Customer Reviews (2)

Dividends
Dividend paying stocks are generally large,well established companies that can't find anything better to do with their profits than pay them back to the shareholders.

Research a couple of years old is still valuable, just do your own homework.

This is not a list of growth stocks.

100 best... from 3 years ago.
This is probabaly just a pubishing problem, but most of the research in this book (dated 2005) goes back to 2003 and 2004. All well and good, theory wise, but for a book that claims current stock picks... ... Read more

Product Description

A FAMILY THAT LEARNS TOGETHER EARNS TOGETHER!

Whether you're a novice stockholder or a seasoned investor, you can teach the next generation of stockholders how to invest successfully. Creative, practical, and full of savvy financial advice, Wow the Dow! is a family-oriented guide to the workings of Wall Street that shows parents how to start investing in the stock market with their children and encourages kids to think intelligently about money.

Cofounders of Stock MarKids,™ the nationally affiliated parent-child investment club, Lynn Roney and Pat Smith explain the important aspects of the stock market and provide parents with easy-to-follow advice for introducing the exciting world of finance. Complete with games, exercises, and real-life profiles of successful child investors, Wow the Dow! covers:

Product Description
An editor for Money magazine shares the secrets of smart investing, explaining how to make money in three to five years by using the proven principles used by stock market professionals to create large returns on wise investment decisions. Tour. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

straightforward and earnest
I admit that I found this book incredibly dull next to the three Motley Fool books I had read previously.I guess I just like some humor and irreverence -- this book is a bit too "straight," although I suppose most investment specialists can't be comedians.The information is useful and well laid out, although I found the Motley Fool books more useful with more layman explanations of concepts like the P/E ratio.Sivy doesn't describe enough what these terms signify -- he pretty much tells you what things are.

Anyway, he does provide some good solid information, it's just that other books out there do what he does and do it better.This book reads (surprise, surprise) like a long article in Money Magazine who Sivy writes for.

Excellent survey of investing from 1996
I have been playing with stocks for one year, and have an interest ineconomics.Sivy's book provided me with a comprehensive overview ofinvesting strategies.The author has a witty and readable writing style. The basics of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, foreign stocks, etc. are allcovered.Also covered were the basic investing strategies, includingvalue, growth, business cycle, inflation cycle, income.I suspect that aperson with no background in stocks or economics would find this bookchallenging.This edition is from 1996, and contains some information thathas been overtaken by events.Aside from this, I would have awarded thisbook 5 stars.

A book for someone who is already an investor.
This book is NOT for a beginning investor because a lot of the investmentterms and lingo used are for people already familiar with the stock marketand how it works.

I am a beginning investor and college student whoknows very little about making investments. So I am kind of clueless whenhe talks about mutual funds and price earning ratios. I think when Ipurchased the book I neglected to carefully understand the title andthought it was a 'rule book' for really *really* beginning investors whohave no clue in the world of finance and money.

Ignore the 3 starratings. I just couldnt rate it at all. because I had no clue what i wasreading.

Good introduction to common stock investing
Beginning investors looking for a little general direction will enjoy this book by Money Magazine's Wall Street editor. Sivy recommends active asset allocation as your stock strategy. In other words, hold stocks, bonds and other vehicles in general percentage ranges, and adjust according to your view of the economic outlook. Staying within your ranges will prevent disasters when markets turn. His book also covers growth,income, and value investing, and devotes chapters 10-13 to more advanced investing. It's an excellent primer for investors who want to get started in stocks, and also for those who have been primarily in mutual funds but now want to incorporate common stock strategies into their investing. Copyright 1998 by Michael Pellecchia,

A well rounded book on stock selection
A readable, well rounded book. He shows the thinking which goes into eachstock selection technique and gives examples. ... Read more

Product Description
Marino Specogna is a convicted stock market manipulator who exposes in a straight forward manner the deceptive techniques used by manipulators and traders to scam your hard earned dollars. The book goes into detail on the factors an individual investing in the stock market should be alerted to, to avoid being scammed.Included in the book are details on company share structure, tricks of manipulators and crooks on how to create share positions, facts never before disclosed in written form. After reading the book an individual will know how a scam deal is initiated, how the scam is furthered and how the manipulator manipulates a stock. The methods of a manipulator are exposed and can be detected by the reader in real time deals currently trading.

Customer Reviews (6)

Straight forward, informative, opinionated recommendation returned high yields
After shedding my apprehensive nature at reading the opinions and recommendations of a convicted stock manipulator, I was fascinated by the books contents and over 3000% return of a recommended safe investment if made in 2003 when the book was written.

The writing style requires careful thought and some understanding of stock trading and economics. The information reflects real daily trading tactics, and quite surprising, the author puts forward an investing opinion that shocklingly predicts the recent market capitulation.

The book written in 2003, predicts the downfall of the super hedge funds, and more importantly to an average investor provided information on a safe investmentstrategy that when charted, averaged over 30% per year, and if one was lucky enough to be in the recommended market- seen obscene legal returns as of December 2008 of 3000%.

This fact alone makes this a must read for any seasoned investor or any individual who is about to start an investment portfolio.

Certainly a must read as no one would be so severely punished by a securities commission if they were not an expert in investing, and market manipulative practices. The written material clearly portrays a seasoned market participant revealing trading tactics replicated daily in the senior markets. Clearly the opinion on NORTEL trading seems to have been again reflected in the trading of many of the senior listed companies that capitulated in 2008.

If the title scares you from buying this, you are not allowing yourself to be truly educated on the machinations of daily stock trading and clearly deserve being a victim to market capitulations like those experienced in 2008.

It is your money, protect it from financial predators as outlined in this book!

Nothing new; terribly written
I regret that I spent any money on this book.It has nothing new in it.Surprisingly, Specogna includes nothing about his frauds in the book.

The text is the worst written text that I've ever seen in print.Specogna clearly did not employ a copyeditor.No logic appears in the organization of the text.It appears as a stream of consciousness flow of muddled thoughts.

Makes Sense To Average Person--Nortel exposed
I was hesitant to read the book after reading the "Incoherent" review left by a reviewer. I read the other book by this author and actually won a few good bets, one of the recent bets I won is shown as an image on the other book page. Seems the reviewer who wrote "Incoherent" must have a beef with the author.

I can see that there are areas of the book that can be hard to understand if someone is looking for a quick simple explanation of investing techniques or tips to get rich now. However in exposing the Nortel possible stock manipulation, the authors' explanation seems plausible.

After doing some homework, his recommendation would have returned prices increasing over 8% annually, plus the rates are still higher than bank returns, 4.6% annually. Better than losing money on FORD or other stocks.

lawyer from vancouver
I had past dealings with the author. I found him to be quite conceited, incorrigible, and a liar. I always wondered how he could drive around in an $85,000 BMW, and own and race 10-12 thoroughbred race horses a year up until a few years ago.

I practice in the mining and securities field and find alot of the information detailed to be factual, and know that alot of the information put forward occurs on adaily basis.

The scoundrel reveals dastardly deeds that I wouldn't condone, he belongs in jail.

The book is worth a read.

Surprised, bought 10 copies to hand out as presents
I have been an active investor in junior mineral exploration companies for over 30 years. I actually bought this book in the spring of 2003 and was so taken aback by it, that I bought an extra 10 copies to hand out as christmas presents to friends who invest/speculate.

Many of the disclosures in this book helped me understand better some of the losses I had experienced in the market over the years in dealing with scum promoters. The book also helped me in the recent bull market in penny mining stocks. I was also a big fan of the book, "Rampaging Bulls", published in 1992, another book revealing many Vancouver Stock Exchange scams.

