5 comments about Trading ETFs: Gaining an Edge with Technical Analysis.

1. Deron Wagner desrves a great deal of credit for having the courage to break the mold on Wall Steet. A wonderful book for experienced investors.



2. This is a great book to learn about ETFs and how to trade them. Deron Wagoner shares his knowledge and outlines a concise methodology for trading. Definitely a reference book you will continue to profit from.



3. Deron Wagner,in Trading ETFs, has presented a very simple, logical and, I think, successful approach to trading ETFs. In a very readable and understandable style and utilizing numerous chart examples, Mr. Wagner describes how he goes about finding the highest probability trades, how he determines the optimum entry point, how he manages open positions, and how he exits positions be they big winners, breakevens, or losers.
   
   He describes his approach as being a "top down strategy". His first step is to determine the direction of the broad market trend; then, once the trend is determined, he finds those indexes that have the most relative strength or weakness compared to the major indexes; then he selects the strongest ETFs within those indexes (or weakest if going short); then he looks at volume for confirmation; and finally he uses one or more of several techniques to properly time the new entry into the selected ETF.
   
   The one thing that I liked most about Mr. Wagner's book was his use of clean and simple charts. He uses almost exclusively only two and sometimes three moving averages, draws simple trendlines and areas of support and resistance, and shows volume levels and averages. He does not "goop' his charts up with additonal indicators such as MACD-Histograms, slow stochastics, and RSI. While these indicators are certainly very useful to many traders, Wagner's plain, simple approach of looking only at price action and volume confirmation has a lot to be said for it.
   
   Risk management and position sizing are touched upon only briefly but adequately and his comments about using trailing stops are most enlightening.
   
   The two chapters describing case studies of 10 ETF's bought long and 10 ETFs sold short are most useful in illustrating the use of Mr. Wagner's various setups.
   
   I have read Trading ETFs only once now but I am already looking forward to going through it again a second and third time. It is the type of book that you can only absorb only so much the first time around but pick even more pearls of wisdom on subsequent readings.
   
   Needless to say, I recommend Mr. Wagner's newest book highly.



4. Were they all written by the same person? Vote with your feet when the reviews are bogus.



5. it looks very unusual that all the 5 star reviews are first timers to review. i have to agree with the last gentelman that there's something rotten in the kingdom of denmark

5 comments about Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution.

1. Not a particularly easy read but well worth the effort. This book needs to be updated and revised for mass circulation with some degree of urgency. I have actually contacted two of its authors, indirectly, through their website at Rocky Mountain Institute and their associate has assured me that my concerns are being addressed. Apparently a new edition (same or different title?) is in the offing.



2. The seller was quick to respond to the order, and the book was shipped to me promptly. I would buy from this seller again.



3. I am about halfway through this now and I find the book very engaging and not difficult to read. I do agree that the current edition is dated.
   
   Kyoto costs too much? 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 is a pipe dream? This book will go a long way to persuading you that we will meet that target and more before 2050 and *make* money. The compelling question is - why aren't we further along in making the changes needed?



4. Although one might not completely agree with all of the ideas and concepts discussed in the book, it is a wonderful read for those who are both environmentally conscious and business world-savvy. As a treehugging bean-counter, I absolutely enjoyed "Natural Capitalism".



5. I read Paul Hawken's book "The Ecology of Commerce" first. It was so good I decided to read this one too. It's just as good.
   
   The name of the book describes what it is about very well. In a sense capitalism is unnatural because it is unsustainable. In contrast Natural Capitalism is when business interests work in concert with social interests and natural systems so that all three sustain each other.
   
   Natural Capitalism is easy to read and is essentially optimistic. It discusses broad strategies for sustainability as it relates to the activities of businesses and their products and services. It also gives many examples of how these strategies can be implemented so we can see Natural Capitalism in action.
   
   By and large this book is even more relevant now as when it was first published in 1999. I applaud the writers for saying some tough things that need to be said and for showing real, proven solutions instead of just talking about problems and theories. Very refreshing!

5 comments about Fibonacci Analysis (Bloomberg Market Essentials: Technical Analysis).

1. Tried my best to understand what I was reading,but just could not make the grade.Not my type of reading.Fibonacci is simply about retracements and expansion.This book makes Joe DiNapoli look like a genius.



2. Once I began to read this book I could not put it down, this is without doubt the most informative work I have read on this subject in my 20 years trading. The book is involved and it does require thoughtful study but that effort will I am certain be rewarded. If I knew nothing of Fibonacci at the outset this would still be the book for me, why waste time picking up bad habits from other books get it right the first time.
   
   regards.



3. I have read this book twice and started using the confluence zones. Now the book is used like a daily reference manual.
   
   Keep in mind that the other reviews you see above are correct; knowledge of technical analysis is helpful in understanding this information. I have been investing and trading for several years and I have also accumulated 100 books on the subject. None of these books ever compelled me to write to the author and thank them for writing their book; that is until this one. Constance has a gift for teaching. Being brilliant helps too! This book is required reading for the serious trader.
   I am amazed at what happens in the confluence zones!! I am getting better and better at drawing the correct Fib Levels and my zones are becoming meaningful and respected. This makes me freak out a little because these are levels I would never see otherwise; they have no meaning until you find them!! (if that makes any sense at all)I know several traders who think they are using Fibonacci Levels. Now I recognize that they are using Fibonacci all wrong. I was too; before I read this book.
   
   My advice; get the book, read it, read it, read it; then practice like you have never practiced before.
   
   Tools are only as good as the hand they find themselves in; be committed and this will amaze you too.



4. Having just graduated college in May, I've gotten some new books to further my education as I combat this terrible financial job market. After hearing the advertisements for this book on Bloomberg Radio I decided to check it out and let me tell you this book is no cake walk. Granted, I am not an extensive trader and only am a student of Finance and have no applied concepts learned in school to call myself an "experienced" financial professional.
   
