market-economics

Over the last few weeks the emerging markets have sunk in value, and everyone seems to be running away from them in an irrational panic. Those who should know better, such as professional investors, government officials and the media, seem as uninformed about emerging market fundamentals and prospects as the average person, and have contributed to some extent to the debacle. They are even contributing to a rise in protectionist sentiment.

Nobody can be expected to make rational investment decisions without historical understanding and relevant information. That Mr. Marber has opted to instruct us on the history of emerging markets and their vast potential in the context of an open, integrated global economy can only improve the current situation.

Peter Marber's book is a very welcome, refreshingly optimistic and thoroughly researched look at emerging markets, their development, and their bright future. His readers will emerge informed and armed with knowledge that will allow them to appreciate free trade and understand the forest, the trees and the extent of the investment opportunity inherent amidst the current panic.

Peter Marber has successfully squeezed into 272 pages an accessible, though not patronizingly simplistic, and well-researched account of how the world economy got to where it is today, and how we can capitalize on the opportunities of this historic moment. He combines history, a primer on investment strategies, and a hard-nosed look at the state of the developed economies and of political debate. The result is a coherent and convincing argument for political and economic engagement, at a time when crises in the world markets would seem to prescribe isolationism. This is not a Mobius-type distillation of snap-shots and one-stop shopping in emerging market investing, but a more in-depth and interdisciplinary look at the history of development. An intelligent analysis of current economic and political debates for ALL audiences.

Marber offers some considerable insight into the growing magnitude of emerging markets in the global economy, redressing the balance of the plethora of protectionist literature that would rather see Third World remain third. What is particularly refreshing about his approach is that he embraces the negative sentiment, potential risks, and shortcomings of emerging markets investing, and offers practical and forthright advice on how to make it work.

This book describes the events and how the stock market came into exsistence.It mentions the events that has fuelled the market booms and busts , the regulations and new rules that were placed after each bust to prevent another bust and the great people involved -- just reminds you that their is nothing new under the sun especially what is happening in the stock market now .I recommend this book to anyone interested in the mechanisms in the stock market and how the booms and busts have created a stock market that has created wealth and admiration all over the world

If money interests you, then you should read this book. As a Wall Street professional I was enthralled by this easy read about the history of Wall Street. Mr. Gordon does an excellent job of taking us from Wall Street's unambitious start as a northern line of defense for a wilderness trading post to the its role as the most powerful stretch of pavement on Earth.

Some of the unique things you will learn include

1. Who invented modern capitalism (hint: Tulips, 1700th century)? 2. The establishment of our federal tax system 3. What structure made NY city the US's largest city 4. Wall Street's first and greatest speculators 5. The creation of the Federal Reserve System

Gordon does a great job of introducing us to the most powerful people the world may have ever known. The most notable include JP Morgan, arguably the world's greatest banker; Hetty Green, the richest (and most paranoid) woman in the world; Charles Merrill, the man who brought Wall Street to Main Street; and Michael Milliken, the world's most famous Wall Street villain to wear a toupee.

The story of Wall Street is truly extraordinary. Its history is littered with courage, greed, jealousy, genius and lots of stupidity! John Steele Gordon does an admirable job of hitting all the salient points while making the journey enjoyable and memorable. Buy this book and read it!

Even though I have another book on the history of Wall Street in my reading stack, I picked up a copy of the book just because John Steele Gordon wrote it. Many of you will recognize his voice on NPR and in American Heritage. In fact, Mr. Gordon's article is the first section I read when I receive the newest copy of American Heritage. Mr. Gordon always spins a surprising story each month and this book is no different.

Mr. Gordon covers 350 years of history in just 300 pages, however, don't let the title fool you, it really only covers Wall Street until about 1995, not 2000 (a minor quibble). The book contains many interesting stories along the way such as how Chase Manhattan started off as a water company and why Merrill Lynch was named after two brokers, not one (I didn't realize that).

