Rating: 
Summary: covers a lot more than just hedge funds.....
Review: There is so much information in this book that it demands at least two readings. First, there is a wealth of material on trading. The chapter on technical analysis and reading the markets is solid and contains some good tips I've not found elsewhere. There is an entire chapter on containing risk, a large focus of which is money management--this information is worth the price of the book in itself.Boucher also offers good material on selecting equities, evaluating other asset classes, and yes, hedge funds. However, the material on hedge funds does not take up a huge amount of space, and at first I wondered why he gave the book the title it has. I have since concluded that the title reflects his overall strategy, which is one of limiting risk by spreading ones' investments among many types of securities and asset classes, both onshore and offshore. Aside from the above mentioned material, however, Boucher also has a couple of chapters on basic economics which I found to be invaluable background information for traders (like me) without business or economic degrees. His description of the liquidity cycle is brilliant. He explains the economic theory of Austrian alchemy, and shows how that model makes better sense than Keynesian economics. He has also provided data to convince me (a social liberal) that corporate taxes have a negative effect on a nations' citizenry. This book requires dedication to get through certain sections, but it is well worth it. Its strength is its clear elucidation of trading information and techniques, supported by a foundation of economic theory and historical data, which enables the reader to understand the context in which s/he trades.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book
Review: This book is second only to The Alchemy of Finance. I highly recomend this book to any trader with a basic understanding of the markets.
Rating:
Summary: See the forest and the trees!
Review: This book is, at its core, a book about risk management, and is probably the best book i've seen about reducing risk. A few investing books will get into things like position risk (stops, what not), some even touch on asset allocation. I have not seen any that take as global a position as Boucher takes, though. There is a bit on technical analysis in the book as well, but that is not the focus of the book. Some of the TA techniques were interesting, although not new (relative strength, etc). There is a lot of work on macro economics, and how the world economic system fits together, from an investor/trader's point of view. Unlike many other books with a macro focus, the book does not lose its readers by forgetting to deal with the nitty gritty world of trading, and has devised a consise checklist of things to look for on both the long and short side. If I could give this book 10 stars, I would.
Rating:
Summary: Great book for speculators and traders.
Review: This is a good book. The Author synthesizes material from a variety of sources and appears to have done a great deal of historical testing to see what works and what does not. This book will help you focus on things that have worked in the past.
If the ideas stopped working, your risks would be limited. Not many investment books can say that. For aspiring traders, I think the authors rational, risk adverse approach to the markets provides an excellent role model. His record speaks for itself. The author also does a good job of sighting the dangers of the "buy and hold approach and the irrational expectations many of today's investors have developed. Peter Lynch says Timing the market is worthless. But, He did just happen to be captain during a massive bull era in his asset class. How well would he have done if his asset class was not trending up? Quite frankly, we would never have heard of him. If you do not want your returns to be tied to one volatile asset class, this is a good place to start.
Rating:
Summary: New Decade's Investment Classic
Review: Well, as a professional trader in emerging market bonds, currencies, and partially equities who just went freelance to consult funds on my own, no other book could be so timely and handy. Actually as I always do, I browsed the book and the appendice, and thought this was one of those which were written in a used-car-salesman manner, and aims to induce you to buy some services which have a slim chance to give you decent returns, if any. However as I read on I realized this is one of the best investment books I've ever read, and I've read a lot of them! Boucher gives an integrated top-down approach to building a global portfolio, and he so interestingly puts together all the things that you think you know and is obvious, to come up with a rigorous investment approach. A must read, and it surely will be a classic.
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