Foreign-exchange-market Books

Even though I needed this book for a class it was very interesting. Glad that my instructor chose it.It does not focus on one group of people, it shares information about a large number of various cultures across the world.

I wouldn't have normally purchased this book if it wasn't for a course requirement. From chapter one all the way to the end, the authors take the reader or student through a detailed interface of what life is like experienced in other cultures. It touches upon the four different career interests in cultural anthropology as well. A time consuming read, but loaded with useful information for in and out of the class room.

I tried to read and like this book; I really did. But after about 1/3 I refused to go on. Nothing truly worthy while is in this book, the writers do nothing but praise anthropology without telling you more about it, and all information is from a naturalistic, relativism, and liberal stand point. Anthropology hinges on the stance taken, and I think these writers would discover much by opening their minds.

for a text book, this book is ok. It's a bit dry.. and for some unknown reason the words.. "that being said" are in the front of a lot of sentences.. The cd has links to a lot of web sites and what not, I thought it would be more "live" action but it's mostly websites.. book is understandable and basicaly an easy read. There is a very lefty spin on the book. The portrayal of industrialization as evil..and all these "traditional cultures" as the only "good" way to live despite their wars and what not, that's seen as "ok" or conflict resolution, apparently if you go to war nude, it's better than if you're wearing army fatigues..

Just as with Haviland, et al - Anthropology: The Human Challenge (with CD-ROM and InfoTrac®), there is to much opinion and to little good science.
Certainly a lot of information, but when flavored with such a bias against "Western Civilization" it is 528 pages to be avoided not required reading in an introductory Cultural Antro. course. I hate to use monikers, but this is liberal junk, not a good introduction to the subject of Cultural Antrhopology. One should introduce a science and its methodology to students, not ones personal opinions and possible agendas.

I agree with Ed Ponsi the author of some good Forex dvd's when he said "This book is a refreshingly honest work that contains no hype or promises of easy money. Instead, Marilyn covers all of the bases in a truthful manner and gets right to the core issues that determine success or failure in the Forex market. This manual will serve as a much needed eye opener for those who have been 'blinded by the hype. I am happy with what I got out of it.

The other reviewer was right, very chatty tone but nothing that would prepare anyone for a forex trading experience.

This book reads more like a pamphlet than an actual book. If you're looking for anything beyond the most basic introduction, look elsewhere.

This book starts off with a factual error on the first page of the introduction and goes downhill from there. It is not true that individuals were able to start trading in FX only in 2000. What about the futures market? Other errors abound, like the assertion that no other market is so "schizophrenic." There is no evidence and none offered here that the FX market is more volatile or choppy than any other security. As for the section on swaps, there is no mention of the underlying money markets that determine the swap rate. The tone is chatty to the point of cutesy, which is annoying. The writer is obviously an amateur in both trading and in FX. The section on technicals is lifted wholesale from other sources and offers no insight, while the fundamentals section is laughably brief and context-free. A waste of time.

I bought this book on a whim because I was frustrated. Incredibly, I couldn't find any information on how to figure out the swap rate. I have 3 big forex books on my shelf and they wax eleoquent about technical analysis, the Bretton Woods agreement, how to make a fortune, and etc. - but do not explain something as fundamental as figuring the swap rate - or even why there is such a thing! I tried Googling for it, and got tired of trying to sort through the deluge of irrelevant and mostly commercial results. So when I read "swap rate" in the book description here at Amazon.com - I bought it immediately with expedited shipping!

When I recieved the book, I quickly found the answer. The author made it easy to understand. Then I got curious about the rest of the book, and sat down and read it in one day. I really like the author's no B.S. style of writing. She covers the really important stuff in a concise, easy to understand way. She includes personal anecdotes from her own trading experience which made it fun to read. She does not try to tell you how you can beat the market every time and get rich overnight by using her secret trading system - (like so many other books and web sites). I find it refreshing to read a book like this that takes little of my precious time, yet gives me the essential tools I need to help me find my own way to success.

The above reviewer isn't Michael Duane Archer, by any chance? The same author who has co-authored several Forex books with James L. Bickford? If it is, the sandbagging here speaks volume.

One of the perhaps a dozen intermediate-advanced market books and half that many FOREX books I would consider indispensible. 'Trading the News' is the hot FOREX topic today. Forex Shockwave Analysis quantifies the market's reaction to the news and the sometimes even more useful aftershock. A rare book that bridges the gap between technical and fundamental analysis - and does it very well. Caution: Some deep reading here, but, IMHO, worth the effort.

I read Shockwave analysis with an open mind.