The author pulls no punches in telling it like it is. No doubt this has caused him enemies especially with the enforcement authorities as he reveals the rampant daily fraud that goes undetected and that has never been documented by them. He also reveals the dirty deeds and tricks of newsletter writers, research analysts, and how newspaper columnists obtain their padded information.

I would recommend this book to everyone. For less than $20.00 canadian,less than what a trade costs, you can be that much more informed. I will be purchasing more copies for work mates and friends who haven't already received a copy as a christmas present.

I also visited the website and emailed the author, who replied pleasantly without looking to rip me off. ... Read more

Product Description
It takes only a few high-quality stocks for a stock portfolio to make the big money. Finding winning stocks is a skill that any serious investor can learn, says Fred Kobrick, veteran stock picker and legendary mutual-fund manager. In The Big Money, Kobrick draws on a lifetime of investing experience to show how he identified four qualities that reliably predict which companies will thrive and grow, producing outsize stock returns.

Kobrick explains how the four qualities of winning companies -- business model, assumptions, strategy, and management (known collectively as BASM) -- are a touchstone for successful investors. They are the key to repeatability, the ability to keep producing success. BASM is important for blue-chip and young companies alike.

Once investors have identified companies with great potential, Kobrick shows them how to use his Seven Steps to financial success to manage their portfolios. All of these principles are embedded in Kobrick's insightful and often entertaining anecdotes.

The Big Money is a book no serious investor can afford to be without. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Look at the Big Picture to find the Big Money
This book contains some great strategies that you can apply to selecting and maintaining a portfolio of growth stocks. Fred outlines a proven method for analysing business models and company management and provides some great examples from his own investing career of successful and not so successful companies and the reasons behind their performance.

The only area that I thought deserved more attention was the section on valuation, though to be fair the emphasis of Fred's approach is much more on growth potential and management performance than current valuations.

If you'd like more information check out the author's website fredkobrickdotcom for some useful further information and magazine reviews.

Crucial to your investment library.
I like this book even better than the classics on growth investing: Peter Lynch's One Up on Wall Street, and Philip Fisher's Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits. The information is timeless but it's nice that it was written in 2006 and the examples are still nice and fresh.

As advertised: works
THe book works just as readers and reviewers have said, e.g., USA Today, Equities magazine, and recently, Kiplinger's has said: "Particularly beneficial for an investor who is challenged to find and implement a specific stock-picking strategy that actually works".

Excellent and Clear
Without realizing it, I've been practicing Mr. Kobrick's BASM principles successfully for years. It's exciting to see how he so clearly articulates his approach without being intimidating to a layperson. I've even begun using his BASM paradigm to explain to my children what "buy low and sell high" really means. This book is a standout!

Refreshing Focus on Fundamentals
A fascinating book that is equally useful to the individual investor and the professinoal. The book's system of focus on fundamentals [BASM and Seven Steps] is refreshing in these days of concensus investing and short term trading. The war stories about important companies are both entertaining and informative. The investment returns available from these well known companies challanges the investor to be both selective and patient. The book does a good job laying-out a way [BASM and Seven Steps] that is instructive to the individual and a great reminder for the professional. I read it twice and recommend that anyone interested in investing does the same. It will help you avoid many of the fads and mistakes being made today. ... Read more

Product Description
Gives ordinary folks everything they need to know about choosing stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. These useful, hands-on hints may not make you a millionaire overnight, but they will keep you from falling for common errors, rip-offs, and market pitfalls. Softcover. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Good book for beginners
This is a great book on "where do I start?" It covers everything from mutual funds to stocks to bonds and beyond. I do, however, believe Mr Gard is a little wrong in some areas - such as purchasing mutual funds with loads, and higher management fees. He says that as long as everyone is making money, be happy. However, most mutual fund managers do not consistently beat the index and therefore higher fees eat into YOUR bottom line.
This book is once again a great starting place because it explainsthe basics. Plus, it gives the concept of PIG- Protection, Income, Growth. What do you want your PIG to be?

Great starter, good price
The down-to-earth approach of this book ensures that it is more dense than other guides for beginners. Gets you from knowing absolutely nothing to a level at which you can start reading about technical analysis, read financial papers, annual and quarterly reports. Good 'further reading' tips. Good coverage of bonds. Options and futures are discarded as being equivalent to gambling. Parts about the risks of investing, how to spread the investment, and the role of brokers is a little boring, but this really is a good starter.

An Outstanding "Primer" on Investing
The Small Investor is an excellent book to read if you are looking for a complete and basic introduction to the subject of investing.I found the chapters on Professional Help and Selecting Mutual Funds to be particularly helpful.A feature that Jim Gard included that I really appreciate is the "Recommended Further Reading" that is at the end of each chapter.It gives you a place to go to examine the subject in more detail than would be appropriate in a"Primer."This book is ideal for anyone just entering the world of investments. Financial Planners and Money Managers should consider giving a copy of this book to each of their new clients.Jim Hagen ... Read more

Product Description
Stock Investing For Canadians For Dummies, 3rd Edition includes information on stock investing in both bear and bull markets; unique investment segments; stock investing for different types of situations; and examples straight from the real world of stock investing as they have occurred in the past three years. With up-to-date references and resources, this book is the most reliable resource for the new stock market investor.

New in this edition:

• Investigating how governments affect markets: The authors present an unbiased look at how government intervention can and has shaped the markets, so that investors know what to watch for and can respond appropriately to protect their investments -- or even benefit.
• Explaining economics: As governments around the world intervene in the markets, media coverage of the economic theory behind these moves (and the economic theories that deplore them) has expanded greatly -- and most of it's muddled. New content in the book explains what investors need to know about economics.
• Exploring stock trading: For readers that want to move stocks quickly rather than invest for the long run, the authors offer a crash course in the fundamentals of trading, and some critical do's and don'ts.

Customer Reviews (1)

Stock Investing Finally Explained
This book is simply great. After trudging through a myriad of online 'help' sites, I came to the conclusion that I needed to start at the beginning. That's where this book shines. If you really have no idea what stock investing is all about, this book explains the how and why from step one. The author goes further than simple stock trading basics to cover the bigger picture. He covers all aspects of financial planning in a very big way. I highly recommend this to the person who is wondering what all those tickers mean at the bottom of the news screen. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Excerpts from book reviews
This is what reviewers and others think about Faulk's book:

The Naked Truth tells a story that may shock some of those who are unfamiliar with the netherworld of penny-stock promotion. It is a story that juxtaposes some of the best of human impulses against some of the worst. A fascinating and detailed account...I recommend this book heartily.
The Federal Lawyer, June, 2009

Mark Faulk has not only been a tireless advocate in the battle to clean up our financial systems clearance and settlement mechanisms, he has covered the story with the kind of critical thought largely absent from New York financial journalism. Mark has managed to do this, moreover, with clean, crisp writing that avoids cant and is easily understandable to the general public.
Patrick Byrne, CEO, Overstock

Faulk dives deep into the issue of naked short selling, providing readers with a behind the curtain look at one of the most controversial and misunderstood subjects in the U.S. financial markets today. With a focus on the company CMKX Diamonds, this spellbinding story will entertain and inform investors, gadflies and conspiracy theorists alike.
Will Shanley, The Denver Post

It is an old tale. Saul of Tarsus, on the road to Damascus, suddenly sees the light, and his life has to change. Several one-time admirers of Urban Casavant, notably John Martin and Kevin West, have had their own road-to-Damascus moments. Each has had to realize that he had been acting blindly, and each has had to turn toward the light. This book, with the benefit of Mr. Faulk's superlative narrative labors, is a progress report on that painful conversion and on its aftermath.
Christopher Faille, [...]