As always no book on the history of Wall Street would be complete without the Erie Railroad, the "Scarlet Women of Wall Street." Mr. Gordon relives the Erie tale with relish! I could almost see Daniel Drew laughing as he printed additional shares of Erie stock as fast as Commodore Vanderbilt could buy them. The rest of the players of Wall Street take their turn in the book, including J.P. Morgan, Fisk and Gould, Joe Kennedy, Alexander Hamilton, and a few women such as Hetty Green also appear.

Gordon takes time to explain many concepts about how the stock market came to be today including stories on the first corner in Wall Street history to the most recent, the Hunt's brothers attempt to corner the silver market in 1980. Mr. Gordon also explains that each time a player uses the market to their advantage, the invisible hand of Adam Smith pushes the market to correct the "wrongs."

Though it is not one of Mr. Gordon's main points in the book, he does point out throughout the book that the "Robber Barons" of old had many friends/allies in government that turned a blind eye to their schemes.

This book is filled with the history of people of Wall Street, not numbers! Pick it up, you'll find that Mr. Gordon's cornered the market on the history of Wall Street!

Self-made billionaire Paul Getty was once credited with being the richest man in the world, and here he presents some of his philosophies on life. The book is not titled "how to become rich" since that isn't its focus, and contains Getty's advice about the sort of person you should be, if you are rich or to be rich. Intelligently written, it presents the gritty reality of Getty's accomplishments, and the good and bad sides of being successful in business. Although targeted mainly at the novice in business, it has wide appeal, and in separate chapters also covers Getty's opinions on investing in stocks, real estate, and fine art.

How To Be Rich surprised me in many ways. J. Paul Getty offers a lot of advice to executives rising through the ranks and those looking to. There's plenty of very entertaining historical coverage of Getty's rise to legendary status starting with the first chapter, How I Made My First Billion, along with other first-hand accounts and stories of his colleges from the era interspersed throughout the book. The book's focus is on how "to be" rich, i.e. the responsibilities thereof, rather than how "to become" rich. Of course, in Getty's case he simply took the skills he learned from working with his father, went out on his own to drill a few holes in the ground, and started pumping oil. There are also chapters regarding investing on Wall Street, in real estate, and in fine art, the later being a particularly interesting chapter. The chapter Art of Individuality is a must-read for anyone who is utterly depressed by the total lack of creativity in today's corporate cubicle conformist culture.

This is one of the best books on business and finance I've ever read. As stated before, the book does not tell you how to become rich. It tells you how to be. The impression one gets of Mr. Getty is a highhly intelligent, liberal thinker. He shatters the myth that is so often portrayed; that the rich are selfish, overly conservative people who care nothing for society around them. While this may be true of some, it is not true of all. Mr. Getty discusses a way of being, a philosophy that is both tough and humanistic. He shatters many other myths as well. He points out that becoming wealthy is not a result of knowing things others don't, or cheating innocents, but instead entails hard work, persistance, patience, common sense, and risk. This is a must read for anyone with aspirations of becoming successful in the business world. Well worth the paltry sum it costs.

"Created Unequal" is an impressive work of economic analysis of wage and wealth inequality. Although the book occasionally gets into some relatively rigorous economics, it should be accessible to the determined lay reader.

Professor Galbraith's central thesis is that the amount of wage inequality (the difference between what the wealthiest make and what the poorest make) is tied directly to a number of key factors: the unemployment rate, the interest rate, the strength of the dollar, and so on. Essentially, the lower the unemployment rate, the less the degree of wage inequality. I am simplifying his thesis considerably here, but this is the essence of it. There is a considerable amount of technical research presented that supports the thesis and demonstrating a strong correlation between wage inequality and unemployment.

So, Professor Galbraith makes a persuasive case that the government can affect wage inequality by making certain policy decisions, such as lowering unemployment, raising the minimum wage, weakening the dollar against international currencies, and so on.