Actually, an eager mind willing to discover some scholarly work on forex news-trading, usually one of the first trading methods attempted by the least able, the rank beginner.

I did enjoy reading the book. It is full of different types of charts that I've never seen before. I'm not sure that it is very helpful for its promoted purpose, though.

James Bickford displays a great deal of interesting data indicating that the forex markets definitely have a peak volume period at the typical news broadcast periods. With derived time-of-day activity charts. It is very clear that news forces moves in the markets.

Most forex traders already know that. It is nice to see supporting data, and the range charts for non-news vs. news periods was interesting. What was disconcerting to me was my expectations, and probably that of most readers looking for forex edges-- were not met.

Maybe I expected too much.

The advertising for the book highlights the newstime price disruptions that forex traders typically observe using a reliable clock and weekly news release guide on the internet. The advertising goes on, "Accurately predicting which way thse spikes will run is the key to impressive earnings in the spot currency market."

With that pronouncement, I was expecting some help, some method to forecast the direction or facilitate trade of these moves.

There were many chapters on Mr. Bickford's ideas of forex wave theory, a derivation of Elliott wave theory, with swings determined by his own special algorithm. Even in these chapters there wasn't much in the way of guidelines that might prove a better way of trading news.

What little direction about trading news "shockwaves" offered is based on the price action from less than 20 consecutive Friday news days. I dare not tell how simple the only suggestions were. With such a small sample size, you could infer any possible action as a valid one with equal validity.

Mr. Bickford did offer a caveat at the end of the book, just before the appendices. (The appendices is no small section. It takes up more than a third of the book with monthly charts and other interesting data that showed me that there is increasing volume in Forex every year, and Fridays have more trade volume due to the news released.) ---Back to the author's caveat. In a small paragraph he admits that this work on news release shockwaves is not an overly exhaustive bit of detailed research on the topic. He reaffirms that what research he is offering is only on the specified Fridays from 8:00 to 10:00 pm in the EUD/USD pair. He offers the work revealed as an introduction to trading the volatile timeframes selected for news trading.

One final part of his advertising is very accurate. He indicates this book contains "Reliable strategies for identifying, analyzing, and categorizing shockwaves in the Forex." (Note: he did not say that the strategies in the book would help you trade....)

If you like to have scholarly-looking books on your mantle with cool titles, and very impressive, good-looking charts, Forex Shockwave Analysis is your book.

For a practical, how to "get the job done" book, you might want to look at
Day Trading the Currency Market: Technical and Fundamental Strategies To Profit from Market Swings (Wiley Trading)
by Kathy Lien. It has solid suggestions on how to manage the risk of forex trading through many different approaches, including news.

I have no connection with either author. I just trade for myself and am always happy to find out new material available to my industry.

Joel Rensink

Snellgrove has some good candlestick discussions in this book. He also has some fairly good information on forex trading in general. The book, however, is largely a lead-in to selling the reader additional information, products, and services. What is troubling to me is his book subtitle: "How to Achieve Over 100 Trades in a Row without a Loss." He states several times in the book, that to fully implement his system you must hire a mentor and must use proprietary software. Guess who provides the mentorship and the software? You are correct, his company. Searching on the "net" I came across several comments from disgruntled past customers of Snellgrove's companies. Apparently he has charged fees in the thousands of dollars to many people and has never delivered on his promises. If I were you, I would be wary of doing much business with Don Snellgrove including purchasing this book.

I Highly recommend this book for all forex traders. When you understand why the markets move to certain points and by they bounce off others, it is almost hard not to make any money.

After I purchased the book, Don himself actually helped me to fully understand what I was reading. Currently I am 38 trades in a row with NO LOSS on a LIVE account!!

Don as a teacher has gone over and above what I ever expected he would teach me and I am grateful of his time and energy. Seek out Don and learn from him. I know my life has changed because of it.

THANK YOU DON!!!!!!

Titus D

Don Snellgrove is by far the most committed educator I have encountered in any form of business/professional training. His deep understanding of the Forex market is often missed because of his ability to simplify information for the beginning student. For anyone who has wasted their time with writers who can't back up their theories, Don's information is incredibly valuable.

I have spent my fair share of money on trainings and books and courses etc... Don Snellgrove is by far the most sincere, caring, intelligent and honest mentor I have come in contact with. What you learn from Don is how to think like a trader which allows you to become a trader. This book is not a get rich quick method, but if you want to become a student of the market this book will be in invaluable part of your arsenal. If you want to know how to determine where the market is headed you need to learn about the S90 Crossover that is explained in "Selective Forex Trading." Do you get out of trades too early just to see them move a lot more in the same direction? Would you like to know where the market is more likely to go? Then read this book. I took the course from Don and am so glad that I did. It is changing my life and it will change yours too.