   Like other reviews say, you will need to re-read chapters and don't even think about taking a day off haha. I took 2 days off from reading and had to re read the chapter and the chapter before it, it takes a lot of time and practice, but the knowledge you gain from this book is a good foundation to build upon. I find the concept of Fibonacci Analysis to be exciting and worth while to know. I suggest this book for everyone, but they have to be committed to learning.
   
   It does help to have a technical analysis background, but not necessary, just takes a little longer to understand what shes talking about when she speaks of Gann Analysis and Elliot Wave's. Overall, a great book, only reason why I give it a 4 out of 5 star is that she claims this book can be read by someone who has no experience in fibonacci, and she is half right in that statement, but if you have no experience, you will get lost sort of fast. I've enjoyed this read, but am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for books on Gann Analysis?



5. Fibonacci seems to be an area of technical analysis that is very poorly covered in the literature. There are several books but many of them are by writers of newsletters (and the books often spend page after page on historical irrelevant detail). This doesn't automatically make the books bad, but it is likely that the author will hold back certain information.
   
   This book is not for beginners. I would buy Robert Miner's book to get the received wisdom on Fibonacci retracements and extentions. Then I would experiment trading on those ideas for a couple of years. Anything above this level isn't in the public domain and you have to be prepared to spend a lot of time doing research. If you want to learn more you can consider buying this book or another specialised book (Greenblatt or Boroden). But be aware: The further you read this book the more opaque it becomes. I think you also need to subscribe to the author's newsletter. So this author does hold back information, but in the earlier chapter the writing is fairly straightforward and some testable ideas are presented.
   
   Personally I have decided not to go down this route. I do believe there is value in basic Fibonacci ratios, but there is too much mysticism in the advanced literature for my comfort. Maybe I'm missing something, but I take the risk.
   
   I've still given this book 3 stars because I suppose it is cutting edge and if you are interested in the area it is worth getting other people's ideas for forward your own thinking.
   
   I have written several short reviews on trading books. The best way is to compare the score on the books I've read. Many reviews on amazon.com are just glorious 5 star reviews. I use all five categories; sorry but everything isn't "great". Books rated 5 are very good. Books rated 4 are good solid books well worth reading. Books rated 3 can be bought by some people who read a lot or have very specific needs. Books rated 1 or 2 I would not recommend buying or reading. Naturally all in my humble opinion.

5 comments about DeMark Indicators (Bloomberg Market Essentials: Technical Analysis).

1. I've been struggling for weeks now to recreate many of Demark's indicators for the Ninjatrader platform in C# - relying soley on the original explainations in Tom Demark's book. There are a lot of very detailed logic rules for these indicators that , if you blink, you'll miss a step in the procedure. Jason Perl's book is exactly what I have been looking for.
   He breaks down each indicator in a top down pseudo code step by step format that makes understanding and code translation a breeze. There are also numerous Q & A's that I found extremely insighful.
   HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!



2. For years I've been trading using Tom DeMark's indicators, I have produced my implementations of TDSequential, TDCombo, TDST ( In QuoteTracker, Worden Blocks e.t.c). It was a very long "trial and errors" process.
   DeMark's works have lots of haters who have difficult time to admit that something that "simple" could (if interpreted correctly) produce such steady trading profits in ANY kind of market.
   When I saw this book appeared on Amazon - I ordered it right away, just needed to see what it had to offer ( so little info on DeMArk for retail full time traders)
   I wish I had that book when I was coding DeMark indicators - it would save me lots of time - this book is a "MUST READ" for anyone who is a serious trader, it sorts and logically arranges what was scattered across the pages of DeMark's own books. THANK YOU!
   DavidDT of trading-to-win



3. This book is excellent if you want to know how to construct the DeMark indicators. It tells you all the parameters and goes into all the subtleties. However, if you are buying this book to write a black box it doesn't give you a full trading strategy. The reason for this is it allocates very little time on exit strategy - 95% of the book is on entry. Additionally there is no description as to how the default parameters have been decided. (The 9 and 13 particularly - they are just assumed from page one.) However, as I have said, if you are looking for a book that clearly explains the entry techniques that DeMark uses this is for you.



4. This book provides the clearest exposition of Tom Demark's work that I have seen, explaining both how to implement the indicators and giving suggestions for interpreting them as a discretionary trader or as part of a mechnical system.
   
   It is written from the perspective of a practitioner and targets that audience - Jason has been extremely generous in disclosing many tricks of the trade in applying the indicators that one otherwise could only learn painfully from watching several years of market behaviour under different regimes. For example, he explains how a trend-follower can use TD Setups in combination with TDST lines - an idea not explained elsewhere.
   
   Jason Perl is the expert on the application of TD Wave (Tom Demark's rigorous variation of Elliott Wave), and the explanation of how to use this tool in combination with other indicators is on its own worth a multiple of the price of the book.



5. This is a handbook on the DeMark indicators. The book is useful if you subscribe to the indicators on Bloomberg, etc. You won't find these indicators on Esignal, Tradestation or on free websites.
   
   So does this book contain anything useful for the rest of us? Yes, if you want to program the indicators yourself in whatever system you are using.
   
   And for the rest of us that are not programmers? No. This book is not for us.
   
   However, I would assume these indicators will be available for all systems in a couple of years. So I give the book 3 stars.
   
   I have written several short reviews on trading books. The best way is to compare the score on the books I've read. Many reviews on amazon.com are just glorious 5 star reviews. I use all five categories; sorry but everything isn't "great". Books rated 5 are very good. Books rated 4 are good solid books well worth reading. Books rated 3 can be bought by some people who read a lot or have very specific needs. Books rated 1 or 2 I would not recommend buying or reading. Naturally all in my humble opinion.