But, what is missing from the book is a serious justification of why the free market should not dictate the value of labor. In other words, from a normative standpoint, why should workers be paid two or three or more times the value of their labor? There are egalitarian arguments to be made, of course, but at the same time, if the value of Bill Gates' labor is, say, 100 times more valuable than the work of a custodian, why should Gates' wages be limited to, say, 30 times that of custodian? (At one point, Professor Galbraith suggests a 30-1 limitation.)

In the end, this is an impressive and valuable work. You may or may not agree with the policy decisions that Professor Galbraith supports, but his analysis must be reckoned with.

Argues that America's wage gap was driven up by public policies shaped by and for the wealthy. Explains the relationship between economic policy and the structure of pay. Shows why knowledge workers have done well and why service worker have not; why consumer industries have lost ground. Shows that differential power, rather than a theory of differential skills, explains inequality in pay. Includes technical notes and bibliography. For those who want to gain insight into inequality in pay this work, by a leading economist, This book is outstanding and filled with technical analysis, insights and supporting data.

Created Unequal, by James K. Galbraith, is an increadible book. In a time when most economists stick to the supply-side economic mantra, Galbraith breaks free. He gives a leftist view of the new economic order and the exploitation it has caused. He observes that the point of Welfare as it was concieved was never a safety net, as it should have been, but rather a way to insure a constant flow of low wage workers. He points to the growing wage disparities between the top 1% and the bottom 55%. He knocks down popular misconceptions about the growing inequality, including the technology myth. Galbraith tactfully explains that there has always been changing technology and new skills needed, yet the severity of inequality has never been so great. Galbraith also shows how the Fed's policy to keep unemployment at an artificially high, and immoral, level in order to scare off inflation has hurt a great number of people. Galbraith writes in the same progressive vien that his father, John Kenneth Galbraith, perfected. If you want to know why there have been striking economic inequalities in recent years, buy this book!

I am deep in credit card debt, and I am being hounded by credit card companies, bill collecters, etc. I thought that this book would really help me with my alternatives for debt consolidation, give me guidelines about when to file for bankrupcty, and offer some advice about how to work with professionals. Instead, it seems like this book is written for the average person who isn't too deeply in trouble. I will keep looking for a book that evaluates the various debt consolidation agencies, talks about making settlement offers with the credit card companies, and provides information about how my credit report will be affected by the various alternatives. At this point, would it better to just file for bankruptcy? Would it be worse for my long-term credit to file Chapter 7 as opposed to making 50% settlements with my creditors? How can I find answers to these questions?

All right, here is my review: I think this book is not bad at all. It gives some very useful information about credit cards and credit card issuers. It is always very useful to have this info in your mind, although some of them are really straightforward and clear. Sometimes you need to read it in someonewelse's words even you know it. By the way, if you really don't know how to organize your finances like writing down your balance and credit limit on a piece of paper, you should really read this book!

Ok, that was the good part about the book. What about the rest? Don't we all know how to try to get lower interest from issuer and high interest rate induces high interest on top of your balance in every billing cycle? We know what a transfer balance with promotional rate is etc. and how to use it in our advantage. If you don't, Read this book.

Do you know what is the magical trick behind all of this credit card debt reduction techniques! I'll tell you that. PAY YOUR BALANCES. From no book you cannot get any information about how to reduce your debt without paying money. So, don't spend much, but try to pay as much as you can. Booom, you reduce your credit card debt. That simple.

Last words, this book covers some useful info you might not have known at all. Maybe it should be called "credit cards for dummies". Aren't we all little bit dummy in this field?

What was nice about this book is the fact that the author provides step by step instructions on how to organize and reduce your credit card debt. It is very easy to follow, however, if you want the books tricks to work for you, you'll need to have more than one credit card, I had three cards. I especially liked the quotes he provides - what you can tell your creditors so that they lower your interest rates. Oh anf if you are the unorganized type (like me) you will find his charts very very useful, I know I did. Also, the author answered my question within a few days by email. You can't go wrong with this book!