I've read all of the reviews that this book received and I don't think they're wrong, I just think this book isn't for everyone. I'm a full time independent trader and I thought the book was very helpful.

The forex can be a dangerous place, and the people that slammed this book probably should stay with their 9 to 5. If you're a novice trader that's looking for clear answers on how to beat the forex then you shouldn't buy this book. After all, the title of the book is, "SELECTIVE FOREX TRADING". It's not "BEAT THE FOREX GUARANTEED". If it were that easy then everyone would be trading the forex and filthy rich.

There are many tools and services available now so that the average person can take their shot at the forex and this is one of those tools. If you're smart enough to realize that the forex has tremendous potential, both good and bad, then hopefully you're smart enough to realize you're going to need all the help you can get.

This book shouldn't take the place of formal forex training, but I would highly recommend this book to anyone that's looking for some technical help with the forex.

As the author of the book, I am pleased to note that three executives from respected and prominant forex institutions all have endorsed my book, Electronic Currency Trading for Maximium Profit. They are with Gain Capital, Midas Forex and GCI.

Apart from their professional status, they are, of course, informed on the subject, unlike a couple of reviewers who took the time to expose their lack of experience in forex.

I assume if they are buying books on forex trading, that they are in the learning process at some level.

Between them and those who have publicly endorsed the book, I believe I will take the forex institutions.

If you have absolutely no knowledge of the Currency Markets then this book may be useful to you. The subtitle of the book is "Manage Risk and Reward in the Forex Markets by Learning How to:..."

Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of the book is about Currency Futures and Options but NOT Forex.

This was a huge disappointment. The book is simplistic, disjointed, and offers nothing that even a novice could use. It has a feeling of being written quickly to cash in on the forex trading phenomenon. Look elsewhere for advice in particular anything by Jack Schwager or by Wiley Press, they are usually excellent.

This book is not worth the paper that it is printed on. Author does not know the subject, and does not offer any information that could not easily have been obtained online for free. Tried to contact author at his website to answer question and never responded. Classic example of take the money and run. Will never buy a book again from these authors nor from Prima Publishing.

As an IT professional who needed to master many facets of foreign exchange rather quickly, I found this book to be helpful in gaining an ear for the terminology and basic concepts, as well as basic jargon of traders. This book might be best used as a companion to a course on the same subject, as it might give you an alternate explanation of the same subjects.

The book will certainly not help you to Master the FX & Currency Options : It is just a collection of articles by various people - it offers not many insights and does not help you to understand the nitty gritties : in fact I felt that a novice like me could also collect information from a number of sources and cook it up into a book of my own. In short a waste of money and time... sorry to have to say this !

This is yet another book -a fairly decent one - that explains the instruments that can be used in exchange rate trading. The title and book blurb though promise more - I bought the book thinking it would provide more on general principles of arbitrage, hedging and speculation. It does have some useful stuff on these issues but we would have been better served by more. This is a book at an intermediate level.

I was looking for a basic book teaching the concepts and trading practices and fundamentals. This book has a lot to say about none of the topics needed to help someone become a trader. If you are looking to have someone trade your account you might be helped by it. There are a lot better books out there "Getting Started in Currency Trading" is a fine example. This is the best buy for the money when you are done reading it you will be much better informed to move ahead. Getting Started in Currency Trading: Winning in Todays Hottest Marketplace (Getting Started In.....)

As others have said clearly, this book is a waste of trees, ink and the time of its reader. The "authors" should be ashamed of such blatant hucksterism and poor description of even the most basic aspects of trading. Even if you are a neophyte, look somewhere else.

Well when i grow up i to be Russell R Wasendorf, whether sr. or jr. I think these two are the greatest salesmen around. I bought a wonderful book which adorns my bookcase and adds colour and life to my room. Whats more is that i found the same book in my brother's home. Thinking he 'borrowed' it I asked him, He replied saying he 'invested' in it and it works well as a sleep aide . Seriously some points for beginners are reasonably covered but most of the book was a waste of time, paper and resources. There were no Fine points covered in the book to memory but if there were it was lost in the dribble.

I'll summarize this book for you -- "Foreign Currency Trading is difficult, if you want to learn more, send us some more money and we will enroll you in a class."

Save your money, buy yourself a newspaper instead.