5 comments about A Bull in China: Investing Profitably in the World's Greatest Market.

1. As a professional in the investment business I highly recommend this book. I will sum it up in a few words. A book that all CEOs, World Leaders and anyone serious about understanding the positioning of the United States in the decades to come. A fascinating book written by an intriguing person, the combination equals a must read.



2. I agree with Jim Rogers. China is way too important for investors to ignore. China is growing fast and they are here to stay and perhaps are on their way to become the next great world power. But I found Rogers' book very flimsy. If you are unfamiliar with the changes in China, there are many other better books that can help you to better understand the changes. If you already know about these changes, then this book adds hardly anything. Book is also poorly organized. One minute he can be talking about the different dynasties or the cultural revolution, the next minute he talks about the newest companies in different industries.
   
   From an investor's perspective, it gives you some information about various companies and types of shares (ie: A shares, H shares, etc.). There is no depth though. There are lists of companies in various industries, but Rogers provides hardly any information. He also does not teach you how to find out more about these companies and regulations that might affect investors. For example there are no answers to important questions like: Does China have anything analogous to SEC, GAAP? Where can we get financial statements on companies listed in Shanghai stock exchange? What is executive compensation like? Etc.
   
   If you are thinking about investing in China then it is important to understand their culture, politics and recent business environment and Rogers tries to provide readers with some basic material here, but the lack of depth or new insights make this book not worthwhile. Here are some other books that I recommend:
   
   China Wakes (a little outdated but still very important)
   China Road
   Wild Swans



3. 1. The Chinese saving and investment rate exceeds 35 percent among its 1.3 billion people.
   
   2. There is room for upward growth in Chinese industry, including power and energy, tourism and media, agriculture, infrastructure, and high tech.
   
   3. American Depositary Receipts is a way for Americans to invest in China.
   
   4. Changes in regulation, reduction of tariffs, and the promise of greater market access for foreign first are beginning to shape competition in fields like banking, media, and telecommunications.
   
   5. Commodities will be a way to profit from China's expansion. Owing a piece of the things that china's hot economy simply can't do without guarantees less need to worry about governments, management, or pension funds.
   
   6. In 2006, China attracted $70 billion in foreign investment and brought their foreign currency reserves about $1.3 trillion.
   
   7. Do you want to profit from increased purchasing power of the biggest middle class the world has ever seen?
   
   8. Huawei Technologies sold 1.5 million notebooks in 2006.
   
   9. Lenovo Group (LNVGY) caters to 160 countries and 2006 revenues reached $1.3 billion
   
   10. China Spacesat (SHA) has increased orders for smaller satellites.
   
   11. Shanghai Aerospace Automobile Electromechanical engages in military and civilian work, makes satellite-data-receiving equipment, auto parts, battery panels, and solar battery panels.
   
   12. 2006, there are 137 million internet user in China and 76% have high speed internet. There are eighty million bloggers. Shanda Interactive Entertainment (SNDA) claims 2.29 million active accounts.
   
   13. China has a baseball league, the CBL, Basketball (CBA), football (CSL).
   
   14. 2006, China had sixty million credit card owners. 2009, the banks break even and by 2013, they are $1.3 billion in the black.
   
   15. 2006, there were 440 million mobile phone services and another 48 million expect to join by 2007. China Mobile is the largest cell phone operator with 300 million subscribers.
   
   16. Keeping holdings in the Chinese Yuan, or renminbi, may be a relatively safe way to hitch an upward ride on China's growth.
   
   17. It is reasonable to expect a 300 to 500 percent rise against the debt ridden US dollar over the next twenty years.
   
   18. In 2005, there were an estimated 510,000 public disputes across China, a sign that some forms of protests are being allowed. Will the turmoil rise to the point where it would seriously affect the business and investment climate?
   
   19. Three reason why China's economy will flourish: a. rural dwellers replenishing aging labor b. corruption is comparable to Asian tigers c. foreign companies will invest to solve China's environmental problems.
   
   20. There are 110 million Chinese carriers of hepatitis B and C.
   
   21. Will China float its currency freely. The yuan levels against the dollar are increasingly strong. Will the higher valuations on the yuan cripple Chinese exports? Foreign investment and Chinese innovation should sustain demand for higher quality Chinese products, a similar cycle that the Japanese import/export cycle experienced in the 70s/80s/90s.
   
   22. Is China heading for a "hard landing" as the Chinese government struggles to control growth. China's growth may not be strongly tied to US economics. In 1997, during the Asian financial crisis, China's market soared 38 percent. In 2000, as the US internet bubble burst, China's economy surged forward 49 percent. The US imports are not the only influence in China. Much of China's growth has been internal and stimulated by domestic demand. Because China is a country with high savings, a stock crash won't have the same impact on capital for expansion. Chinese companies have plenty of places other than the stock market for cash.
   
   23. 2006, sixty-five million investment accounts or 10 percent of the population of China, grow from nothing.
   
   24. What are the biggest challenges facing China? Excess liquidity, balooning credit, an asset boom and over-investment in loss-making heavy industries. All factors in Japan's downturn through the 80s.
   
   25. In 2006, China produced 50 percent of the cameras, 30 percent of the worlds air conditioners, and 40 percent of the microwaves sold in Europe.
   
   26. In 2005, 98 percent of villages were electrified and the second largest consumer of electricity in the world. By the end of the 1990s, the Chinese central government controlled less than 50 percent of the power production. The Big five include China Datang Corp, China Power Investment Corp, China Huaneng Group, China Guodian Corp, and China Huadian Corp.
   
   27. China needs $2 trillion in electricity infrastructure between 2001 and 2030. In China, coal accounts for 70% of the electricity capacity. In 2007, China became a net importer of Coal.
   