Reads like a Dan Brown Novel - but Real!
This book is a non stop thrill ride of naked short selling, shady LLC companies, 700 Billion shares of stock, and enough bad guy sounding names to fill a James Bond Movie! Urban Casavant!? Really? The name alone should have given this crook away! Here we have the typical "good, bad, and ugly" theme:

The Good: Bill Frizzell, John Martin, Kevin West (and of course Mark Faulk). These three (four) men set out to right the wrongs of so many insiders in the CMK(I)(M)(X) saga.

The Bad: Urban Casavant, John Edwards, D. Roger Glenn, Rendall Williams, Ed Dhonau, Ron Casavant, "Doc" Michael Mitchel (who is John Edwards?), Brian Dvorak, Michael Williams, David DeSormeau, and the list goes on. These men were ALL in from the get go. Setting up LLC companies along the way to swap stock and other assets with CMKX to make the transactions look legit. However, few, if any, of the transactions were legit or even legal.

The Ugly: As of the writing of the book (mid 2008) only a few of those listed above were either charged by a Gov't agent or Frizzell and his team. I can only hope that as of now, December 2009, that at least the rest of those not charged have been charged OR that those who were charged will be found guilty with the mountains of evidence against them.

I read this nearly 400 page book in just about a week. I couldn't put it down. I have a personal connection to one of the people in the story (I won't say who but it is one of the good guys). Mark is truly a great author. I thought "400 pages of finance/stock/litigation is going to be BORING" but it wasn't. In fact, it was just the opposite. He writes the story in such a way that you're literally left hanging in the wings wanting to know what happens next.

I highly recommend this book.

The TRUTH can set you free!
Mark Faulk's book "The Naked Truth" is excellent in many respects. Its success lies in juxtaposing three "stories". The first story is aboutthe average investor, who, due to vast loopholes in the current system, continues to be taken advantage of by "naked short sellers' (i.e. brokers who serve the interests of hedge funds or off shore accounts) whereby millions (and sometimes billions) of shares of stock are "borrowed" but then never actually delivered. This causes the price of the stock to plummet (despite the demand for the stock---due to the artificial and limitless false supply) thereby bankrupting the company along with its investors. Although naked short selling in the penny stocks is illegal, this corruption is rampant allowing those who manipulate the market to make tens of millions of dollars at the expense of the innocent shareholder.
Such curruption is seen in the case of CMKM diamonds (story #2) the "stockplay of a lifetime". CMKM diamonds which was supposed to create "a million millionaires" turned out to be one of the most elaborate stock scams in the history of the market involving a corrupt group of insiders who promoted the stock via sponsorship of race cars, giving stock dividends (which turned out to be worthless)to investors, creating exciting (albeit mendacious) press releases, givingfalse information to internet stock chat rooms and message boards all under the "watchful" eye of the SEC and the DTCC (the regulatory agencies set up to protect the investor) The promotion of CMKM diamonds eventuated in a shareholder base of FIFTY THOUSAND individuals who purchased over 700 BILLION shares of stock!!!
Finally, the third story is seen through through the eyes of one shareholder, who like thousands of others was addicted to the CMKM chat boards and message boards to the point of sinking almost into bankruptcy by investing more and more into CMKM and by neglecting his business. The "Naked Truth" is a fascinating account of greed, corruption, deceit, manipulation on the one hand and untiring effort inspite of insurmountable odds on the part of a handful of investors who decided to take on the fight, to right the wrongs of the system and to attempt to return to the shareholders that which is rightfully theirs. In short, the "Naked Thruth" is a MUST READ!! ... Read more

Product Description
A CLASSIC REVISITED—AND JUST IN TIME

The most popular and respected guide to every facet of the stock market has now been thoroughly updated to reflect the dramatic shifts that have taken place over the past several years. This Wall Street classic continues to provide the most current and comprehensive coverage of the market's participants, principles, and practices.

In easy-to-follow, straightforward terms, The Stock Market, 7th Edition shows you how the market works. Beginning with the basics, it takes you from the market's history and products to its basic structure and operation, to the actual techniques used by shareholders and traders. Based on the authors' more than 70 years' combined experience in the field of finance, it shows you how to buy stocks, transact a buy order, and master the often tricky techniques of money management, pyramiding, options, and much more. Every topic is examined from both a broad top-down perspective and with step-by-step guidance.

Packed with clear definitions, cutting-edge strategies, and helpful examples, this new edition provides in-depth information on topics that have changed how stocks perform, as well as how they should be handled. In addition to the globalization of the securities business, regulatory changes, program trading, and advances in online services, you'll find details on key developments in several important areas, including the derivatives market, index fund investing, and technical and fundamental analysis.

Covering everything from municipal securities and maintenance calls to serial bonds and NASDAQ, this exhaustive reference is invaluable for understanding stock market fundamentals. Now more than ever, it is the one guide every market participant—whether individual investor, broker, or financial advisor—should own.

Averages

• Bearer Bonds
• Breakpoints
• Bull and Bear Spreads Common Stock
• Covered Options
• Derivatives
• Dollar Averaging
• Excess Equity
• Exempt Securities
• Flash Prices
• Hedging
• Municipal Securities
• New York Stock Exchange
• Price-Earnings Ratio
• Puts and Calls
• Reverse Splits
• Rolling Over
• Stock Splits Straddles
• Transfer Agents
• Zero Coupon Bonds.

Praise for previous editions of The Stock Market.

"This is a terrific primer on the industry. The authors have created an easy-to-understand and thorough update of this investment classic."—Michael Holland, Vice Chairman, Oppenheimer & Co., Inc.

"The classic every investor who has ever read a book grew up on . . . for both the beginner and the experienced professional alike, this [new] edition is a marvelous reference tool. A must for every investment library."—Stock Market Magazine. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A Mechanical Must
Whether a long term investor, or not, one needs to know the mechanics of markets. This is where the speculators and short term investors lurk. Use this book as a text book for study and not necessarily to be enjoyed for the ease of reading. You have to have it.

Missing important concepts
Here is an example of topics not covered: Employee Stock Options, Secondary Offerings and Stock Dilution.This text operates as if IPOs and treasury stocks are the only way to issue new shares.See the Motley Fool website for more details.

The Stock Market - Teweles & Bradley various eds.
Excellent resource for the beginning investor. This book answers the questions the layman is too embarrassed to ask. Great start for building a foundation in a challenging arena.

Review of 'The Stock Market', various editions.
The title of the book suggests no bias or agenda for the work. It simply adopts the title of a very broad and complex area of commerce as it's own name; The Stock Market. The book offers a basic understanding of many aspects of the 'Market'in a way that the un-initiated can understand. Anyone looking for help in selecting a sure path to riches will be dissapointed.Anyone seeking an understanding of the basics, and how various aspects of the 'Market' relate to each other will be rewarded.

This book deliveres knowledge and understanding without bias. It can serve as general reading material or as a reference. It prepares the reader to select and understand other material.

New editions appear when the 'market' changes enough to warrant new material.The content is up to date without being padded by trendy but useless material.