All too often, the customer gets lost within the intricacies of customer relationship management. Don Peppers and Martha Rogers bring the customer back into the equation in this fieldbook designed to help companies implement their one-to-one marketing strategies. The book addresses the very questions that bring companies to CRM in the first place: How do I know who my best customers are? How can I customize my service for my best customers? How do I get my customers to stay loyal? For its clearheaded answers to these difficult questions, we from getAbstract recommend this book to all readers

If you're looking for ways to start your 1 to 1 marketing or CRM program, this is where you should begin. This book is a practical guide on how to start and implement a 1 to 1 program.

Every chapter includes lists and meeting notes for what to do at every step in the process. I wish I had this book when I began developing relationship marketing programs. With this book you are not alone in developing a 1 to 1 program. In addition, the book has a very valuable accompanying web site where you can print off the check lists and other helpful interactive tools. Before you buy the book you may want to look through their web site at 1to1.com. There you'll find more information on 1 to 1 marketing and CRM than anywhere else on the web. Martha Rogers and Don Peppers have truely shown that they are the masters of CRM in this book and their other titles.

What a fantastic book for every marketing professional to read. The authors have invested a lot of time and effort to make this book very informative and practical. It deals with the real business world and not some theoritical formula that works only in closed conditions. There are many examples of successes as well as failures of companies that have switched over to the 1 to 1 Marketing concept.
The book consists of 15 chapters to help one build the system of 1to1 marketing. The main highlights for me in this book were the following:
1.) Learning to treat different customers differently, separating them into three catagories
Most valuable Customer (MVC)
Most Growth Customer (MGC)
Below Zero (BZ)
and concentrating most of your companies effort and budget on the MVC and MGC clients.
2.)Gathering detailed information about the most profitable clients and maintaing a data bank to help all areas and product line to interact with the client on a profitable basis.
3.)Generating feed-back and interacting with the client based on the feed-back. Junking the typical model of customer help lines that do more damage than good for a company.
4.) Getting high-level management participating and to be prepared for the costs incurred when implementing the 1to1 marketing concept for the company.
One of my own important experiences is that management conceives the idea without asking the advice and input from the sales force. This can be disastrous for the 1to1 Marketing concept. Everybody and I mean everybody has to informed of why they are preforming a certain task and what effect it has on the entire company. Tell your employess what you are doing from the beginning, if you wish to avoid the pitfalls of internal conflicts and bickering.
At the end of each chapter there is a summary and a check list of items that should be done in order to implement the points discussed in the respective chapter. Don't forget... all companies are different and one will have to figure out which strategy to pursue for his or her industry.
This excllent book will definitely help your profits SKYROCKET to the moon. Do it before your competitor does.

Having read the other reviews I was probably expecting a bit too much. I admit there is a whole heap of information here, but wading through it is headache inducing. One thing I really hate is the way the subject index just throws everything together: magazines, stock agencies, greetings card companies etc. After a few minutes your brain starts to spin. Surely subdividing the subject index would be more helpful.

Another complaint is that there are no big national newspapers listed. The 'Newspapers and Newsletters' section is truly pathetic, covering every obscure backwater newsletter, but nothing substantial apart from one entry: New York Times Magazine. The British BFP Market Handbook lists all the national newspapers, so why are there none here?

Finally, it seems if publications or organisations do not reply to a listing request, they are deleted. Wouldn't it be better to still include their info with a symbol indicating that it might be out of date material? For instance, you do not list the National Enquirer, but this has earnt freelances a lot of money over the years. It may not be serious journalism but it is a good market.