   28. China will reach US oil consumption of 20 million barrels a day within twenty years. China imports 3.5 million barrel/day of oil. Chinese oil refineries are among the best-managed enterprises. Due to price control, China ranks with the US among the countries with the lowest gas prices. The Chinese governments have been will to let gas prices rise to regulate use and allow Chinese oil companies to stay profitable. Chinese oil companies boost exports of diesel to take advantage of better prices on the world market.
   
   29. The Chinese government plans on spending $200 billion on renewable energy.
   
   30. China ranks number one in world farm output. China has a rural population of 940 million. China's farm production remains relatively unproductive. A single US farm hand works 140 acres and is 200 times more productive than his Chinese counterpart, who works one acre. China plans on a $42 billion investment in agrarian infrastructure: more efficient irrigation systems, retail markets, and e-commerce.
   
   31. Between 2000 and 2004, China jumped from nineth to fourth in world agricultural exports by emphasizing products they have a comparative advantage: a half pound peach, fuji apples, Chinese Walnuts, mushrooms, garlic, Christmas trees, Mandrin Oranges, and strawberries.



4. As a big Jim Rogers fan, I am amazed to find myself giving his book a 1 star rating. While his first 3 books were excellent, this book should never have been published.
   
   The book gives a cursory rehash of the "China is the next great super power" argument (which I believe is true) and then just gives long lists of random Chinese stocks with short and shallow rambles in between stock lists.
   
   The book makes it clear that the listed stocks are not recommended stocks, just a long list of all the Chinese stocks that the author could come up with. It's obvious that no research was done on the stocks listed and most have no more than 1 paragraph on them describing what they do.



5. Anytime someone makes you a lot of money, you tend to become a fan. And so I am a fan of Jim Rogers. I believe this man makes a lot of sense when he talks economics. I learned this by reading his earlier books about driving around the world. He admits to being a lousy trader. But he is great at looking at the big picture and investing according.
   
   He made me money with an earlier book, Hot Commodities, which I had for four years before I invested in commodities. If I had invested when I first read the book, I would be retired 2 or 3 times over. Even though commodities have taken a huge tumble lately the bull market is not over yet and they will make me more money.
   
   But this book is about the money that can be made in China. If you watched the 2008 Olympics you saw a new China. The reports from China are amazing. The growth, the production, the consumption, and everything about China is not just super-sized, it's gigantic-sized. With three stock exchanges, close to double digit GDP growth every year, and the largest financial reserves, there is plenty of opportunity here.
   
   I am writing this review to help you decide if you should buy this book or not. I hope this review helps. If you want to read more of my reviews of stock trading and investment book, you can get them at www.thetradingtipster.com.
   
   Another reviewer has already painstakingly detailed the book chapter by chapter. My takeaway is that if you are looking for places to invest, then get this book. It explains why China is growing and why it will continue to grow. This book also breaks down all the sectors of the economy. Everything from travel to agriculture to the Chinese space program is discusses and dissected in easy to understand language. Dozens of companies are also listed with brief descriptions of each. The descriptions are good because you get a sense of what if happening in China, but for the average American investor most of these companies cannot be invested in.
   
   But even if you only focus on Chinese companies listed on NYSE and NASDAQ or get into the Chinese Market ETF (FXI) you can still make a nice long term gain. The author stresses that investing in China is a long term process with ups and many downs along the way. He does not recommend any company in the book, he only mentions them to give the reader a broad understanding.
   
   If you want to know what's going on in China and profit from it, from a man who knows how to make money, this book is a great place to start. It opened my eyes to China when I first read it and am patiently waiting for an opportunity to invest in the largest bull market of our lifetime. The author compares China to the Wild West of America. Lots of money to be made, but you have to be careful.
   
   By looking at the trends in the US market and what is going on around the world, it makes sense to reason that investments for the next few decades will probably get a higher return in places like China than in the US. Even if you don't agree with me on this point, you will probably agree that diversifying by investing in China is not a bad idea. And if you believe that then this book will help.

3 comments about SPIN-FREE ECONOMICS.

1. I was shocked by how much I liked this book. I think of it as a kind of contemporary *Capitalism and Freedom* (Milton Friedman), although it comes across as less partisan and the coverage is much more global. I agreed with almost everything the author said and I thought the framing was effective and spot on just about all the time.
   
   Many economists may already know too much to be the appropriate audience here (but many still need this book), but if you wish to give someone an economics book as a gift, or as an introduction to thinking about economic policy, here you go. I'm still astonished at how remarkably good this book is and yes I did read it all the way through. Greg Mankiw wrote a very nice blurb for it.
   
   Tyler Cowen



2. SPIN-FREE ECONOMICSTHIS BOOK ONLY SPINS WITH BUSH AND THE NO RULES CAPITALIST'S. IT BLAMES THE CALIFORNIA ELECTRICITY CRISIS ON THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND SAYS ENRON HAD VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH IT. IT USES PENNSYLVANIA AS A ELECTRICITY DEREGULATION SUCCESS. I LIVE IN PENNSYLVANIA AND ELECTRICITY DEREGULATION IS A FAILURE. THIS BOOK IS ABOUT PROTECTING THE RICH. IT SAYS TRUST THEM AND NO REGULATION IS NEEDED



3. There are some nice write ups here but this is not spin free. This is mostly free market economics that is fairly blind to most of its shortcomings. If you like free market capitalism then you'll like this book. If you believe in a mixed economy, with some progressive leanings, then you won't.

5 comments about Economic Gangsters: Corruption, Violence, and the Poverty of Nations.