Cliff Critchett
end of review comments

A Very detailed Primer.
Although this book is an introduction as well as a reference, some knowledge of stock market is assumed. The author often uses technical terms without defining them in the chapter(although there is a small dictionaryin the back). If you have traded once or twice before, you should know atleast some of those terms. ... Read more

Product Description
Though they rely more on large-scale market dynamics than individual company fundamentals, technical traders still live or die based on the actual stocks they trade. How to Select Stocks Using Technical Analysis -- a multimedia CD-ROM tutorial and workbook -- explains how to use proven quantitative methods to analyze the trading environment, determine the most attractive industry groups, and then identify the most promising stocks within those groups. It contains everything traders need to know to dramatically improve technical stock selection skills and overall results, including: ·Relative Strength (RS) ·Stochastics ·Price oscillators ·The KST indicator Financial markets and the business cycle ·Industry group rotation around the business cycle ·Characteristics of primary bull and bear markets ·Optimal industries for selected business cycles Actual trading charts reveal key markets for todays most popular stocks. The CD-ROM & Workbook Tutorial is an excellent teaching tool for in-depth research, instant reference, and interactive review. It provides technical traders with remarkably accurate methods -- proven effective in today's fast-moving markets -- for anticipating and exploiting trends. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Book Content Good, CD is . . .
As usual, everything Martin Pring has to say is of the utmost value. This book is proving to be a great aid as I re-vamp all my stock screens and filters. But, what's with the CD? Hey Martin - some of us use a Mac! There are several comments regarding the value of the content on the CD - too bad I won't be able to access it unless I borrow someone's Windows machine. Had this CD been authored with something that was OS-agnostic I would have awarded the full 5 stars, but the CD is useless to me as-is.

Update: I installed the CD on an XP machine, and was taken back to the mid-90's with the install program. I hope the information in the book is more current than this CD. And you need to have the CD loaded to run the program whenever you want to view it. Reminds me of my old gaming days with DOS or Win 3.1.

Now this is a great book
Out of all the books I've read this one is really unique.I thought it was just a simple book like all the others on technical analysis but there's quite a bit of content.I haven't been able to find anything similar on the internet or from other books.I'm glad I read it.I really understand what's going on in the not only the stock market but other market.I don't owe all my credit to this one book it's a must have for any serious investor.Prings a great teacher and his instuctional cd is great.People too often criticize great teachers because you can't get enough from them and that's not a downfall.I mean let's face it they get put down because some people can't keep up with profectionist.I have wore the pages off of my book from reading it.

Enclosed CD-ROM Would Not Load
I could not open the material on the CD-ROM. I called Pring's support number and they were of no help.

Great followup to intermarket technical analysis [murphy]!
I like this book a lot. It covers stock selection using a sector rotation and intermarket-analysis methodology. I think everyone who has read John Murphy's classic Intermarket Technical Analysis should go out and buy this book. Murphy gives you the theory, Pring gives you the execution -- both are needed. ... Read more

Product Description
A peek into the labyrinth of investing rituals: it's self edification and a shoulder to cry on.
Table of Contents:
Foreword, Introduction, some Technical Analysis, Distribution of Returns, Regression: the Best Fit line to stock returns, Ugly Statistical stuff, What's Beta?, What's CAPM?, Random Walks, Drawdown, the Sortino Ratio ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

When you lose all of your marbles, you're out of the game.
Someone once said: "You win by not losing"

The only problem is that "Nothing ventured, nothing gained"

People learn more from making mistakes than from their successes, many of which are blind dumb luck.

The secret is to have many small loses along with a few large wins, that more than cancel the loses after allowing for the fees and order slippage.

Before you risk your hard earned dollars, you need to read this well written humorous book.

The author is retired Canadian mathematics professor Peter Ponzo, PhD. (a true polymath genius!)

He has provided one of the most comprehensive investing explanatory tutorials to be found.

I wish I, and everyone else could have benefited from his knowledge before I lost a pile in my first foray into the shark filled Wall Street waters.

I now have recovered those loses and am in the green once more, largely due to the wisdom found in this book.

This book makes an inexpensive valuable gift to our Grandkids, so that they can prosper in these perilous economic times.

Well worth the investment!



... Read more

Product Description

Small company stocks are the unsung stars of the stock market. Over the long term, they have outperformed blue-chip stocks and most other investments during the past century. Samuel Case, author of the bestselling The First Book of Investing, shows you the best ways to research and invest in small capitalization stocks for the new millennium. Learn how to:

Customer Reviews (2)

TERRIFIC RESOURCE FORTHE INDIVIDUAL INVESTOR
The author deals with the everyday "Joe or Jane" that may be interested in picking small-priced stocks. Buy more shares with less money.Makes sense.One time I bought 1000 shares of Adac Labs at $1when it had been accused of giving false information to the SEC.Afterthey corrected the information, the stock soared past $5 and I sold it.Another terrrific book on this subject is MAKING DOLLARS WITH PENNIES: HOWTHE SMALL INVESTOR CAN BEAT THE WIZARDS ON WALL STREET by R. Max Bowser. Bowser has a successful system he developed over 25 years, trading stockspriced $3 or less a share.

Avoid this book - more damage than benefit
I bought this book thinking that I could find out a bit about investing specific to small stocks.What I found was a book which has some common sense rules for investing - i.e. it helps to know about the company andbusiness it is in.Unfortunately the book also contains incorrect facts. For example, Mr. Case puts forth the sillynotion that investing the sameamount of money in a $5 stock gives one better chances than investing in a$50 stock because you get more shares.Of course, this isn't true - if itwere, there would be no $50 stocks.A great counterexample is the stock ofBerkshire Hathaway whose stock has appreciated at a faster rate than mostother stocks and has a per-share price of somewhere between $75,000 and$100,000.I could go on, but you get the point.Find another book on thissubject - there are plenty of good ones. ... Read more

Product Description
Praise for the classic guide to gaining a psychological advantage in investment and trading

"The Investor's Quotient is destined to go down in history as the ultimate book on investor psychology . . . it explains the psychology of a trader in clear and simple English . . . and it teaches highly effective methods designed to improve the bottom line . . ."-Larry Williams, author Long-Term Secrets to Short-Term Trading

"The Investor's Quotient is a welcome breath of fresh air in what has been a too-long-avoided subject-the psychological reasons why some people win and most others lose in the commodity markets. More than that, Jake Bernstein proves in this book he is an excellent teacher, and clearly and candidly shows how greater knowledge of yourself can become your most effective trading tool. It's a must for every trader's library."-Leon Rose, Publisher Newsletter and Managed Account Reports

"Should be required reading for all traders and investors. It has helped immeasurably through the years . . . I'd be lost without it."-Don Sarno, Former Director
Commodities Educational Institute

"This is the classic book on investor psychology. It has paved the way to a new era of investor success and self-confidence . . ."-Steve Moore
Moore Research Center

". . . convincing . . . This thoroughgoing manual should help impulsive investors save money."-Publishers Weekly

For updates on new and bestselling Wiley finance books: wiley.com/wbns ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

The Worst Author - Ever
Save your money. Never, never waste your funds on the drivel this author produces!!

A profitable trader would never have time enough to write even one tenth the quantity of words this person produces.

Find traders that actually make money to learn from. There are a few that have written good books.

As starting points for trading:
For equities traders try: Professional Stock Trading
For futures traders try: Trading Day by Day
For psychology of investing try:Trading in the Zone


These are simply starting points, but are written by REAL traders (Mark Douglas excluded), not worthless-book producers.

One of the better Pych books
Jake is honest and blunt like you would expect from a good therapist.I especially liked the blend of theory and application when discussing trading problems.This book has essential information that is approached in an interesting way.

HUGE DISSAPOINTEMENT
Very poor book. Too many general stuff. Too many Freud and so little real advices. Completly useless. If you need serious psychology help for your trading, buy Mark Douglas and don't spent money on Bernstein.

