The Education of a Speculator

Rating:
Summary: Victor, one of the finest brains ever
Review: I read Victor`s book more than 8 times before I decided to write an online review.A harvard statistician with a PHD in finance, Niederhoffer knows exactly what he is talking about.Although I don`t agree with Niederhoffer about how great Soros is, I almost agree about every thing else including the mumbo jumbo called the Elliott Wave,& Gann analysis that nobody else dared to criticize. Thanx vic for the amazing book and sorry about what happened to your fund on october 97..Waiting for a stronger comeback and another amazing book full of your wisdom

Rating:
Summary: Interesting but few tangible tips (other than don't short)
Review: An interesting book about an interesting guy for those readers who like biographies and philosophical meanderings. Unfortunately, few practical investing insights are shared other than the one above (which I agree with!) To his ethical credit, Neiderhoffer puts the reader on notice in the first few pages that no great investing secrets will be disclosed as this would cost him (and the reader) the advantage. However, judging from the way Neiderhoffer lost his clients' money (heavily margined bet long on the S&P500 futures just before the Asian meltdown) with no offsetting put hedge (oi vay!), I am pleased he did not share his "secrets".

Rating:
Summary: messy and complex, just like trading
Review: Skip the last chapter, then read the book backwards. I'm not kidding. If you trade, you will definitely relate. I found this book tremendously reassuring that the whole pursuit really is as difficult as I have found it to be. IMO, people who are seeking simpleton guru nuggets are naive, and probably need this dose of reality most of all.

Rating:
Summary: not excellent, but well worth the money
Review: You will not find advice on how to get rich in this book. It 's a biography of Victor Niederhoffer written by himself. What you would get out of this book is a sense of how a person could cultivate his ability to be a successfull speculator. And that alone my friend, is worth many times the book over.

Rating:
Summary: I am sure you`ll come back & teach us more
Review: I was very surprised to read all the negative reviews about the book that I consider by far the best about the subject.Full of insights about trading from the only man I can put in a same class with jessee levermore.For years I considered reminiscences of a stock operator to be my favourite read till I read Dr Niederhoffer`s book."Absolutely The Best"..From the absolute best trader & squash player of our time.A real genius as he was called by his squash trainer Jack Barnaby. It is not a question of if he comes back on top as a trader or not, it is a question of when.. Hope to read another book from him after he comes back on top. I thank the man with the sensitivity of the artist, the will of the athelete & the wisdom of the scientist for sharing all these insights with us.

Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly enjoyable.
Review: If you're looking for a formula for trading success, this is not the book to read. However, it is a witty, captivating look into the art of speculation and the thought processes behind it.

Rating:
Summary: Really bad
Review: Just a bunch of BS about how good he is at playing squash. It's completely boring. I can't believe I paid for the hardback of this book. Don't bother. There's nothing here.

Rating:
Summary: This is truly a landmark book in the field.
Review: I am a bit surprised by the very negative tone of many of the reviews. I suppose any book that is as significant as this will be be threatening or confusing to some. At its core, all this book says is: use logic and the scientific method in speculation. How simple, and yet so rare! It's hard to imagine anyone arguing with this premise. This is not a perfect book, Mr. Niederhoffer goes somewhat far afield to make some of his points. But it is generally quite well-written and profound. I see that many have seized with delight the fact that the author suffered a severe financial setback not long after the book's publication. However, from what I can gather, his real mistake was not following his own advice! (He apparently bought into emerging markets too early based mainly on widespread pessimism, without being able to sufficiently quantify same.) I expect that Niederhoffer will be back on top again someday, even wiser than before. But in the meantime, please don't buy this book. The more of you that trade without using logic, the better my odds.

Rating:
Summary: save your money, save your time
Review: Pretentious, shallow, boring, dull, boring, pretentious, shallow, dull, (you get the picture? ) (Wish they had a rating for zero stars.)

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Summary: Late developments shed new look on this fine book.
Review: I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Niederhoffer and his idea, but the Sept. 29, 1998 "Chicago Tribune" states: "Victor Niederhoffer lost everything last year in a highly leveraged bet, ruining a successful track record that he had just immortalized in a popular autobiography, "the Education of a Speculator". It made me realize that, having just a fraction of Mr. Niederhoffer's knowledge, I have little chance of being a successful speculator, given these unfortunate turns of events. Nonetheless, reading his anecdotes has given me certain insights.