1. As Raymond Fisman and Edward Miguel explain at the beginning of their book, there are two main currents of thinking among those who opine on the wisdom of foreign aid: the "poverty trap" view, which holds that aid must be injected to end a vicious cycle in which inability to save leads to disaster in lean years, and the view that more such aid is simply sending good money after bad, straight into the hands of corrupt officials to be funneled away or otherwise wasted. Fisman and Miguel aim to look at corruption and violence in developing countries to determine how prevalent such evils are, how they are caused, and how they can be prevented--and, therefore, what the best way, non-ideologically-speaking, of raising up poor nations might be.
   
   The funny thing about corruption is that it tends to exist out of sight--at least, out of sight of official statistics and public measurements. No one reports the bribes he takes on his income tax returns. So Fisman and Miguel have to come up with creative means of measuring corruption of various types, and this is the most fun part of their book. Economic Gangsters is completely accessible to the general reader, with virtually no economic jargon or concepts more difficult than "incentives matter," but it perfectly captures the exciting, puzzle-solving nature of this kind of academic research.
   
   Fisman and Miguel's biggest, and most important, suggestion is the basic one that foreign aid and other solutions to developing-nation poverty be studied and implemented in an evidence-based manner. Without experimental data it's very difficult to determine whether a particular program is actually effective or not (or cost-effective or not). Randomized trials, like those carried out for developing medicines, are rare in the field of poverty reduction. But sometimes they are carried out. For example, local democratic control of public works projects is often touted as an antidote to corruption and skimming of funds. But in Indonesia a test was conducted to compare road building under local control, the thread of a federal audit, and no corruption prevention. Local control did little better than the control group, while those projects that were audited involved significantly less stolen money.
   
   The authors adhere to their intention to remain non-ideological, and their interest is clearly in going where the evidence leads them. Unfortunately, large-scale economic experiments are often impossible and unethical, so some things can never be tested. But those interested in solutions that actually work should use what information they can. Economic Gangsters provides some of that information, and an interesting look at how to find it. It also tells some great stories about the incentives economic gangsters respond to, the strange circumstances that sometimes create these incentives, and how governments and other groups can play with them to aim for better outcomes.



2. Eight years ago, as I crossed the Uganda-Kenya border, I was sequestered in a shack, interrogated, threatened with prison, and ultimately required to pay a bribe by border guards. After that harrowing experience, I returned to my hotel and recounted the story to the first friendly face I saw: my sympathetic colleague Ted Miguel. Ted and his colleague Ray spent the succeeding years studying violence and corruption in poor countries; and this sweet book is the latest fruit of those labors.
   
   What can economics tell us about corruption and violence around the world? More, perhaps, than you'd expect. Ray and Ted use surprise changes in a dictator's health to measure the value of political connections in Indonesia, rainfall to capture the effect of recessions on violence in Africa, and tricks in the trade data to reveal smuggling. (That's not to mention the parking tickets - Chapter Four.) They present their clever research in surprisingly clear English, and they draw on the related research of other economists as well. They really know how to tell a story: I was captivated by the opening recounting of Kenyan author Ngugi's woes and delighted by the creative policy making of Antanas Mockus, mayor of Bogota.
   
   It's hard not to compare popular economics books today to Freakonomics: Gangsters has the advantages of Ted and Ray's witty, pleasant voice, more of a thematic focus, and none of the self-adulation that took away some Freakonomics' shine.
   
   Despite the focus on corruption and violence, ultimately the book is presenting a miscellany of work that is related but isn't (and perhaps cannot be) circumscribed into a larger theory. Occasionally I found myself wishing a central theory like you find in Malcolm Gladwell's books. But then again, those theories usually aren't convincing for exactly the reason that Ted and Ray don't have one: they are careful and big, broad theories are not. I really enjoyed the clear policy recommendation of Rapid Conflict Prevention Support in Chapter 6, and I look forward to more clear recommendations in the next book. Again, Ted and Ray are careful and tend not to recommend policies that don't have clear evidence to stand on. Not all scholars are comfortable laying out strong recommendations on limited evidence; two books by scholars who are more comfortable are The Bottom Billion and The End of Poverty. (As I recall, that's also the self-definition given by an economic hit man!) The main policy recommendation, ultimately, is more evidence-based policy making, particularly randomized trials of development programs (but with a healthy view of the realistic scope for these kinds of trials).
   
   This book won't just show you that economists can be clever (although it will show you that): It shows that economics, cleverly applied, can illuminate some of the most intractable development problems of our time. I strongly recommend it. And if you don't trust me, Publishers Weekly said that in this "surprisingly spry" read, "fascinating insights abound" [1]. Take it from both of us and learn something.
   
   [1] Publishers Weekly, 6 October 2008.



3. A few years back, economists Ray Fisman (Columbia University) and Edward Miguel (University of California, Berkeley) caught the attention of the global media and the United Nations with their study of diplomats' unpaid parking tickets. At the time, diplomatic immunity allowed representatives to the international body to park in violation of city traffic codes, racking up fines. Fisman and Miguel looked at the list of traffic violations for UN plates over several years. They found that diplomats from some nations such as Canada and Ireland behaved themselves, parking lawfully and paying any tickets, while others such as Kuwait and Chad exploited their power, sometimes in ostentatious ways. Why? The ticket behavior, the economists suggested, is a proxy indicator for the intersection of culture and corruption.
   
   Now, in their recently published book, Economic Gangsters: Corruption, Violence, and the Poverty of Nations, Fisman and Miguel extend their corruption lens to the problems of conflict and development. They look for economic causes of conflict such as water scarcity or food crises to help explain everything from civil wars to witch trials. They ask whether more money or better governance is the key to economic growth for Africa, concluding that--although corruption and economic abuse is a key challenge to development--it won't really be possible to answer the big questions of the field until there is better quality, more scientific evaluation of the results of aid projects.
   
