Hedge

the title was intriguing, but it was downhill from there. the book had little to do with the title, which always makes me question the motives of the author. is there some message they are aching to express, or are they looking to simply enrich themselves?

1) The authors claim that their "financial survival is dependent upon successfully trading the markets" yet you should not assume that they traded any of the examples set forth in the book.

2) The "secrets" revealed consume less than 20 pages with the remaining circa 180 pages being filled with charts and related examples (at least half of the book), performance summaries and trading signals (over 50 pages), and other various and sundried fluff. Thus, the book seems to be exploiting the herd mentality of those who buy books on the financial markets rather than the markets themselves.

3) What type of "secrets" are revealed here? "Investment Secrets", of course! "Investments" like futures contracts and index options. Who is revealing these "secrets"? A "Hedge Fund Manager", of course! Hey, why not? It could very well be that the revelation of hedge fund manager type secrets will produce higher profits (with much less risk) than actually trading the secrets.

4) I have a relatively high I.Q. yet I actually bought this book........Mooooooooooooooooooooooo

In my daily work as a Stock Broker in Sweden I encounter questions about good trading books all the time. Customers feel that most trading books are quite expensive, and a good way to avoid overpriced, worthless items is by asking an experienced professional. While I truly do not feel that the mystery of the markets can be revealed in a book, I can honestly say that this book is well worth its price.

Above all, it gives the open-minded reader insights in highly effective approaches, concepts of trading which I have used successfully for many years. In fact, strikingly similar methods to the methods in this book have been "discovered" and used by investors, brokers, and traders that I know, even before this book was published. In my mind, this is another good indication that many of the patterns presented are valid in real-life trading.

While I do not use the patterns in this book in the exact same manner as they are presented, the concepts and the insights are the same. Time spent studying these concepts will be time well spent. I consider Investment Secrets of a Hedge Fund Manager to be among the best trading books I've read. It contains no hype, just precise and sound swing trading techniques. I recommend it highly to all market participants, novices and professionals alike.

Some of the other books that I consider to be among the best are:

Market Wizards 1 & 2, Reminiscences of a Stock Operator, Trading Systems and Methods, How to Make Money in Stocks, Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets, Street Smarts, Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques, Secrets of Profiting in Bull and Bear Markets, Technical Analysis of Stock Trends, Trading by the Book, Exceptional Trading.

Of the hundreds of trading books I have in my personal library and the thousands which I have access to in my professional life, Investment Secrets of a Hedge Fund Manager remains a personal favourite.

I still rank it as one of the most informative books on trading I have had the pleasure to peruse...

Only focuses on one aspect: risk computations and leverage This book is certainly not a handbook on how to buy a hedge fund. It spends a great deal of time discussing how to disect a fund's returns mathematically. It does a good job of explaining in simple English what is wrong with using standard deviations of returns in trying to determine a fund's risk. Unfortunately, that is not all that one should consider in evaluating a fund. It does not go into detail about looking at other funds a manager may have been involved with, comparing that fund's returns to other funds in its class. It does not talk about understanding how hedge funds determine their fees, how to watch out for fraud, how to evaluate a fund's accountants and lawyers and the relative importance of these factors. It does not spend much time on discussing the risks involved due to the fact that most funds limit when one can put in or take out money or that a fund may force you to take some of your investment back. It also does not discuss tax treatment. Many funds' earnings are reportable as regular income. This may be important. The bottom line is that you can find out about risk and volatility from a stat book. It is the other behind the scenes unformation that is also critical in choosing a hedge fund.

I am highly skeptical of the data behind most of this book. The figures seem consistently wrong. I doubt a single set of data could give the #s shown in both Table 4.2 & Chart 4.5. I find it funny that in Charts 7.1 & 7.2, 2 managers have tremendously different gross returns, but seemingly the exact same set of monthly returns. Funny again, in Charts 8.1 & 8.2, "Best" & "Random" managers seem to have the exact same results. Are the errors in proof-reading, concept, or facts?

I read this book in about an hour, it is vey simplistic in the analisis and its conclusion or based on assumptions that can never be applied to hedge funds, specialy his survivorship analysis. I have read about 10 books in hedge funds, I find this the least helpful.

