Panic, Prosperity, and Progress

Historical events move currencies, stocks, debt, and all other flavors of fiscal instrument, and likewise movements-particularly exaggerated movements-in the financial markets can drive the decisions that shape history in real time. -Tim Knight Those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it. Nowhere is the verity of that old adage more evident than in the financial markets, where human nature and the ebb and flow of world affairs routinely put the lie to the long-cherished-and wholly irrational-belief in rational markets. Now, more than ever, as today's financial markets careen from one crisis to another, it is vitally important for investors and traders to develop an historical perspective on the behavior of the markets, and draw practical lessons from their behavior during times of financial turmoil and economic upheaval. A must read for all traders and investors, this book helps you to develop just such a perspective. With a scholar's thoroughness and a born storyteller's talent for evoking a time and place and the characters who peopled it, top money manager and popular financial blogger Tim Knight takes you on a fascinating journey through five hundred years of the markets, from Tulipmania in 16th century Holland to today's sovereign debt crisis. He makes copious use of charts and basic technical analysis to provide exhaustive analyses of financial market behavior prior to, during, and following tumultuous events. And he deftly demonstrates how external shocks lead to extreme reactions in the financial markets, how those reactions provided golden opportunities for savvy investors and traders to profit, and what you can learn from their examples. Many of today's most successful traders and investors credit their study of history as being the secret behind their uncanny ability to anticipate and capitalize on market responses to external events. Read Panic, Prosperity, and Progress and acquire the same competitive edge enjoyed by the likes of George Soros, Richard Dennis, John Paulson and other legendary money men.