<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: A must read for any advance investor.
Review: Don't be turned off by the book's funky title. "You can be astock market genius" is actually one of the few investment classicsout there. The book does not deal with everyday investment jargons. (Low PE, high growth rate, etc.) Instead, it focuses on rare special corporate events. And how investors may profit by looking through these small cracks which the greater investment community often ignored and misunderstood. Although I doubt many individual investors will be able to fully utilize what the author suggested. (It is a difficult proccess which required substantial background in related areas.) These corporate events are often quite unique in each individual case. And some of them carry tremendous risk. (eg. bankruptcy) Yet, if use properly. These methods can dramatically magnify one's return. (For instance, the section where he discussed how investors can use Leaps in turnaround situations.) Even for those readers who do not attempt to participate in special situation investing, Mr. Greenblatt's logic and methods are very beneficial in shaping investment decisions in general.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Stock Investing Books There Is
Review: Greenblatt does a good job explaining spinoffs, mergers, bankruptcies, etc. and how they can be create market-beating investments. He presents data backing up his theories, and also provides many good examples of finding such investment situations. He also explains the criteria for what qualifies a good risk/reward ratio in these types of investments. However, one thing I want to point out is that you have to definitely do some research on each investment if you want to truly put Greenbaltt's put methods into efective practice. If you are willing to go through SEC filings and do thoroguh research on each investment you make, then the type of investing found in this book might be right for you.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Stock Investing Books There Is
Review: Greenblatt does a good job explaining spinoffs, mergers, bankruptcies, etc. and how they can be create market-beating investments. He presents data backing up his theories, and also provides many good examples of finding such investment situations. He also explains the criteria for what qualifies a good risk/reward ratio in these types of investments. However, one thing I want to point out is that you have to definitely do some research on each investment if you want to truly put Greenbaltt's put methods into efective practice. If you are willing to go through SEC filings and do thoroguh research on each investment you make, then the type of investing found in this book might be right for you.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BETTER BOOKS ON INVESTING
Review: I read stock market investment books like some cooks read cookbooks-- for a new idea that can change the recipe and make the outcome a better success. I received several good ideas from this book. It is a keeper. I would also recommend the three (or or there more?) books by R. Max Bowser who has an unique system where he even guarantees $5,000 if the reader does not make a profit using his system. Mr. Bowser states that he has refined his investment system on an ongoing basis (adding improvements) over the past 20 years (Take a glance at Mr. Bowser's book, "Guaranteed Profits With Small Stocks"). There are so many good investment books out there and the serious investor should keep up with the new books to have a stream of fresh new ideas.
Rating:
Summary: A great book for starters
Review: I really liked this one. In addition to his straight-forward advice and interesting examples, he provides general stock research advice like where on the Internet one can find SEC documents, which ones are important to read, and what other books he recommends. Not only is it useful, but the book is quite funny; Greenblatt makes sure that his readers won't fall asleep while reading it. This book definitely gets a buy recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BETTER BOOKS ON INVESTING
Review: In a world filled with mutual fund managers who make millions for underperforming the S&P over the duration of their careers, students of investing should always ask to see a teacher's audited investment results before listening to a word. Joel Greenblatt produced 50%+ annual returns over ten years. To put this superlative performance in context, it is better than Warren Buffet's. Quite simply: Greenblatt is an investing master and his teachings are worthy of special consideration. The pleasure of this book is its simplicity. The kind of rigorous homework Greenblatt suggests is not easy to do in practice, but this is a key reason why it can be such fruitful work to do. Greenblatt's logic is driven by simple, fundamental and powerful truths: a) investing only in your best few ideas tends to lead to a higher quality portfolio, b) doing work where others are not contributes to an investment edge and c) there is statistical evidence to show that value investing and special situations outperform the broader market over time. The book is filled with humor, common sense and a lot of investing wisdom. Greenblatt has opened the door, students must walk through it themselves...