   Economic Gangsters is a pleasurable and fast read, written for a popular audience who may or may not know the context of the work. For development specialists familiar with the writings of Jeffrey Sachs, William Easterly, and Paul Collier, the broad contents of the book will be familiar. As other reviewers pointed out, there is also a certain sense in which discussions of warlords and blood diamonds brush up against diplomats' parking tickets or randomized sampling without connections between the topics ever being delineated. On the whole, however, Fisman and Miguel's presentation feels fresh and dynamic. Even seasoned development practitioners are likely finish with a few new ideas inspired by the book's creative approach to cross-pollinating approaches and examples.
   
   The book is available in print and in Amazon's Kindle e-reader format. The digital version suffers from occasional print type errors (for instance, writing budget as bud-get), but the charts and tables thankfully appear crisp and clear on the Kindle screen. I read in Kindle format and would be pleased to do so again.
   
   Economic Gangsters deserves to be widely read. The authors' tone is friendly and simple, approachable even. This is important, given the complexity and high stakes of the issues at hand. Indeed, the economics of conflict and corruption need to be more widely understood if donor countries' policy making is going to be improved. Yet, one finishes reading this book on the topics of war, poverty, suffering, crime, and interventionist failure feeling not overwhelmed, but rather empowered--equipped with intellectual tools for making the world better, little by little.



4. [Originally published at my blog, [...]
   
   I read this book recently. The authors (Ray Fisman and Ted Miguel) are development economists at big schools (Columbia and UC Berkeley; Ted's in the econ department, but I see him and his RAs all the time), and they've written this book to give laymen some insight into the research we (economists) do and how that research can be used to advance development around the world.
   
   Ray and Ted have structured their book around academic papers that they and their colleagues have written, omitting the tedious math and econometrics and adding explanations, stories and context to the questions at hand.
   
   Relative to an economic textbook, this book is much more accessible and intuitive; relative to other development books (Easterly's Elusive Quest for Growth, Scott's Seeing Like a State, and even Perkins' Confessions of an Economic Hitman), this book is, uh, boring and overly didactic.
   
   Yeah, sorry.*
   
   Perhaps I am a jaded reader -- I've read about 2/3rds of the papers behind the book, and I've been "doing" development economics for 5-15 years (depending on who you ask) -- but the book only grabbed my interest a few times, e.g., the mayor of Bogota who used mimes to shame those breaking traffic laws. Put differently, I can think of better ways to spend your time.**
   
   For those of you interested in the contents, here's a preview, chapter by chapter:
   
   1) Economic development is impeded by corruption.
   2) You can measure a company's political importance by watching its stock price when the corrupt dictator (Suharto in Indonesia) gets sick.***
   3) You can detect corruption in the discrepancy between figures of the exporting country and importing country (e.g., Hong Kong to China). Distorted tariff and trade rules encourage corruption.
   4) Some cultures are more corrupt than others. Ray and Ted discuss their brilliant paper, which showed that diplomats to the UN in NYC obeyed parking laws in rough proportion to their corruption at home (and attitudes towards the US) -- despite having the same immunity from prosecution. (I'm guessing that this paper was their book proposal.)
   5) No water, no peace -- conflict rises when water supplies fall.**** Global warming will make this worse. Ray and Ted overlook an important problem in this chapter. They claim that the Rich world will not do too bad with climate change, but they forgot the adverse impact of a sick environment on quality of life.
   6) When people are starving, they look for ways to reduce the demand for food. One way to do this is by finding and killing "witches". One way to stop the massacre of old women and children accused of witchcraft is to provide insurance against such risks, i.e., drought relief.
   7) Countries can recover from war pretty quickly, but it's harder to recover from civil war or when ex-militants are left in unemployed groups. Vietnam succeeded; Iraq is failing.
   8) Randomized trials (one village gets a new program, another "control" village is left alone) are a good way to evaluate anti-poverty programs.*****
   
   Bottom Line: Anyone REALLY interested in development economics (but who is not an economist) should read this book. Everyone else should keep reading and debating at economics blogs :)
   
   -------------------------------------
   
   * And who am I, a lowly postdoc without a book to his name, to question the output of two superstar professors? Just me, folks...
   
   ** Listen to this great podcast [...], in which Richard Epstein discusses inequality and happiness.
   
   *** Read this paper [...] to really understand how a developing country moves from the "Natural State" to the "Open Access Order."
   
   **** Check out the updated Environment and Security Water Conflict Chronology" [...] from Peter Gleick's Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security (yes, that's the full name). It's pretty exhaustive, but it's also pretty inclusive (it includes incidents when one person is attacked, "perhaps" over water...)
   
   
   ***** I'm still amazed that a PhD student (Ben Olken) was given [...] to study corruption in Indonesian road building. Holy Cow! That's enough to fund 200 "normal" PhD research projects!



5. I enjoyed this book and I think the research is compelling. Aside from a chapter in the middle of the book that veers inexplicably into Bush-bashing, Economic Gangsters is well written and very accessible. It is clearly written to introduce their ideas to readers who may have little or no experience with economics and there is little math or mathematical theory involved. I managed to breeze through it in about a week of before-bed reading.

5 comments about The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization.

1. This book provides a very good understanding of globilisation by integrating various issues and concepts with critical, illustrative and at times poignant examples. This helps appreciate what globilisation means currently and the historical summary helps explain how we got to where we are today. Consequently we are better able to forecast trends and determine meaningful business and social strategies that will enhance our lifestyles. It is an easy, informative and enjoyable read.



2. If you have a short attention span, then this book is not for you. I thought being a newspaper person would have made Friedman concise and to the point, but Friedman spends so much time talking about things that are not directly related to the point that I gave up on this book. I may have cheated myself (I thought the same of Ayn Rand but did make it through Atlas Shrugged which is one of my favorites.) but I don't have the time for his wanderings.