This is a MUST READ for all serious investor/trader
if you are allowed to buy only one book that deals with the psychology of trading. this will be it. what is excellent about this book is it gives you an idea on how to improve yourself using psychology.

in the first few chapters of this book, mr bernstein links the science of psychology to the 'science' of investing. exploring the various branch of psychology, then comparing psychology to our trading behaviour to show how it is linked.

after that, mr bernstein goes on to tell you the many ways in which we can use what is learned in the science of psychology to improve, correct and/or enchance our trading. 200 odd pages of relevant materials and wise words on how you can go about doing it.

the author is a very good and methodical teacher. bringing out each aspect of our trading, showing us how we can look for weaknesses and improve. ie he talks about our personal beliefs, how our childhood can affect our trading style, our relationship with broker/spouse/family, our methods, or even certain specific probelms like not able to cut losses etc. analysing each aspect, allowing us to understand how it can affect our trading, and then show us how we can correct/improve. he even teaches the reader how best to read books!

after reading this book, you should learn much about yourself and the kind of trader you are. you will also learn the best way to help yourself, to improve on any weaknesses.

if there is a degree on trading, this is the definitely one of the main texts. i will also confess that my trading has improved tremendously since reading this book, from annual loser to annual winner.

this book is highly recommended. it will also stand the test of time, i strongly believe it will still be as relevant 300 years from now!

Indeed an excellent book!
Wow--I am truly impressed with the quality and content of this book!Fortunately, the short profile quiz in the book identified me as a trader who already has strong self-discipline and a good working understanding of trading psychology and as someone who might not need to read further chapters, but I was still able to pick up pointers and solutions to the remaining problems that plague me (getting out of a position too soon, or getting out too late--both problems falling in a class called "non-specific fear or greed").Friends of mine who have weaker self-discipline clearly exhibit many of the psychological problems that Bernstein describes as common amongst traders, especially a strong aversion to using stops for money management/loss control.I find many of his repair techniques to be similar to those used in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) to treat other behavioral/psychological problems, and I appreciate his respect for many different trading styles and systems; unlike many other writers, who say that their system is the ONLY system or ONLY way to consistently profit, Bernstein stresses that ANY trading system/methodology or lack thereof will work so long as the trader has the psychology and discipline to execute it.Bernstein of course advances his own trading rules, some of which I don't agree with but which are not wrong--just not my style.Whatever *your* trading style, I'm sure you'll benefit from learning how to better implement it, so read this book!Needless to say, this is one of the few books that I've decided shall have a permanent place on my trading library shelf.It is at once detailed and scientific in content, yet easy to read and understand and will be re-read in times of trading weakness. ... Read more

Product Description
Using Investor's Business Daily as his major source of investment information, Dhun Sethna tripled his portfolio in five years. In Investing Smart, Sethna shares what he's learned about picking stocks with the nation's fastest growing newspaper, unlocking the powerful money=making information in every edition.

You'll discover where to look for winning stocks every day. . .which indicators to watch to avoid losses. . .the psychology of market behavior. . .and much more. The book delivers straightforward explanations of the complex and powerful forces which drive stock prices. All in all, it gives you the tools you need to invest wisely. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Bad presentation
I was very excited to find a book that was going to give me more ideas on how to pick stocks using IBD. While this book did give information on IBD, it never got into anything I found helpful in really using to pick stocks. All the author did was present information I already knew by reading IBD myself. Also this was not a pure IBD product the author attempted to mix in several authors advice and techniques into this work by quoting them verbatim. The book was very dry and hard to read and I do not think beginners or veteran traders will find it helpful. It was written by a doctor, who may be a great trader, but I did not like his writing style. I would advise reading all of William O'Neal's book and stick with IBD alone to teach you. Find your stock picks in the IBD 100, you do not need this book.

This book sucks..
I bought this book a year and a half or so ago and I think it was a bad investment. I figured this book would be a great addition to How to make money in stocks but I was wrong.

This book is basically scanned in pages of parts of the paper telling you about all the economic indicators and other items in Investor's Business Daily.

I feel this book could have been a lot better if Dhun Sethna hadn't spent most of his time talking about such a boring subject... I mean who really wants to interpret economics graphs... I know I don't. He could have discuss how to find the winners (like the title suggests) but from what I remember about this book it is just about what the paper is and all the economic indicators you can find in it. I can clearly see why William O'Neil doesn't recommend this book.

Reed Floren

Its not completely worthless.....
I did not read the book but I did look it over carefully.I was hoping it would be a clear step by step guide to using IBD to apply the CANSLIM method.There is so much information in the paper that it is not easy to apply all the techniques in an efficient manner.There are almost too many choices and directions possible.This book is not a step by step guide nor is it all that clear.I did find it to be unnecessarily wordy and vague.It just seems to go over the whole paper in a long winded fashion but does not get down to the nuts and bolts of "Smart Investing" as I was hoping it would.Refer to William O'Neil's books for better guidance about how to invest.Also, if you are a subscriber, there is a large amount of useful information on the IBD website at Investors.com.

Long Winded-But Necessary
If you are totally new to investing then you should start with "24 Essential Lessons to Investment Success" & "How to make Money in stocks", both by William O'Neil. If after reading those books part of the Investment Business Daily newspaper makes no sense, I recommend this book.Once you feel successful and comfortable in the stocks you pick, you would want to understand the whole picture.Though this book will confuse you in the beginning and I agree with many of the reviews, remember it is a brake down of the newpaper and how you can use each part of it to understand everything of the market and how Investment Business Daily feeds you that information.I strongly recommend it.Puts together the Big Market picture from the pages of the Investors Business Daily paper.It should glue together some loose ends.

Miguel-Bronx New York

Too Many Words, Too Little Information
Being a student of William O'Neil's CANSLIM method of stock selection I found this book tiresome to read mainly because I know the subject matter so well.Dr. Sethna was certainly long winded and rambling in his writing style and could have said what he did in a third of the space he used.If you desire to learn about William O'Neil's methods purchase his book, "How to Make Money In Stocks."Lastly, Investor's Business Daily has added many new features since Dr. Sethna wrote this book so some of the information he shares about the paper is dated. ... Read more

Product Description
Updated data and insights to help value investors address the realities of today's markets

On the heels of recent stock market tumbles and deceptions, value investing--the staple of investing greats from Benjamin Graham to Warren Buffett--has roared back into the spotlight. Value Investing Today returns with a new edition, filled with updated information and advice to give investors the skills and knowledge to become successful value investors.

Broader in scope than previous editions, this third edition offers fresh lessons investors can use to uncover stocks that are, for whatever reason, underpriced in relation to their value. Updates to this edition include:

• New chapters on the psychology of investing and corporate governance
• Expanded discussions on the importance of margin of safety
• Increased correlations among world markets, and how to capitalize on them

Customer Reviews (9)

Tests for Safety, Four step test for value, determining Share Price Value
Tests for Safety

1. Debt-to-Equity is less than 1
2. Current Assets are twice liabilities
3. Total Debt is less than twice net current assets
4. Annual earnings growth is at least 7 percent over the last ten years
5. No more than two year-to-year earnings declines of more than 5 percent during the last ten years.

Four step test for value

1. No losseswithin the past 5 years
2. Total debt is less than 100 percent of tangible equity
3. Share price is less than book value per share
4. Earnings yield is at least twice the yield on long term 20 year bonds

Share Price value
1. If a stock's price was less than two-thirds of net-net current assets per share.Investors buy excess cash for 67 cents on the dollar and get a full claim on the company's permanent assets for free.The company must be generating profits.

To calculate intrinsic value investors rigorously examine qualities such as financial strength and earnings strength in context of the companies past results., its current operation, and its future prospects

What does price to earnings mean?If a share costs $20 and reports a $3 Earning per Share than P/E equals 6.7.The buyer is paying $6.70 for every $1 of earnings.

What is Net Current Assets? Net current assets is the amount of capital a company creates or consumes in a period of time. Net Current Assets = current assets - current liabilities.

What are Current Assets? Current assets is the amount of cash and cash equivalents (or inventory, etc that can be converted to cash quickly to pay the bills) and current liabilities are the bills that are due.

