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The New Paradigm For Financial Markets Large Print Edition: The Credit Crash Of 2008 And What It Means (2008)

by George Soros(Favorite Author)
3.32 of 5 Votes: 5
ISBN
1586487132 (ISBN13: 9781586487133)
languge
English
publisher
PublicAffairs
review 1: Very good. Soros is a prescient hedge fund manager and seems to anticipate major moves in financial markets before anyone else. His lack of ego and concerted will to what is right are admirable. The chapters on reflexivity and the fundamentally irrational nature of the human psyche have much broader implications that just financial markets. I also found the section on ways to provide more secure housing and mortgage markets fascinating; in this case, by creating better bankruptcy judges and developing solid exit strategies for consumers that have been tied into unsustainable mortgages (especially those mortgages with predatory teaser rates). As of 2008, he is long on China, short on the US and the US dollar, long on India, and short on European equities. Great, quick ... moreread.
review 2: I really want to like this book and can't deny that Soros obviously has some fundamental truth to his Reflexivity Theory. The first half of the book is spent explaining his theory of reflexivity and how it contradicts to the financial equilibrium theory. Both theories are philosophical ideas and the first half of the book reads like a mixture of a philosophy text and an short autobiographical summary of his role in the financial market. This is also the part that I leaves me finding it hard to really enjoy the book. There were numerous times when I found myself resorting to reading paragraphs over for a second or third time to make sure I understood them. I don't think that it was the complexity of the subject matter though, but instead was the overly-complex way that Soros explained it all.The second half of the book is his attempt at analyzing the credit crash of 2008 with his reflexivity theory. This part is an easier read, but only if you've spent the time to make sure the first half sunk in properly. It lends great credit to his credibility that the majority of his predictions for the latter half of 2008 came out as he expected. Overall I'd say that this book is worth reading, but only if you have a string desire for financial literature and/or you really enjoy reading philosophical texts. I read it based on the former and had to struggle based on the latter. less
Reviews (see all)
Sameer
An interesting theory that could have been expressed in about 5 pages ... waste of time generally
altho1
alright, but doesn't shed much light on the mess we are in.
Bella
Good reference of the financial crises.
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