Little information other than extremely general data on historic returns. One of the few investment books I have ever read that I did not find something useful to remember.

Not bad for a someone on the street, however, it has very limited use for a professional. Contains a lot of repeats (and I mean a lot of). Would not recommend if a professional insight to hedge funds is being searched for. The book would be useful for those who are completely hedge fund illiterate or just curious what a hedge fund is.

Even though this book is 3 years old, it still serves as a very good primer to the hedge fund industry. Anyone wishing to gain a fundamental understanding of how hedge funds work and how they can be used will find the book easy to read. A lot of details are covered; e.g., a discussion about hedge fund indexes. Even for a professional like myself, I find the book to be a good reference every time I forget a concept or two.

Very general overview of the workout process. Basic concepts. If you have ever worked in restructuring credits, this one is not for you. If on the other hand you know nothing about workouts, pick it up, although [] there are much better buys. Come to think of it, should have bought my better half a nice present instead, why don't you?

This is the first book I have come across that leads the reader through the entire workout process, from the loan to the recovery as well as the organisational issues surrounding it, often neglected by pro's. Highly recommended for the people who are relatively new to the game, although there are also some useful tips for those of us who think we know it all!!!!

This info is available elsewhere and there's no value add by the author.

This is the one book you want your pension officer to read before he decides what to do with your retirement money. Last year hedge funds did radically better than market indexes and mutual funds. More and more pension plans, insurance companies and other institutions are putting money into these non-traditional investment pools. Hedge funds differ from other types of investment in various ways, but as their name suggests, their main promise is to "hedge" against market risk. The right kind of fund is not correlated with markets, so that when for example the Dow and Nasdaq head south, your hedge investment does not go down with them. How and whether managers achieve this is no simple matter. "Each fund is different," one of the authors in this comprehensive guide writes (p.95). Virginia Parker, the editor of the book, is just the right person to unpack the complex ideas of risk and its management. A recognized authority in the development of specialized performance benchmarks, she tailors and manages portfolios for institutional clients. As a manager of hedge fund managers, she knows the industry inside out. Parker has put together a stellar group of authors. These experienced investors, fund managers, consultants, bankers and brokers present distinct perspectives on the industry. As Parker and Randolf Warsager write in the useful introduction, "This is not a theoretical volume-most of the authors are practitioners..." The book is not easy to get through, however. It is dense with information that requires close attention. Some readers may find it more useful as a reference for specific topics rather than a cover-to-cover read. But if you're willing to put in the effort, there are rewarding insights in every one of the 24 chapters. Here is an example from Parker. In 1998, the year of the Long Term Capital Management debacle, some investors wanted to withdraw their money from certain managers. These managers had invested in Russian bonds, yet "knew little about sovereign risk, Russian politics and Russian counterparties." (p.82) But recognizing the danger did not help the investors. Because of terms they had previously accepted, they were forced to wait several months for redemption of their capital. By that time, "most of the hedge fund assets were gone." This is the sort of thing that gave hedge funds a bad name and led to their being branded as very risky investments. Parker details an approach, using a trading manager, that helps select the right terms and agreement for an investor, reducing the danger of such situations. The other authors also provide practical pointers. As one of them, Tanya Styblo Beder, explains, "What must be avoided are risks that are taken without proper compensation, risks that are left unmanaged, or risks that are too large in relation to the capital." (p.155) The bottom line: For many investors, avoiding hedge funds is at least as risky as investing in them. In these markets, proper hedging can preserve your nest egg. But read the book first. Or make sure your pension officer does.

Chidem Kurdas New York City

This is the first negative review I've written, and I feel badly about it. I was so anticipating the arrival of this book.

The instructions, which I was eager to get, were only the most general, basic things I already knew even though I'm a raw beginner. I was particularly interested in espalier and pleached allee directions and was hoping for a book with lot of focus on these. A couple of short articles available on the Net were much more informative and illustrated each step very clearly.

The list of recommended plant materials was limited. With a little research on the Internet, I obtained a much more extensive list suited to my area.

The photos were the best part, although they could have been improved, too.

The most positive statement I can make is that the price was most reasonable, and perhaps that is why this book was so lightweight, more for browsing than using for instruction.

I'm ordering another book from Amazon, hoping for better instructions--and hopefully, I'll be able to write a glowing review!