What is Book Value per Share? Book value per share =par value of an outstanding preferred stock - liabilities / outstanding shares of stock.

How do you calculate the Fair Market Value of the Stock? Benjamin Grahams NCAVPS =current assets - total liabilities / shares outstanding

Wish there's more info in the book! Great introduction to value investing though!!
Fairly impressed with the author's ability to make sense of value investing in such lucid manner - always interesting to read someone managing over 50 billions.

Think one could summarise the book in about 10 pages but the criteria for stock screen were significant -- don't remember reading them in security analysis but in this book the author emphasised on ignoring the net net (current asset - all liabilities) if the firm is making a loss as cash will be used up very quickly.- How did the author know?? Graham told him in person !!!

i always thought it's already hard enough to find companies trading with current asset - all liabilities 33% more than the price per share! more after the fall of Lehman-and the firm has to be making a profit too !!!how many stocks could there be??

other excellent points include how risk measured with Beta / standard deviation / risk as volatility are not exactly what investors in practice are concerned with ! works for traders but completely pointless for long term value investors-

Other interesting discussions include how everyone should invest globally (searching for value stocks) and how to compare different companies given the differences in accounting for financial reports in specific countries - also why index funds aren't necessarily the best way to invest if there are concerns over the construction process of the index and why it's the opposite to value investing if investors are buying the index fund on the rise.

should one buy the book??probably no cos one could finish reading it in few hours but it's still worth reading !

Wish the author explain in greater details esp. about global investing!

I really like Chapter 4.
This book doesn't say much of anything new that you can't get from multitude of other sources.However, it summarizes value and safety criteria pretty well in chapter 4.This is why I would recommend this book.

Nothing new here
I didn't like it at all. I didn't find any new concepts in the book, I think it's closer to Rich dad poor dad than to an actual investment book. Very general advice.
If you are interestedin investment, pick up any of Peter Lynch books, Malkie's "a random walk down street" or, if you are into value investing "The Warren Buffet Way".
Don't waste your time with this one.

Very shallow

Books on value investing, as I observed, have two apporaches: Quantitative & Qualitative.

Quali: The Intelligent Investor & The little book on value investing.
Quant: Value investing from graham to buffett, John Neff on Investing.

This book is qualitative and very shallow. Good for people who have no idea of value investing.

The book, I speculate, is more like a brochure/prospectus of their mutual fund.

Although there is no "magin formula", I had read many value investing books that illustrate somewhat concrete and detailed approach to analyzing fin statements and ratios. This is book way way too shallow. ... Read more

Product Description

“The author introduces an investing methodology with proven results and easily applied unequivocal decision making. Particularly impressive is the way he includes a selling discipline, not just a buying discipline. This book is a must for any concerned investor.”

Richard Arms, Analyst, Author, and Inventor of The Arms Index

“This is one of the best new investing books of the decade: succinct, practical, and timeless. Built on a foundation of 40 years of market wisdom, it combines technical analysis and portfolio construction that is supported by excellent research. It should be required reading for everyone from new investors to the most sophisticated hedge fund managers.”

Linda Raschke, President, LBRGroup, Inc.

“The author is an award winning Technical Analyst. In this book, he covers the basic principles, definitions, safeguards, pitfalls, and risks of investing. Believing in active management, he recognizes the benefits of multiple tools (fundamental and technical) and disciplines there-on, to construct a portfolio methodology with guidelines for both buying and selling, for maximum gain. This is a valuable book for any serious investor.”

Louise Yamada, Managing Director, Louise Yamada Technical Research Advisors, LLC.

“In this book, Charles Kirkpatrick demonstrates just how powerful a tool relative strength is, deftly combining technical and fundamental analysis to produce a superior long-term approach. This isn’t just theory, but the real-time work of a practitioner with an outstanding track record. For many years a small group of knowledgeable investors has known about this work, now you can too.”

John Bollinger, CFA, CMT, President, Bollinger Capital Management

“The author presents a clearly written, time-tested formula for investor independence and success through applying relative price strength for stock selection and portfolio construction.”

Hank Pruden, Golden Gate University

Over the past 25 years, Charles D. Kirkpatrick’s exclusive stock-picking technique has outperformed the S&P 500’s performance by a whopping 7.7 times. That’s right: If you’d invested $10,000 in the S&P 500, you’d have $130,000 now...but if you’d followed Kirkpatrick’s published picks, you’d have $1,000,000! If that’s not amazing enough, Kirkpatrick’s system is remarkably easy to use. In this book, he teaches you all you need to put it to work in your portfolio!

Kirkpatrick reveals why an active strategy based on relative stock rankings is the surest route to profit, and how just a few pieces of publicly available information enable you to create rankings that virtually guarantee exceptional performance. You’ll learn how to use his techniques to organize stocks into a portfolio that maximizes returns while reducing risk...uncover trigger points that tell you when to buy and sell...and systematically protect yourself against bad stocks and bad markets.

• Why the conventional wisdom about investing is flat-out wrong
  What’s wrong with diversification, “random walks,” and the efficient markets hypothesis
• Don’t even try to predict the markets: you don’t have to!
  Discover what the markets are actually doing: then react fast, with discipline
• Invest the intelligent way: with “relatives”
  Measure what really matters: a stock’s relative strength and growth compared with the rest
• Start using the market’s reliable investment triggers
  Recognize what to buy, what to sell, and when to make your moves
• Mitigate the risks associated with broad market declines
  Intelligently decide when to move assets into cash

Customer Reviews (12)

Disappointing: short and shallow
This book is a disappointingly short and incomplete discussion of relative strength as an investment tool.I was hoping for more research and testing.The book ends up being a thinly-veiled pitch for the author's website and paid services.

Wow
I really enjoyed this book.It has minimal fluff, about 90% of it is useful information, and is not unnecessarily long (I read it in about 4 hours).This book presents a surprisingly simple system that the investor can use (or for $200 annually can subscribe to the author's newsletter where he'll do all the work for you) with surprisingly effective results.The system is based on ranking relative strength percentiles of securities against each other based on price and in some cases a fundamental criteria, and buying the stock if it meets the criteria (which is clearly outlined) and selling the stock once it meets other criteria (which is again clearly outlined).The system has been walk-forward tested, which means a computer ran it on its own for 17 years, which eliminated any look-back bias and the results are simply stunning.Also, all the results are clearly explained and accompanied by figures in the book which makes it only that much more clear and convincing.

Mr. Kirkpatrick is very accomplished in the field of Technical Analysis and having this nugget of wisdom available to the individual investor is pretty nice.Now, I must say that I have not actually tested the results claimed in the book for myself, but assuming the author is not misleading us, which would be pretty devastating to his credibility, I can say the results are easily duplicated and as a result this is one investment book that is staying on my bookshelf.

Book Review from the Aleph Blog
I am usually not crazy about books that propound a simple way to beat the market.This is one of those books.What makes me willing to write a review about this book, is that the writer, Charles Kirkpatrick is willing to incorporate some fundamental measures into his analyses, notably price-to-sales, which will help with industrial companies, but not with financials.

This is a simple book that reinforces the idea that one needs to pay attention to valuation (in a rudimentary way), and also to momentum.Whiule I don't endorse the specific methods of the book, I will say that for someone with a low amount of time, and wantingto do a little better than the market averages, he could do so over the intermediate-term with the methods in the book.

Note: I am not endorsing the technical methods in the book, but most of the methods boil down to momentum, anyway.