Photographer's Market is often refered to as the "Bible of stock photography" and this title actually fits quite well. This tremendeously valuable resource gives the photographer access to a wide market of photobuyers in all categories. Photographer's Market comes out with a new issue every year and there's always something new in every new issue. The latest one is no exception. Writer's Digest managed to find 480 new markets where photographers can sell their work in the 2001 edition. But, Photographer's Market is so much more than a mere listing of photobuyers. The book contains valuable information no photographer should be without. Things like information on names of people to contact at the various markets, how much the various photobuyers normally pay, what format they want submissions in as well as tips and hints. If you're only planning to invest in one photography book this year, do yourself a favor and make that book the 2001 edition of "Photographer's Market". Chances are you will get back the money you paid for the book faster than you can say "oups I didn't know that magazine had changed to accepting digital submissions this year..." For those of you out there who are thinking "I've been in this business for 20 years and know all there is to know", I must sadly inform you that you don't. New markets where photographers can offer, and sell, their images pops up all the time. One of the best ways to keep track of those markets is to make sure you get your yearly dose of Photographer's Market.

Okay, this is not the type of book one should read cover to cover but I did it anyway. As a young photographer taking baby steps to a new career this book has been invaluable.

Not only does it instill me with the confidence that there is a market for the type of photography I produce, but it gives the contact information I need an the instructions on how to make contact with each photobuyer. The scattered articles also help in pointing the direction for further research into the business aspect of photography.

I will most defiantly make this a yearly purchase! So I will always have the most up to date information on who buys what, when, how, and for how much.

-Christopher Bergeron

The Personal Touch is a pratical and easy to read book about connecting with others in the world of Business. My hats is off to this fine author who decided to share her secrets of sucess with the world.

The Personal Touch, contributes to Terrie William's encouragement of establishing and maintaining relationships. Professionally, or personally, this book suggests practical methods and opportunites to enhance relationships. She shares experiences that enable new business owners to avoid mistakes commonly and frequently made, or neglected.

I recently reread the book to prepare for a networking event. My confidence was heightened, and my preparedness to meet my objectives was concisley manuevered.

It's simple, basic and easy to read, yet filled with a wealth of constructive information that will enhance lives in regard to appreciating others . Apply her recommendations, and the results are clearly and immediately noticed.

I had the opportunity to meet and hear her speak recently in New Orleans. Her personality and speech demonstrated the etiquette of professionalism with a friendly and personalable touch.

This is a great book, full of common-sense advice that is crucial for success in today's business world. I read this book years ago (as an assistant manager), and return to it time and again as a touchstone, as I move up the corporate ladder (now a VP). I've found her sound, wisdom-filled tactics essential in making a mark in my industry. Since my colleagues and clients speak very highly of me, I know Terrie's suggestions worked!

Only last week there was an article on YAHOO! about authors favorably reviewing THEIR OWN BOOKS!!

Apparently some hacker exposed these scumbags. Now I see 2 reviews by the author and 1 by his son-in-law.

I read a favorable review of this book in TECHNICAL ANALYSIS of STOCKS and COMMODITIES. Despite misgivings about the reviews I cited, I will read a library copy and judge it by it's merits.

Warren Buffett says if you're trying to decide who the sucker is in a poker game, the sucker is YOU! Kinda describes buyers of books given favorable reviews by their own authors.

I'm a real novice in the financial world, not because of age but simply because I never had money to invest. Then my parents left me with a wonderful portfolio that I didn't know how to manage. I pretty much left it alone and watched it decline during 2002. But luckily for me, I met George Muzea and read his book. His words made me feel that following the stock market did not have to be viewed as a foreboding experience. Reading his book gave me the confidence to become a more knowledgeable investor. But it wasn't only Mr. Muzea's financial advice that gave me that confidence; it was the sense of his integrity that I garnered about him from the personal experiences he shared in his book. He is a successful financial advisor because of who he is as a man. He takes people, life and its many adventures seriously, deferring to how people like me invest their hard earned money. His heart, as well as his financial wisdom, pervades this book.
-Carol Murphy
English teacher
Sage Ridge, School