This is a great beginner's book on how to create topiaries & espaliers. The book is in full color with lots of photos. Instructions are clear and easy to follow. In each section appropriate plant types are discussed.

First, frameless topiaries are described. Designs included are lollipop, poodle, spiral, & corkscrew trees. The book then shows how to make empty frame topiaries. Included are circles, hoops and spirals.

Then it shows you how to make a moss-filled bunny. Following this method you can make almost any shape imaginable. Several kinds of espalier shapes, and how to make them are then show.

Finally, knots, mazes, pleaching, pollarding & coppicing are covered. Proper tools and shaping hedges are explained as well. Be aware that most plants used are for warmer climates (zone 6 or above).

This book can help you to figure out not only when Georgia Football began but how. It explains much on the early years of the football program and it's progressions throughout the years. It presents the ups and downs of the program in good order. The book is a little out of date because it dosen't go all the way to present day. Allthough this book is on Georgia it isn't all that good of a book. I mean it presents the history in good order but it can be on the sleepy side in some parts.

Well, I was disappointed when I opened up the parcel and took my first look at this booklet. I guess I was expecting a little more. The booklet is thin, even for a pocket guide. It only has two pages that are pictures of badges, and these are only in black and white. The best part of the book is the list of badge hallmarks. However, there are no nice pretty pictures showing what a real hallmark looks like with arrows showing where to find it on a badge. Maybe the list of references in this pocket guide will help me find the kind of book I am looking for.

I anxiously awaited the arrival of this publication and could not have been more disappointed. I've been collecting police patches for 27 years but am always ready to learn more about the hobby.

The Pocket Guide measures 4" x 8 1/2" with large print. It is 45 pages long - 39 pages devoted to police badges; 6 devoted to police patches!

There are no pictures of patches, no prices, no sources - it is clearly not a "guide". Two pages are devoted to "Patch Syles" with listings such as, "CIRCLE - This patch is round in shape and also a popular style"....

In all fairness, if you are a badge collector, you may find the book a bit more valueable - but just a bit.

The Pocket Guide is a glorified pamphlet, hardly worth its... price tag. It ranks as number 478 on my "Books for the John" list. And I was generous!

I have been collecting police badges for over 23+ years. I found this book useful and informative. The new/novice collector will find this book to be invaluable for identification purposes. The terms used and explained in this book are the common terms used by serious collectors in discussion with each other. This book belongs in any serious police badge collectors library.

if you have no hedge fund experience and are starting a hedge fund, this may be a good basic overview. however, if you are already in the hedge fund world and ready to go out on your own, then this book will not be a valuable tool. in either case, you will need to hire a top tier accounting firm, law firm, and prime broker to start up. in your first meeting with each of them, you will likely get informaation which is very similar to what is disclosed in this book. not a good use of time or funds, but if you are starting a hedge fund, you can probably well afford it.

I found the book not very useful as it only gives an overview of the subject. It definitely is not a how to guide as suggested by the title "Starting a Hedge Fund".

This book contains all the information you need to understand to start a hedge fund and is clear and concise.

Some of the more valueable topics covered are: Legal issues related to structuring a fund,investment advisor registration(and avoiding it) and distribution of a fund. There are also valuable chapters on fund administration (so you will know what questions to ask before signing up an administrator), tax considerations and regulation for funds that deal in commodity derivatives (which fall under additional regulation by the CFTC).

You will still need lawyers and consultants to assist in setting up a fund, however this will let you save time and money by already having a good understanding of what is involved.

I have no connection with the writers/publishers, however they appear to be industry insiders with considerable knowledge on the topics covered (each chapter is write by an expert on that particular topic).

Understanding your personality gives an introduction to the Myers-Briggs system of personality. This book is written for those just learning about personality type so if you have already read other books on personality type you are not find anything new in this one.

This is an okay book for those who want an introduction to Myers-Briggs personality types but several other books do the same thing, only better. What's your type by Renee Baron offers self-quizzes with lots of humor and cartoons. Type Talk by Janet Thuesen and Otto Kroeger offers lots of humor as well with several real life anecdotes. Compared to these books, Understading your Personality may do a good job of informing you but the fun has been squeezed out of it.