A Mathematician Plays The Stock Market

By John Allen Paulos

Book Overview

Can a renowned mathematician successfully outwit the stock market? Not when his biggest investment is WorldCom. In A Mathematician Plays the Stock Market, best-selling author John Allen Paulos employs... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465054803
• ISBN13: 9780465054800
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: Basic Books (AZ)
• Length: 216 Pages
• Weight: 0.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.7" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Luckily it's still in a form that can be used for kenneling.

If the paper had been used for firewood it would have been a better use of that paper. The book was absolutely unuseful to any investor. It had zero redeeming qualities as an investor Business book. I highly recommend you use the money that would go to this book for toilet paper as it would be a better quality book to read. After reading positive reviews after positive reviews about this "wonderful book" I was expecting...

Common sense analysis of the stock market

Paulos offers a highly readable, comprehensive analysis of the stock market and ramifications for investors and traders. He combines his personal experience investing in WorldCom with understandable mathematics to look at market theories and technical and fundamental approaches. A short read packed with useful information presented in a witty style.

Funny, self-effacing, and just a terrific read

Since Professor Paulos delights in paradoxes it is appropriate that a paradox lies at the heart of this very fine book. He does indeed play the stock market, but how well and using what kind of strategy? Ironically Paulos's personal tale is one of obsession and foolhardiness, of buying WCOM at 37 (yes, WCOM), of averaging down again and again and buying calls until in near final desperation our good professor finds himself...

For each concept a tale

Each chapter of this book corresponds to a concept in investment theory (for e.g. the efficient market hypothesis, options, risk, volatility -- see the table of contents). The concepts covered easily encompass those dealt in introductory college-level investment theory text books (for e.g. Bodie, Zane, and Marcus' "Essentials of Investments") and a bit more (for e.g. chaos theory applied to finance). As can be deduced by inspecting...

Of Numbers, Odds, Emotions and Crooks!

If you would like an objective view of the stock market, are comfortable with math and enjoy a little irreverence in your investment reading, you will love this book. The material is easily accessible for anyone who finds algebra not too taxing. Professor Paulos minimizes the formulas for you by using anecdotes, simple brain teasers and practical examples instead.What makes the book delightful is his self-effacing sense...