A friend gave me this book. When I got a glimpse of the title I thought to myself, "Oh! here's another also ran self help book destined to be archived on the book shelves of America, gathering dust and aging like a vintage wine that will never be uncorked." Boy ! was I wrong. As I scrolled down the pages,I soon realized that this was a well written book and quite revealing as a way to actually make money in the stock market by making the right choices at the right time based on a unique, but proven strategy. Using his concept of the Vital Few Vs. The Trivial Many, George demonstrates the value of watching what the consistent winners do. This information is not usually touted by the media or market experts. While written in the form of an autobiography,the concepts discussed and methods revealed in the book. were explained very clearly and developed chapter by chapter as George takes the reader through his dynamic, personal career, sharing his failures then finally his success and continued prosperity as his revolutionary theories of " the vital few vs. the trivial many, " empower him to consistently be a winner in the stock market. George has written this book with the passion of someone that has " been there, done that". As I read on, I got the impression that he was talking to me as a mentor. I continued to read the manuscript with an appetite for more. I couldn't stop until I was done.

This is a great book to understand stocks and debt instruments market. The author explains the various stages in the growth of a company using his fictional Pocket Pole Company and his writing style is lucid. This is a book dealing with a considerable number of terms and Hecht's examples helps one in easily grasping the concept.

The book is big, more than 400 pages long and covers various investment techniques using Stocks, Bonds, Treasury Bonds, Mutual Funds and also discusses the making of a stock market, guidelines to follow while investing etc. It is really a wonderful read for anyone interested in understanding money flow and how corporations are born.

Personally, I enjoyed reading about Pocket Pole and the author's comparison of Pocket Pole with companies like IBM and Walt Disney. It is amazing to note that this book is around half a century old and the concepts haven't really changed.

One thing I didn't like about is that the book needs to be updated, and should discuss the Enron and the recent stock market crash. Louis touches upon incidents of 1994 and I feel that a revision is very much due!

Overall, a great book if you are new to the investment market.

The world is full of books that claim to teach you how to make millions starting with nothing, in only a few minutes a day. Unfortunately, these books skip over the basics that everyone needs to know about buying stocks. Where can you get those basics? How to Buy Stocks is the source you need.

I would suggest that you first read John Bogle's book, Common Sense on Mutual Funds, to determine whether or not you will even want to buy individual stocks. For most people, indexed mutual funds are a much better alternative. If you've read that book, and want to have a small portion of your money in directly purchased stocks, then you are ready for this book.

I have read dozens of books on how the basics of how to invest in stocks, and think that this is the most valuable and objective one around.

I had an amusing experience a few years ago. I attended a "sophisticated" seminar on stock market investing that was very expensive, and found that main speaker drew all of his material from this book. So you can save a lot of money, and simply buy, read, and use this book in the first place.

Another benefit of this book is that is dispels a lot of myths about stock market investing that most people have when they first start to invest. I routinely give this book to family and friends who want to know more about investing. By the way, I consult with large companies who want to improve their stock price, so I have a useful perspective on this issue from my work.

After you finish enjoying this book, I suggest that you pay particular attention to the section on writing covered calls. That is a very good way to increase your returns if you plan to hold your stocks for a long period of time. You will find this approach works best after you have passed the capital gains holding period, or for IRA money (or any other tax-deferred accounts).

Compound your wealth appropriately!

As a beginner in investing, I had a hard time understanding the market terminologies. I did not know how the market works until I found this book. In this book, you will learn the basics of investing; how the stock market works, mutual funds, common stocks, preferred stocks, bonds, options, trading on margin, selling short, how to deal with brokers, and a lot of other topics. One thing that I found confusing is that the author talks a lot about the rules of investing in the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's, to an extent that you got confused and don't know what is the current investing rules. You have to dig between the lines until you get the information you are looking for. I think it is not important for us to know the investing rules back in the 60's. Other than that, the book is excellent and definetly should be in your library, at least as a reference.