The Education of a Speculator
by Victor Niederhoffer
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Book Summary Information
Author: Victor NiederhofferEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1998-02
ISBN: 0471249483
Number of pages: 444
Publisher: Wiley
Book Reviews of The Education of a Speculator
Book Review: Stocks, commodoties and almost everything else
Summary: 4 Stars
The Education of a Speculator is a long, sometimes meandering account of the life of speculator Victor Niederhoffer. There is no particular order to this book, at least that I could discern; Niederhoffer jumps from topic to topic, going backwards and forwards in time. The style is almost stream of consciousness, with the main subject of finance digressing into topics as diverse as biology, music and squash (the author is a serious player of squash and other racquet sports). In addition to Niederhoffer's unconventional style of writing, the book assumes a fairly high level of knowledge regarding financial markets. Those (such as this reviewer) who are not well versed in the kind of articles, charts and data found in the Wall Street Journal or Barron's will often find themselves in way over their heads. For all this, I still recommend The Education of a Speculator, even to people not especially interested in the world of investing. Victor Niederhoffer is what may be called a holistic or macro thinker; he could also be called a Renaissance man. He has knowledge of many subjects and sees the connecting links between all events, objects and disciplines. He may not be right about everything, but his perspective is always interesting, intelligent and original. He combines the streetwise instincts of Brooklyn, where he grew up, with the scholarly mindset of Harvard, where he both graduated from and taught. As for investing itself, Niederhoffer, like many speculators (at one point he describes the overlapping definitions of an investor, a speculator and a gambler), has had many ups and downs in his life. When this book was written, he was at the top of his game; shortly afterwards he was wiped out. That, of course, was several years ago and he is still active as a writer (he has recently written a new book) and investor. I have always been fascinated with the world of investing, especially the kind of volatile speculating engaged in by people like Niederhoffer. Even if you don't understand all the details and nuances, the book conveys the dangers and excitement of this unpredictable universe. The author has spent many years compiling and analyzing data concerning markets, and he discusses how difficult it is to make predictions based on past performance. It is easy to look at a chart and, after the fact, describe how stocks or commodities moved in a logical, predictable manner. Often when you try to apply any seemingly logical system using real money, the results are disastrous. Niederhoffer seems to conclude that markets are paradoxical -they are both logical and illogical; sometimes they follow patterns but sometimes they are chaotic. And, most importantly, we can never be sure when order or chaos will prevail. If there is one overall lesson we can take from The Education of a Speculator, it is probably something like this -reality is almost infinitely complex with every part connected to every other part, the whole thing organized by some vast pattern that can only occasionally be comprehended.
Summary of The Education of a Speculator
Acclaim for The Education of a Speculator, a provocative and penetrating look into the mind, the soul, and the strategies of one of the most controversial traders of all time"A compelling and an entertaining read." -The Wall Street Journal
"Victor Niederhoffer gives us page after page of distilled investment wisdom. Taken together, this is pure nectar to those who aim for consistently superior stock market performance." -Barron's
"The Education of a Speculator offers plenty of insights into the way markets work, but the epiphanies are what a reader might expect from Lao-tzu rather than, say, Graham and Dodd." -Worth magazine
"The Education of a Speculator is the first meaningful book on speculating. Successful speculating is as fine an art as chess, checkers, fishing, poker, tennis, painting, and music. Niederhoffer brings forth the best from each of these fields and shows the investor how their principles can enrich one's life and net worth." -Martin Edelston, President, Boardroom Inc., publishers of Boardroom Classics and Bottom Line/Personal
"With an original mind and an eclectic approach, Victor Niederhoffer takes the reader from Brighton Beach to Wall Street, visiting all stops of interest along the way. What emerges is a book full of insights, useful to the professional and layman alike." -George Soros, Principal Investment Advisor, The Quantum Fund
What you typically hear about Victor Niederhoffer is that he trades for "the great Soros," that he doesn't wear shoes in his office, that the only newspaper he reads is the National Enquirer, and that a picture of the Titanic hangs in his office.
That's all true. But it's the logic behind the eccentricities that is the real story. The Education of a Speculator is a sojourn inside the one-of-a-kind mind of Victor Niederhoffer, a trader in commodities and a keen observer of life. He has trained himself to look at the world in a singular fashion: where the guy on the street sees opportunity, Niederhoffer has scoped out all the downsides and done the contrarian thinking necessary to turn a profit. Niederhoffer draws material from disciplines as varied as biology, music, cards, and sports. His book, written with humor and verve, offers readers a chance to see the world through his lenses. The result is a genuinely new perspective on life (unless you too happened to grow up a speculator). This is a terrific, rewarding book.
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