This book gives you a plan
This is one of the 10 best books on investing or trading I have ever read. I enjoyed it so much that I actually went back and researched Robert Levy's groundbreaking 1968 study on relative strength (which by the way was roundly dismissed at the time).A touch of class by Kirkpatrick to give Levy much of the credit and to have dedicated the book to him.A much easier read in my opinion than Michael Carr's book on RS. I read this on a plane trip from STL to KC which should tell you something about it's lack of pretense.Big Hat tip to Pradeep at the terrific "Stockbee" site for recommending this one.

Be skeptical
Let me be honest.I have not read the book.I read Mr. Kings review, and I wanted to add my two cents.Maybe its a great book.However, when I looked at these great reviews, there was a link that said see my other reviews.They had not reviewed any other books.

Also, I am active in the stock market community, and people who have written books, have actually offered to write a review, email it to me, and have me post it using my name.

Finally, I get Hulbert, which independtly rates newsletters, and I did not see his newsletter rated.If you get his newsletter,you will see the Prudent speculator, no load fundx, investment quality trends, louis navelliers newsletters, and a few others as ones that have done very well.

Finally, none of the newsletters reviewed by Hulbert, have anything close to the results that are claimed here. ... Read more

Product Description
This practical, hands-on blueprint to stocks and mutual funds provides a thorough overview of today's stock market. From understanding how trends and policies affect markets and the basics of placing a trade to advanced issues including technical analysis, short selling, Modern Portfolio Theory, and more, this unique and useful workbook explains the stock market in clear, concise language. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent
Great introductioin to a field that can seem quite arcane to the average joe. Affordable,pithy, and intelligible! ... Read more

Product Description

Are you an active investor who holds stocks overnight or for a few weeks or months? If you trade actively without going "flat" each day, then you're a swing trader—part of the growing number of investors and traders who buy and sell on momentum, trends, and short-term price movements.

Customer Reviews (13)

Not about Swing Trading at all
I bought this book specifically because I thought from the title that it would be about swing trading, and in particular Gann's method of swing trading (since he was the one who coined the phrase), so I was terribly disappointed after reading it to discover that it made no mention of Gann, nor any mention of the method of swing trading. Sure it mentions the word "swing" a lot, but nowhere in the book does it actually tell you about the method of swing trading itself.

The book is no more than a general introduction to the whole business of trading, which as a previous reviewer noted, information such as this can be gained from any of 100 sources. And if its an introduction you want, you're better off getting John J. Murphy's "Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets".

The "Buy Used and New from $5.99" says it all...

sorry, this book is not what it says it is.

Best Begginers Trading Book That I Own
I bought this book some years ago and I still love it. It was the first book that I bought on trading and I did not appreciate how good it was until I started buying and checking out regular investing books at the library. You know the kind of lame books like Susan Orman's book 9 steps to financial freedom. The kind of book that's all fluff and no substance other than the same advice that my grandfather had told me (use your home equity, lower your expenses, balance your portfolio, ect, ect.). Most investing books are all about personal finance and not investing. As well, most trading books that I have read or looked at are more about market mechanics than actual case studies or trades themselves. Also, Dr. Sarkovich does not waste your time or money on stories from his past to fill up his book. You will not find chapters here about how trading was at a desk somewhere back in the day. Why? Because he has spent the time telling you what you need to know to start trading, not his past life in the field.

That review on here about the book being for beginners really chaps my hide. It says right on the friggen cover "From Beginner to Advanced Trading". And that is exactly what I need. Heck, I still read it from time to time because I am still learning how to do this correctly and not lose money at it. I practically need to memorize this book since I look at it so much. I have post it notes sticking out of about 30 pages of it right now. And its so easy to find what I need when I need it. I mean the sections are , How to trade, When to trade, What to trade, and in those sections is all the info and explanations about what you are seeing on the screen (level 1 and 2 info, trade order and execution, candlestick charting, charting patterns, moving averages, Bollinger bands, market measures and volume, and much more).

What I needed at the time was a book that would explain to me everything going on the screen when I had my scottrade account opened, and that is exactly what this book did for me. I could just sit there, make theoretical trades, and watch what happens, then go back to the book, read some, and then get that ha-ha moment when I finally figured out what was going on. This was possible because unlike many other books, this one tells you what things are going to look like when moves happen. Other books just give a brief basic description of how the screens work, this one goes the next step and tells you what things will look like when something happens.

One other review complained that it is more about day trading than swing trading. Once again, man, read the darn cover. It says, "Day-trading with long term techniques". What do you think Swing Trading is anyway? That reviewer is an idiot in my opinion for that remark. If you want to learn trading then read this book. However, if you want to learn investing then go read Graham and Dodds "Security Analysis."

PS. I bought it back when it was 40 bucks + tax. It's a steal today.

I found it!
One of the best on the subject I have read... and I have read a lot. I particually enjoyed his charting and mathmatical explorations.Very good analysis on the importance and uses of MACD, EMA, and Bollinger Bands.This book took my trading to a new level.

Waste Of Money!!
Iam looking for a good book and this one is a real waste of money. First 12 chapters are very general. If you want a hardcore book on swing trading this not the one for you.

No hype--just the facts
Since I lived in Nevada I tend to compare stock trading, whether it is day trading or swing trading, to speculation. If you are inclined to speculate and take a short term stock position, I recommend that you read the book before you engage in stock trading. It will help you understand the risk, tools and strategies required to survive in the business of stock trading.

I like the book a lot because it was an honest introduction to short term stock trading. The book did not contain any hype or promises of returns or road map to fortunes. All of the trading risks in specualting on the stock price movements were disclosed upfront. Most importantly, the tools to manage such risk were introduced.

Secondly, the book has more than 400 pages of stock trading information and so the book is complete. In my opinion, all of the trading information, from technical and fundamental analysis to Level II screen, was systematically presented in an easy to understand language. The book was also well organized and well illustrated so it was easy to read.

In short, this book is one of the most complete introductory texts to stock trading that I have read. I particularly recommend the book to novice stock traders, although experienced traders will also benefit by reading it. ... Read more

Product Description
Praise for Wall Street's Buried Treasure

"Mr. Houtkin has provided the reader with a wonderful education on a great strategy that has the potential to turn a very limited risk investment into an extraordinarily high return. He makes the critical distinction between penny stocks and serious opportunities available to the low-priced value investor using important examples of his own methodology. Along the way, Houtkin provides valuable insight into some of the inner workings of Wall Street."
—BILL KRAFT, trader, speaker, trading coach, and author of Trade Your Way to Wealth

"Investing without Wall Street's Buried Treasure is like trying to live without food. Mr. Houtkin provides the facts of survival one needs to make money in any market. He reports the truth that no one else wants to state. This is a playbook for success; a forty-year apprenticeship is explained right between these covers! Take advantage of it."
—JAMES DEPELISI, president of the Stock and Bond Club of South Florida; founder of LDV Capital Management; finance professor at Broward Community College; and host of Investors Business Hour radio program ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Stay Buried
Have to agree with previous reviewer in panning this dog. I have no idea why it was published other than some sort of ego-trip for the author. It seems that the basic premise here is that a high-priced stock can fall from 100 to 25, so if that's a possibility, you might as well invest in complete lottery ticket penny stocks as they can easily climb from 25 cents to $5.00. Yes, it's true that penny stocks or low-priced stocks are more volatile than your typical mid or high cap stock and the possible reward is greater, but in the meantime, how many of these penny stocks will go to zero while you wait for your ten-bagger? Let's not even bring up the bid-ask spread on these nano-cap black holes. In fact, do yourself a favor if you are tempted to follow the 'advice' in this book. Just buy a lottery ticket instead. At least you'll know within minutes or days that you've lost your money instead of the agonizing months it will take after buying the type of stocks Mr. Houtkin was gambling on....