3. This is the first book I've read on the hot topic of globalization and I think it's fair to say I was disappointed, especially considering how popular this book is. What is most odd about this book is that it does not feel like it was written by a journalist at all: it rarely relies on facts or scenarios that actually happened. Much of the book contains dialogues (mostly among world leaders) that Friedman invented for literary effect. He also goes overboard on inventing his own terminology for the subject. But what is most annoying while reading the book is that while you would expect a book on globalization to be nuanced and subtle, Friedman comes off as arrogant and heavy-handed in his treatment of the subject. It occurred to me many times while reading the book that being a globetrotting journalist did not qualify Friedman to be the quasi-theorist that he thinks he is. Revealing, this book has aged very poorly, very quickly. Most of the companies he praises (Enron and Compaq for instance) have either gone completely defunct or been bought out by other companies. As if to further underscore his shallow understanding of the subject, his Golden Arches Theory was disproven soon after the publication of his book. Friedman is not without his insights but I imagine there must be much better books out there on the subject.



4. Had some good ideas but pretty heavy reading. Not for the short attention span person.



5. I read part of this book for a Globalization class I was taking, plus a few chapters from a different book "Globalization and Its Discontents" by Joseph Stiglitz. I initially liked what I read from Friedman. It seemed positive and interesting in comparison to Stiglitz (which focused on IMF economic policies and was VERY angry). However, upon reading the whole Stiglitz book and then going back to Friedman, I found Friedman to be poorly educated in economics and a waste of my time. It is indeed a cheerleader book for Globalization and has so many holes in it you can drive a car through.
   
   Friedman is a market fundamentalist with an agenda, which becomes very clear after reading a REAL book on economics. He embraces this "golden straightjacket" (or restrictions that globalization puts on an economy) as inevitable and advocates a rapid transition to free-market systems with abandonment of old systems. He also favors excessive deregulation of the economy and wants government to completely relinquish control. The success of this strategy isn't backed by any evidence. It's only Friedman's theory. For instance, he goes into great detail about the hardships that this golden straitjacket puts on government, the population and all the entrenched interests... but never proves with evidence that the countries that put it on are better off than countries that don't. The fact is, countries DON'T have to follow this golden straitjacket model. Southeast Asia in particular... with all the "crony" capitalism that Friedman complains lingered on for decades, was successful before the 1997 market crisis specifically because of this crony capitalism. They didn't follow the IMF, Wall Street, and the electronic herd who were all clamoring for them to immediately open up their markets and push down barriers and completely eliminate government interference in the economy. They kept those barriers up, built up their own businesses and industries, and when those industries were ready to compete in the global market, they slowly reduced trade barriers and integrated themselves into the global economy. This is the correct way to approach globalization, not the stupid way Friedman and the IMF and Wall Street lobbyists advocate (ensuring US companies dominate ALL competition in the developing world).
   
   I'll give another example of why Friedman is wrong. Look at Russia. Russia's transition from communism to capitalism was guided by the IMF and the US Treasury Department. It was one of the most radical transformations of an economy in the history of mankind and under Friedman's theory, it should have been an enormous success because "the quicker you adopt the golden straitjacket, the better". WRONG. They transitioned to free markets so quick that it was devoid of competition. There was no regulatory structure to compete fairly. Banks didn't operate well. Businesses were sold to well-connected, corrupt bureaucrats for next to nothing (who proceeded to strip the businesses of their assets and put most of the profits in foreign bank accounts). Corrupt government leaders shared in these profits at the expense of the state's wealth. The leaders further raided funds by taking out massive loans from international banks, the IMF and the US government at high interest rates and diverted much of the money into their bank accounts. Inflation ran wild for awhile and many people lost their life savings and retirement as a result. Exchange rates were kept artificially high which prevented exports. Crime and mafia control spread everywhere. People in abject poverty become commonplace (from ~2% of the population living under $2 a day under communism....... to after the market failure ~25% of the population under $2 a day and ~40% of the population under $4 a day. GDP per Capita went DOWN so people were poorer with capitalism than they were under communism). It was altogether complete chaos and an economic disaster.
   
   Compare this with China, who also moved from Communism to Capitalism but they started in the 70's and they did it much slower and much more carefully. Through protectionist barriers, they built up their own industries, significantly reduced poverty, became a major world economy and provided many of the amenities that first world economies have. While they aren't completely free-market yet, they are doing it very well and completely ignoring Thomas Friedman's "Golden Straitjacket".
   
   With that said, there are some good things about Thomas Friedman's book. First off, he explains a very popular... but failed... ideology very well. There is significant support for it in IMF, Wall Street and the Treasury Department and its important to understand. Secondly, he explains Capital Markets (or what he calls "short horned cattle") far better than my other book does. Capital Markets, or investment in currency, is a hard concept to understand and Friedman makes a very good effort at explaining it.

5 comments about The Fair Tax Book: Saying Goodbye to the Income Tax and the IRS.

1. It is sad to see all the negative reviews for this book. The history and explanation he goes into on taxes and how we are fooled as a country by our politicians is awesome. This book is full of good ideas, that if we all had the courage as a country to follow through on would make us a powerful country.
   
   I would strongly recommend this book to all those with open minds.



2. This is a must read for any one interested in the economy of the United States and the welfare of its citizens. A complete explanation of the Fairtax tax plan to revitalize the tax system of the United States.



3. Taxation is Theft whether it is the current system or through universal sales tax. It is taking money, taking the product and hours of your life, by force by the government to be used for whatever the government wishes. It is utterly and completely immoral and unconscionable. So I consider it no great improvement to more efficiently enslave all of us.