... I have no idea what objective these guys had in mind when they sat down to write this book.... This book is just a bunch of information thrown together (probably downloaded from the internet) and they obviously took no time to put any real effort into this book. I was terribly dissappointed with my purchase of this book.....look elsewhere if you are interested in getting started in forex trading.

The author spends way too much time explaining basic economic indicators that should be basic knowledge for any investor. After I read another review that outlined the blundering editorial mistakes, I had to see for myself. All true! I cannot continue reading this text... How can anyone who makes this many conspicuous mistakes get a book deal much less be right about anything? Not worth the $70 price tag!

As the author of the book "Futures For Small Speculators" I tend to be very critical of books that discuss my industry. Although this book had a few editorial mistakes, Mr.Gotthelf still did a solid job of getting his point across. For a beginner this is a great start. For more indepth analysis I would go to Mr. Cornelius Luca's books.

How else to explain that banks are brought down not by "rogue" traders but rather by "rouge" traders - is there a secret market for cosmetics derivatives? - that Switzerland has adopted the Euro, that a chart is described as listing a gain from 93 to 97 but only shows a gain of 93 to 95 etc., etc., etc ad nauseam.

In my eyes, this book is so pathetic that it is only a slight exaggeration to suggest that all those involved in the creation of this book should never be allowed to touch paper and pencil again.

In theory the concept of parity is belieivable.But to implement it I guess one would need some really sophisticated tool and the book is not a practical guide to implement his concept. Even though book needs serious editing, someone academically inclined may find this book interesting.

It appears that Gotthelf dictated much of this book into a tape recorder, some far-away typist created the manuscript, and nobody bothered to read or edit the final result. How else to explain that "Jim Ellis is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Oracle" on p.43 (I thought it was Larry Ellison)? These sorts of editorial lapses are rife throughout the book.

To name but a few examples, Fig 6.5 caption says "Cash Currency trading screen" but it's actually a bar chart of Yen futures (p.124)

The data for Figure 8.11 (a perpetual contracts bar chart of Yen) is presented with the caption of Figure 8.10 ("Soybeans futures monthly chart"). No soybeans chart is presented at all; instead, a Nikkei futures chart mysteriously appears (p. 212)

Figure 8.41 is printed upside down! (p.236). Honestly. This is perhaps the ultimate insult to the reader and ought to be a source of acute embarrassment to the editor and author.

Academy Award nominee James Caan, with two a's, will be amused to read p. 89 which states "... has been depicted in fiction such as the movie Rollerball starring James Cann" with two n's.

Those who buy the book believing it may deliver on the dustjacket's promise "How to trade the world's biggest market" will receive a disappointment. The only trading strategy Gotthelf reveals is "Go Long when price crosses above a moving average, Go Short when price crosses below a moving average." Then he regurgitates standard methods of creating a synthetic position using options. There is absolutely nothing new here.

No review would be complete without mentioning Gotthelf's mysterious concept of Parity. First he tells you it's "a ratio that always equals one" (page 24). Next he tells you "there are no exact relationships" in FOREX (page 32), leaving you to wonder how Parity could always equal one if there are no exact relationships. Then he muddles through two hundred more pages and eventually you, the reader, decode the fact (which Gotthelf never bothers to state exactly) that his "Parity" actually means "Equilibrium". Great. But where's the insight?

I own several other Wiley Finance books and all of them have wonderful quotes from important figures in the trading world, in the form of testimonials and gushing recommendations on the rear dustjacket. Kaufman's "Trading Systems and Methods" has five, Hill and Pruitt's "The Ultimate Trading Guide" has four, Ryan Jones's "The Trading Game" has five, Sweeney's "Maximum Adverse Excursion" has three, et cetera ad nauseum. But this currency book by Gotthelf has exactly zero quotes on the dustjacket. No recommendations, no congratulations, no endorsements. I suggest you follow the advice of everyone who DIDN'T write a recommendation for Gotthelf's book: stay away.

This is an awful book. Each currency pair gets a chapter in the book. Some general background and some charts are provided for each pair. That's the whole story. I cannot understand how such a poor manuscript can be published under the name of a reputable publisher. This book isn't even worth $5. Zero stars!

Addition: I didn't try to copy the earlier reviewer when I wrote this!

Just a bunch a historical forex charts on the major currencies. The authors add a ridiculous data called "activity" that simply shows that the forex market is very active during the european and the american sessions (wow, what a revelation, like we did not notice already!) and voila! you have a totally worthless "book" selling for almost 90 bucks. Save your money and run fast, even if this "book" was simply given away for free, it would still be expensive!!! It's a pity, amazon does not have a MINUS 5 star rating.