No Buried Treasure Here
This book has three messages, repeated endlessly throughout:
1)Wall Street is full of sharks that can't be trusted (big surprise to us all)
2)Yahoo! Finance and other free web sites provide a great deal of useful information (another shocker); he doesn't help you to understand how to make use of this information though
3)The upside potential of low-priced stocks is greater than that of higher-priced stocks, which is probably intuitively obvious to most people.
The author also enjoys regaling the reader with tales of his many exploits in the world of investing in a very self-aggrandizing way, and there is little if anything in these stories which could be of use to the ordinary reader.For example, because of the author's connections in the industry, he is able to call CFOs and CEOs on the telephone to ask them about important developments in their businesses or confusing aspects of their financial reports, and he blythely advises his reader to do the same.Right; I'm sure I'd have no trouble getting through.Also, because of his wealth, he is able to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time in companies he believes have potential and doesn't worry overly about the risk of loss of his capital; most of us don't have that luxury.Overall the book was a great disappointment and I wish I hadn't wasted my time and money on it. ... Read more

Product Description

Everything you need to know to get in on the ground floor of the next Google!

Monster Stocks gives you the expert guidance you need to add the explosive power of breakout stocks to your portfolio. You'll find everything you need to consistently spot stocks that have the potential to at the very least, double in value in a year or less - and change your life forever!

Delivered in clear, concise language by market researcher John Boik, Monster Stocks gives you the tools you need to land super-performing stocks and handle them for maximum profit, market cycle after market cycle. Boik mines the history of the market to uncover the common conditions that must be in place for monster stocks to materialize. You'll learn how to easily identify these trends with the help of real-world monster stock case studies, from Yahoo! and Schwab to Apple, Broadcom, and many more.

Make your fortune with Monster Stocks!

• Know when to buy and when to sell for tremendous profit
• Understand how the pros identify and handle market leaders
• Learn from the great super-stocks of the past
• Break your bad stock investing habits for good!
• Gain valuable insight into selecting future monster stocks

Customer Reviews (16)

No substance
This book is annoying with frequent plugs to some other books the author wrote. What I found ispage after page of filler material from dot-com era names (mostly). No credibility what-so-ever.

For growth stock investing techniques with a very clear description of high probability chart patterns, read Bill O'Neils books.

If you want to be extremely selective about bull market leaders along with certain intriguing market dynamics, read Brad Koteshwar's books.

A bit repetitive but salient points are provided
Monster Stocks takes the reader on a search - a search for the patterns that exist for those stocks with abnormal gains in short periods of time. John Boik argues that not only is the search for such stocks possible, they all display common characteristics that make their identification both possible and quite profitable.

The book covers some 200+ pages, most of which is a repetitive look at numerous monster stocks that have sprung forth since the 1970's. Each is presented annotated charts and several pages of interpretations. The reader is presented with the fundamental and technical characteristics that set monster stocks into motion. These principals are repeated for most of the stocks presented throughout the manuscript.

The repetitive nature of the material is probably the most disappointing aspect of the book. Some 30 or 40 stocks are presented over the 200 pages when probably 10 or so would have been plenty. Of course the book would have been quite a bit slimmer if just a few had been covered, but rather than make the reader wade through a myriad of stock charts and similar language it probably would have made for a better book, As a reader looking for the few nuggets of wisdom, you can't afford to skip a page since those nuggets are scatter across the many pages. Having said that, the author notes that he is being repetitive with the hope that the notions presented will "stick" with the reader as a result. Personally, I would have preferred fewer examples and instead a clear and concise summary of the points and a much shorter book. If I am willing to spend the money to buy the book, I don't need the author to make the material "stick" but instead to present it concisely and clearly.

Nevertheless, the conclusion chapter does offer up these thoughts in just that fashion. Essentially, Boik indicates that the typical formulae for a monster stock are strong fundamentals as viewed through a) outstanding sales and/or revenue growth, b) strong and accelerated earnings growth, and c) high rates of return on equity. These fundamentals typically precede the technical breakout and run up. They also typically stay strong throughout the stock price run up and even into the topping pattern that eventually comes along. Naturally, Boik looks at the technical pattern as well - the base building period and then the high volume breakout from that base and a continuation of strength exhibited by a strong advance that uses the 50-day moving average as a crutch all the way to the top. The finality if usually expressed with a heavy volume decline through the 50-day moving average line. If you haven't exited by then, it is indeed time says Boik.

There are other salient points made throughout the book and it is indeed a very good read. I know that I have a keen interest in identifying monster stocks and finding a way not only to ride them higher but to add to positions along the way. This book addresses those items and does so with clarity though verbosely, and thus, despite the somewhat boring repetition you are forced through, I would still recommend this book for any and all traders.


Reviewed by L.A. Little for [...] 01/02/2010

Put this on your list of must read books!
If you believe in the old addage "to be the best, learn from the best"
then this book will help you profit from the past success' of some of the biggest stock market winners of the past twenty years.

Great Stock Market Book
John Boik presents a well thought out method for acquiring wealth. The big money he claims is made in finding those few companies who can change the world.If an investor can recognize these monster stocks and manage them correctly, the result will be life changing wealth. Boik gives the reader a history lesson--that all monster stocks display the same characteristics just the names of the companies and their symbols change.

Practical Rules for Growth Stock Investing.
Boik's term "Monster Stocks" refers to stocks that have at least doubled in price within 18 months. This book describes the practical application of a set of rules for identifying and profiting from such high-growth stocks. These rules involve criteria both for a stock's fundamentals, and subtle details of price and volume action of the stock and of the general market.

What I liked about the book is that it profiles about 30 such stocks as brief case studies, which include the chart basing setups that may have been evident, key points and characteristics of corrections during the stock's growth, and indications that presaged of the end of their run-ups. These are accompanied with annotated charts of relevant market indices and of the stocks profiled. The attendant commentary on these particular growth stocks and the events in the markets allowed me to learn by comparing the rules to how I would have reacted in the same situation. Most of the examples occur during the period 1996 through 2006.

Much of the methodology aligns with and makes mention of the Investor's Business Daily rules as described in their educational material and in Bill O'Neil's books. This book builds on IBD's teachings in that it uses the methods to focus on the special case of stocks that at least double in price including the psychological challenges, buying and pyramiding tactics, and the significance of moving-average support.

Boik describes methods that are relatively simple, but adds that the attention to detail and discipline required is not easy. I know from experience that many of us will find it difficult to make a large commitment to a high-growth stock, at least in its early stages, because the characteristics go against much of the conventional wisdom. Many investors will sell such a stock when it makes violent corrections - only to watch it make new highs soon thereafter. Similarly, it takes great discipline to act on the various warning signs and sell even though the stock is making successive new highs and the fundamentals have never been better. Boik does a reasonable job of explaining the details of what to observe, and rules by which to buy, add more, sell or hold these stocks through such observations. Among other things, the rules limit your risk and provide assurance when holding such stocks during their growth phase.

The book concludes with a Monster Stock finding and handling template, and a summary of the Monster Stock rules.

A criticism that led me to rate this book four stars instead of five was that the writing style tended to be wordy and repetitive, making the book longer than it needed to be. Also, the graphics were sometimes difficult to follow, and required some study before I was able to relate them to the text. I was able to endure this however, and found a lot of valuable content.

I can also recommend the following to those wanting more on growth stock investing:

The Zurich Axioms by Max Gunther ©1985

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefevre ©1923

How to Trade in Stocks by Jesse Livermore ©1940

How to Make Money in Stocks by William J. O'Neil ©2009

The Successful Investor by William J. O'Neil ©2004 (*a true gem)

Trader Vic - Methods of a Wall Street Master by Victor Sperandeo ©1991, 1993

The Market Wizard series of three books by Jack D. Schwager ... Read more