4. The Fair Tax is a profound concept to fully fund the federal government without confiscating personal and business property - taxing income. An embedded national sales tax replaces all federal taxes on income - even those income taxes by another name (payroll taxes, capital gains, etc.) Getting one's head around an income-tax-free United States isn't always easy. Fortunatley Boortz and company present the logic, the common sense, the incredible personal, social, national, and economic benefits of the Fair Tax in clear, concise, and fun reading. An IRS free U.S.? This is how.



5. This is the first time I've ever left a review. I've just got to offset some of those one star reviews since I'm sure that only 23 percent of the people who gave it one star actually read the book. By the way, I am talking about an inclusive 23 percent. I think this book should get at least 3 stars even from opponents of the fairtax. It's one of the easiest books to read. It's entertaining, funny, and just informative even to the person who hates good ideas.
   
   Get the book and call your congressman.
   
   Also, I have a recommendation for anyone who liked this book: Henry Hazlitt's Economics in One Lesson. You can throw that in your cart too since, if you're anything like me, you're trying to get to $25 for free shipping.

5 comments about Mastering the Trade (McGraw-Hill Trader's Edge).

1. This book is a must for day traders. Carter's set-ups for buys and sells are amazing. Since reading and studing his methods I have almost doubled my daily revenue and looking at 6 figures this year.
   
   If you only read one book (and I have read many) this simple to understand and well documented text will serve you for the rest of your career in the market.



2. I was excited to receive this book because it is written by a seasoned professional and as such carries a lot more credibility than one from someone who never actually managed money. I am a money manager and systems developer myself and have managed huge positions and had many hundreds of clients. The first few chapters of the book cover some basics particularly those relating to psychology and setting up to trade. All of it is good. The section on computers is as would be expected for a book published in 2006. Then the book gets into some areas of trading. Chapter 5 is excellent and covers various breadth and/or market internal measurements. I found this chapter to be worth the price of the book as I have always traded with breadth and it was very nice to catch some differt viewpoints and ideas. John Carter is not a systems trader and I am. I code everything and test it extensively. Mr. Carter is a discretionary trader and as I started to code his methods (Part two) I found them to not hold up very well to the scrutiny of computer analysis. The concepts are still of value though, so I still recommend it as excellent reading and a wide array of excellent trading ideas that could be built on. Many times it is the process in the thinking that is of more value that the content itself. So, if you are inclined to purchase the book to find instantly useable trading ideas, you might come up short. But, if you want something that might inspire some of your own brilliance, of course, you may just find a jewel or two. Section three of the book covers more on planning, psychology and the game of trading. This is an excellent book for any level of trader.



3. New to day trading? Read this first and read it often. Plain english with plenty of examples to make clear sense of the trading methods described. I have purchased no less than six books on the subjects of trading, options, investing etc. in the past year, all of them left me with a feeling of not getting what I paid for. Some were just a long winded infomercials for some product or service. Not this book. Worth every penny.



4. This is a MUST read. I have read a lot of books on trading and this book is really the only one that had helped me. That is an understatement. This book had changed my trading life forever!! Read all the other reviews and let me add this. Read the book cover to cover twice. Go to his website and sign up for his newsletter. Get the 4 day seminar on dvd. Buy the 5 indicator package. And finally start making some money. Yes all of this is expensive. It is worth every cent.. I paid for all of this in one day of trading using the indicators and his techniques!! Trading for me now is no stress, no yelling at the screen. And finally I have stopped buying the guy on the other side of the trade dinner or worse. No, I am not affiliated with TTM, this stuff just works and I wanted to share the news.



5. Always looking for more information, I got this book since it is so popular. I already use the "Applied Reality Trading" software, so wasn't really needing Carter's set-ups, but found them informative. And, the rest of the book has much valuable information also, but is lacking in a key area of educating the reader about the importance of risk control and money management.
   
   The areas that were my favorite were:
   
   1) Ways that Carter takes the pulse of market emotions - a) Dive, Captain, Dive - he writes about how when "newbie" traders on a free trial in his trading room press the "submarine dive" noise - the more experienced traders know that it is time to cover their shorts and go long. b) What does your mother think? Another way he uses sentiment from "non-traders" to gauge when the market is topping or bottoming -- is by listening them interpret news headlines.
   
   2) His drawdown rules and profit rules are useful for formulating your own personal rules. For example if Carter is down by 20% for the month he will stop trading for the rest of the month, and, if he hits a 30% total drawdown on his account, he takes a six week break from trading.
   
   3) The profit rules are equally useful. Love his "euphoria" rule where if he has a day in which he makes $5,000 per $100,000 (or 5% return on his money in one day), he will "...take the next day off to escape those feelings of euphoria that cause traders to do stupid things...". And then, he says he will withdraw 50% of his trading profits at the end of each quarter.
   
   The areas of the book that were weak were the following:
   
   1) Risk control is weak, although he briefly mentions at the end of the book to not risk more than 2% of your account equity on any one trade, which is helpful. What has been profitable for me, is using the risk of ruin tables and the optimal f formula to be more precise with exactly how much to risk. You can get some easy formulas on this approach from McDowell's book "A Trader's Money Management System" A Trader's Money Management System: How to Ensure Profit and Avoid the Risk of Ruin (Wiley Trading) and you may find at times it is better to risk 1% or 2.5% or maybe even higher. The percent risked is based on what your pay off ratio and win ratio -- so it is not a shot in the dark with a flat 2% risk.
   
   2) Paper trading has helped me refine my skills and, in my opinion, one weakness in Carter's book and philosophy is that he says "...paper trading it's more worthless than an iraqui dinar...". It will be hard for readers to dive right into the markets trying his set ups and be profitable if they don't test them in a safe environment (like paper trading), to at least see if they hold merit for their personal trading style and psychology. Maybe I'm more cautious than Carter, but I'd rather test the waters before jumping in.
   
   Overall, this book will get you started, but you'll need a few other tools and books to round out your tool kit before entering the markets.