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Summary: Soros, the great financier but lousy economist.
Review: A very detailed and interesting recollection of Soros'finance strategy. But at the end of the book I am left with the feeling that the reason why he asks for so much regulation is because it is easier to forecast and influence the regulator than the market. I would trust him with my money but not with a classroom of economics students.
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Summary: You Will Find Gems In This Verbose Tome
Review: George Soros is the most legendary speculator of all time. The record of the Quantum Group speaks for itself. It is even higher if incentive fees are not included. The below review will have you believe that Mr.Soros is nothing more than a glorified stockpicker who has never made money trading commodities. I cannot express in stronger terms how false this statement is. Mr.Soros may not trade pure commodities such as coffee and cotton but then again if he did he would just move the market an inordinate amount. If Mr.Soros is such a poor predictor of economic events how did he end up making a billion dollars in one month on the Sterling/DMark trade? It is important to remember that speculation is not about winning more times than losing, it is simply about making more money than you lose. Who cares if George has been wrong on Russia and the Yen? His investors have been richly rewarded via other trades. Even if the Quantum fund is just a over hyped mutual fund wouldn't you still want to invest in it? I certainly would. The only problem with the "Alchemy of Finance" is that Mr. Soros is overly fond of trying to impress the reader with his amazingly obtuse vocabulary. However, don't let the language problem get in your way of buying this informative book written by one of the finest minds on the planet.
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Summary: The best of all the books about Soros. It has stuff in it.
Review: However, it is not something to be read casually. If you want something fun to read yet has insightful information about trading and speculation, I would recommand "Liar's Poker". But this is one is no doubt a masterpiece in its own right. The authur, Soros is writting to explain his philosophy of investment. He put it in a very strict and well-thought structure. So, to those who can handle the complexity, it really opens up you mind and you would be amased what a genuise he is, as an investor and, I would say, a philosopher, too.
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Summary: Soros is the best analyst ever
Review: I actually want to rate this book 10 stars out of 5. The theory of reflexivity, the great concept that Mr. Soros invented, works as well in the other aspects of reality as in the financial markets. I actually used it to explain a situation and prevented a breakup of a relationship. MR. Soros should be ranked not only as the greatest investor but also as one of the best and most influential thinkers of our time.Back to investing. The most amazing thing that I learnt from the book is that predictive powers can have less of an effect in annual returns than most people realise. In the evaluation chapter, Mr. Soros explained that although he has made many mistakes in anticipating events, he has made big money. What's more is needed to say about this book, I really think everyone on the face of this planet should read and understand this book.
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Summary: Very tough to get through
Review: I rate this book as a two because it is hard to find the insight put forth. If you can follow Mr. Soros's writing, you are a better person than I am. The fact that the book is written like a diary does nothing to make it easier to read. Aside from a few short economic lessons, I found the book to be way over my head, and I do not consider myself an amateur investor. Unless you are looking to trade currency swaps and futures, I would recommend that you avoid this book. George Soros is an ivesting legend, but this is more like a philosophy textbook than anything else
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Summary: If you understand reflexive Systems, you will love this book
Review: I studied System Dynamics and this book makes so mcuh sense when read from SD perspective. Systems can be reflexive and self enforcing. Soros simply discovered its relevance in world financial systems and successfully exploited it. I think he is a genius here.
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Summary: Amazing, If you own a hedge fund.
Review: I was impressid with the book, however, I didn't find it as usefull as it could have been. I enjoy reading about investment philosophy that I can apply to my investment strategies. I did gain a few helpfull views on analyzing the state of an economy that drives the security that I am analyzing. This book expresses and reinforced Soros's belief in the top down approach to investment. He believes that you can't effectively analyze a security if you don't first analyze the industry that it is in as well as the economic factors driving that security. Soros is a social scientist as well as an investor. He believes that studying humans basic behavior is usefull in deriving a hypothesis as to market trends as well as the publics preferences. His theory of reflexitivity is another concept that is hard to grasp. Throughout the book he makes references to reflexitivity and dosent explain the connection in laimons terms. I feel that unless you own a hedge fund or plan to invest in commodity or economic driven securities such as Oil or Currencies, then you would be better off reading a book of real value such as Gramm and Dodd's 1934 edition, "Security Analysis".
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Summary: Absolutely money maker, but hard to read!
Review: If you are such a hunger about how to make money from investment & ready to suffer by reading this book to catch its essence, then this book is a must. But for a beginner & common people, I suggest never touch this book! You'll get a headache & frustrated feelings. Still want to try?.. then make your own day ..
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Summary: A masterwork from a master investor
Review: In The Alchemy of Finance George Soros describes the intellectual framework on which his remarkable investment success is based. Soros explains all aspects of this framework in a clear and understandable manner using examples ranging from the rise and collapse of Real Estate Investment Trusts in the 1970s to the international debt problem of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Soros also provides a detailed description of how he translates the intellectual underpinnings of his approach into actual investment decisions. In doing so, he offers a rare view into the inner workings of the most successful hedge fund in history during its most successful period. The final part of the book is perhaps the most fascinating. In it Soros deals with several subjects, including systemic reform and the stock market crash of 1987. George Soros is a brilliant, knowledgeable and experienced human being. By reading The Alchemy of Finance readers can profit from those three attributes.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing,
Review: In this book, Soros openly admits that he is completely unable to predict major developments in finance and economics. In addition, he admits that he has never been able to profit consistently in commodities markets. What does that leave us with? Soros is a glorified stock picker, and the Quantum Fund, a glorified mutual fund. Soros does not discuss equity analysis techniques, however; the book is comprised of macroeconomic analysis and prediction which is - by Soros' own admission - of questionable value. Indeed, it is almost embarassing to read Soros' predictions - that the dollar will depreciate dramatically in the 90s, that Japan will surpass the US as economic leader, that the US economy will succomb to fiscal and trade deficits. Soros' predictions are not just wrong, they are the complete opposite of what actually has occurred. Soros argues that he cannot predict anything, he can only explain economic developments as they unfold. If his predictions are invalid, however, why are his explanations valid? His predictions and explanations are premised on the same set of erroneous beliefs. Those seeking practical and accurate financial theory should not read this book. Those seeking chapters like The Quandary of the Social Sciences and Reagan's Imperial Circle are invited to tackle this self-aggrandizing book. Better choices: Intermarket Technical Analysis by Murphy or Macro Trading and Investment Strategies by Burstein.
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