way and came before his highly successful book, "The Black Swan"

Nassim Nicholas Taleb was a professional trader and mathematics professor and, in this book, examines the effects of randomness on the markets, with many stories drawn from real life. An interesting alternative view of the mathematics of the money markets and life.

If you liked "Fooled by Randomness", then you will also like this one. Here the influence of highly improbable and unpredictable events and the potentially massive impact on the world and the stock markets are examined. A continuation of the analysis started in "Fooled by Randomness"

By Warrent Buffett himself: Perhaps the most successful investor of all time and one of the richest people in the world after many decades of exceptional investment returns.

How to take advantage of an asset bubble, by the master himself.

A detailed description of investment and trading methods employed by George Soros, one of the most powerful and profitable investors in the world (Called "The Man Who Moves Markets" by BusinessWeek) Soros famously bet against the British Pound and made a billion dollars.

The classic book for buy and hold investors and growth investors.

Merryn Somerset Webb's "Love is Not Enough" (Subtitled "A Smart Woman's Guide to Making (& Keeping) Money") is an intelligent book about money: making it, saving and investing it and spending it sensibly. Useful advice for everyone, but with an emphasis on women's attitudes to money. Apparently even Kate Middleton (our future Queen?) Merryn Somerset Webb's book covers women's shopping compulsion to pensions, investments and pre-nups. She is an ex-stockbroker, financial journalist and edits the finance magazine Moneyweek, but she is also a mother.