<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: worth absorbing
Review: Few who write books on trading can walk the walk as well as they talk
the talk. Mr. Rotella, a CTA with more than 300 million dollars under
management and a high consistency rating over the long term (ten years
plus), is one of the few whose track record actually backs his words.
I appreciated Rotella's easy to read, down to earth style. He is
good at simplifying a complex idea without sacrificing the concept in
the process. Rotella uses basic real world examples to illustrate his
points, which is refreshing, and goes out of his way to explain things
plainly rather than keep them lofty and theoretical. His observations
are right on the mark. I got the impression from his casual style
that he had nothing to prove with this book- no need to impress anyone
with his knowledge, and no need to engage in hype to increase book
sales. Just a knowledgeable trader sharing what he has learned. A
definite positive. The book I would compare this to directly is
"A Complete Guide to the Futures & Options Markets" by
Schwager. I have to give Rotella's book the edge, because Rotella has
demonstrated his trading ability in the real world while Schwager has
not, and because Rotella deals with the issue of psychology much more
fully than Schwager does. I appreciated the elegance and efficiency
of dividing the book into three major sections (Trading Methods, Money
Management and Psychology), and can say from experience that the
wisdom imparted in the psychology section alone makes this book worth
many times its dollar cost.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: Robert Rotella captures the essence of trading psychology. This book is a must read for all investors - regardless of timeframe, experience, or markets traded. I rank it in the top five trading books I've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: Robert Rotella captures the essence of trading psychology. This book is a must read for all investors - regardless of timeframe, experience, or markets traded. I rank it in the top five trading books I've ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: A good book for those who want to study all market aspects
Review: The book with information about every element of market, but there is not too much information about specific of trading. It is a common instrument for learning of trading. You must read it if you look for a complex knowlege about exchanges and markets at all.
Rating: 
Summary: 3 to 4 pages to everything in trading, really everything
Review: There are 33 chapters in this 639 page book which practically put everything you can think of about trading or investment into it. Technical Analysis, Fundamental Analysis, Trading Psychology, Options, Commodities... simply everything. The problem is: dont know whether it's the intent of the author to give so general an idea of everything to its readers or he is too agressive to encompass so much in one single book. He just used a page or two to describe very complicated items like MACD, Stochastics, Gann Fan, Fibonnaci numbers, Bonds, Computer Trading, Crude Oil, Platinum, Gamma, Theta, Rho, Delta Neutral Trading........ In case you just want to have a close to nothing idea of the highly complicated trading or investment market, it's for you. In case you read in order to earn an edge to profit in market where 90% to 95% of the participants are doomed to fail, forget about this.
Rating: 
Summary: completely useless?
Review: There is an old joke about a guy who wakes up in a car in the middle of a field and has no idea where he is or how he got there. He flags down the first guy he sees and asks him where he is, to which he replies, "you are sitting in a car in the middle of a field". Our lost friend replies, "you must be an accountant, because while everything you say is totally accurate, it is completely useless". This 600-plus page book is written like a sterile academic textbook for a course devoid of any real world knowledge or experience. Ironically, the author states that the book evolved as a result of a course he teaches. It is stated that the author was a floor trader with many years experience on a Wall Street futures exchange (been there, done that). If this is in fact true, there is not a single anecdote about his own trading experiences in the entire book, at least what I read of it. What we would be interested in is a chronicle of how the author achieved competency and his experiences on the road to trading success, if in fact he achieved this. Did he have a successful trader as a mentor? How long did he lose money as a trader before achieving success? What were some of his significant breakthroughs as a trader? Did he have a "trading epiphany"? What were the major mistakes he saw traders make who ultimately failed? What is his greatest advice for new traders? Unfortunately, we will never know the answer to these questions, because this author completely missed the point in writing a book on trading.
Rating:
Summary: completely useless?
Review: There is an old joke about a guy who wakes up in a car in the middle of a field and has no idea where he is or how he got there. He flags down the first guy he sees and asks him where he is, to which he replies, "you are sitting in a car in the middle of a field". Our lost friend replies, "you must be an accountant, because while everything you say is totally accurate, it is completely useless". This 600-plus page book is written like a sterile academic textbook for a course devoid of any real world knowledge or experience. Ironically, the author states that the book evolved as a result of a course he teaches. It is stated that the author was a floor trader with many years experience on a Wall Street futures exchange (been there, done that). If this is in fact true, there is not a single anecdote about his own trading experiences in the entire book, at least what I read of it. What we would be interested in is a chronicle of how the author achieved competency and his experiences on the road to trading success, if in fact he achieved this. Did he have a successful trader as a mentor? How long did he lose money as a trader before achieving success? What were some of his significant breakthroughs as a trader? Did he have a "trading epiphany"? What were the major mistakes he saw traders make who ultimately failed? What is his greatest advice for new traders? Unfortunately, we will never know the answer to these questions, because this author completely missed the point in writing a book on trading.
Rating:
Summary: Like getting a university degree in financial engineering
Review: This book touches all aspects of investing. The author describes the different markets; the stock market, natural resources, foods, interest rates, options, etc. The author describes technical as well as fundamental analysis and helps you develop the mindset which is necessary to be a successful trader. After reading this book, you'll feel like you've earned a university degree in financial engineering. I expected the price of this book to be a lot higher.
<< 1 >>
| 