Rating:
Summary: strong buy
Review: Okay, so the title of the book leaves something to be desired, but that is the ONLY part of this book that falls short. Joel Greenblatt has written an excellent book on profiting from special situations. That's fortunate for the rest of us, since so far as I can tell, this is the ONLY book that provides an overview of event-driven investing. Note that I said "overview"--it's by no means definitive, nor does it claim to be. Certainly more rigorous treatments of risk arbitrage exist. However, this is the only book I'm aware of that is dedicated to explaining merger securities, spinoffs, recapitalizations, bankruptcy and yes, risk arbitrage. The book's format is well thought out: each chapter explains the how and why of investing in one particular corporate event, and then utilizes case studies to ram the point home. The case studies are interesting, reading at times like a novel. The tone is lighthearted and endearing throughout, and the frequent jokes, although usually kitschy, hit the mark nonetheless. (One gem: "There are three types of people in the world--those who can count, and those who can't.") This book is not for everyone, however. Beginners should first read Peter Lynch, Ben Graham, and Phillip Fisher before tackling this one. Greenblatt assumes a reasonable degree of comfort with financial statements and value investing strategies on the part of the reader. The use of LEAPS and options in special situations is covered, but should be avoided by all save for the most advanced investors (as per the author's advice). Also, professionals working in the field of event-driven investments would probably find little they did not already know. That being said, the book reads quickly, so a pro would be little disadvantaged for reading it. Finally, it's nice to know that the author can walk the walk as well as talk the talk. Greenblatt publishes his firm's audited returns over a ten-year period at the end of the book, and they are out of this world. We're talking an average annual return of 50% for ten years. This book is not a case of "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach." Greenblatt can, and he does. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent! A must for any long term stock investor
Review: The following two quotes always jumped into my mind when I was reading this book:- "No pain no gain" and "Talent is spelt W-O-R-K".
Back to the book. It's a real page turner with plenty of success stories that explained the phenomenal return of the fund managed by the author, a genuine value investing practitioner, who began the book with some investment basics like do your homework and never listen to tips, then followed by intensive description of spinoffs, partial spinsoffs, rights offerings, risk arbitrage, mergers, bankruptcy, restructuring, and various derivatives.
Nothwithstanding the author's humour, this book is exceptionally insightful. I love the quick summaries for individual tools much because they are so concise and helpful. In case you are committed to do your homework (several weeks to study for just one single opportunity), and you are patient enough to invest only on around five opportunities in a year, this book is a must buy!
p.s. Below please find some summaries for your quick reference:-
For spinoff
1. Spinoffs, in general, beat the market.
2. Picking your spots within the spinoff universe for even better result.
3. Certain characteristics point to an exceptional opportunities:
- Insitutions dont want it and not because of investment merits
- Insiders want it
- A previously hidden investment opportunity uncovered by it
4. Locate and analyse new spinoff prospects by press and SEC filings
5. Paying attention to "parent" can pay off handsomely
6. Partial spinoffs and rights offerings create unique opportunities.
For risk arbitrage - NO!
For Merger securities (the by-products issued for M&A) - Yes!
Rating:
Summary: Terrific Read Despite the Schleppy Title
Review: This is an amazingly generous roadmap to lesser-known corners of the securities market. When I first picked it up about 2 years ago, I was terribly disappointed because all the strategies Greenblatt describes require a fair amount of WORK and careful thought --and it was my impression that "Stock Market Genius" entailed effortless wizardry! But the work is contagious and engaging (like digging for buried treasure, as aptly described by Joel Greenblatt). Despite the book's schleppy and seemingly unrealistic title, Greenblatt's descriptions are wonderfully realistic and honest. In particular, although I've looked for other resources on spinoff investment strategies, everything you really need to know is in this book. The author's style is flippant but endearing, and the reader will get more than his/her money's worth from the ideas described in this book.
<< 1 >>
| 
