Book Review: Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
I felt this book had some merit, but it was not a particularly enjoyable read:
- Published in 1923, and considered a Wall street Classic
- Based on the life of Jesse Livermore, but almost entirely devoid of his personal life.
- Starts out terribly boring – following his trades through the bucket shops is painful – though it picks up pace as he moves through his career
I’m someone that inherently focuses on fundamentals, and this helped to get an insight into the mind of a speculator. It is worthwhile reading if you are interested in financial markets. This book is part of an enormous and ever-growing body of support showing that nothing is new in finance; all the boom and bust cycles, financial crises, and scandals only prove how short our memories are.
90% of what is written in the book is relevant today(Rules change, game remains the same), though somehow I found the other 10% to be the most interesting. You can definitely pick up on a Gatsby vibe, though, as mentioned above, most of the focus is strictly on the trading.
Book rating: 3.0 of 5.0 stars
