Wheels of Fortune: The History of Speculation from Scandal to Respectability

ISBN-13: 9780471479734 / Angielski / Miękka / 2003 / 368 str.

Charles R. Geisst

Opis

An intriguing history of the futures market and speculation
From Jay Gould's attempt to corner the gold market in the 1860s to the Hunt brothers' scandalous efforts to control the silver market in the 1980s, Wheels of Fortune traces the rich, colorful history of the futures market on its quest for respectability and profit. This comprehensive account shows readers why the markets have been grabbing headlines for over 100 years as both respectable economic institutions and hotbeds of gambling activity and scandal. Charles Geisst brings the personalities and strategies behind the futures market and speculation in general to life, against a backdrop of American life that begins prior to the Civil War.

Spis treści

Acknowledgments vi

Introduction vii

Chapter 1 A Tale of the Pits 1

Chapter 2 Futures and ′Wild Jackasses′ 49

Chapter 3 The Great Bear Hunt 99

Chapter 4 Expanding the Menu 143

Chapter 5 Metals and Money 187

Chapter 6 Chicago Follies 243

Chapter 7 Rogues′ Gallery 297

Postscript 353

Bibliography 355

Index 360

O autorze

CHARLES R. GEISST is the author of fourteen books, including the bestsellers Wall Street: A History and 100 Years of Wall Street, as well as The Last Partnerships and Monopolies in America. Previously, he worked as a capital markets analyst and investment banker at several investment banks in London and has taught both political science and finance. He has contributed to many journals and newspapers, including the International Herald Tribune, Neue Zurcher Zeitung, and The Wall Street Journal, and has appeared as a guest on many radio and television financial programs. Deals of the Century, also published by Wiley, is Geisst’s most recent book on financial history.

Blurb

Wheels of Fortune is an engaging and original story that traces the rich, colorful, and often scandalous history of speculation in the U.S. financial markets. Set against a backdrop that begins prior to the Civil War and continues through the twentieth century, renowned business historian and bestselling author Charles Geisst takes you on an incredible journey that brings the personalities and strategies behind the futures markets, and speculation in general, to life.

Discover how legendary traders such as Benjamin Hutchinson cornered the wheat market in the nineteenth century, and learn how other bold traders as well as lax regulations paved the way for twentieth–century debacles that continue to tarnish the reputation of the CBOT, the CME, and other related institutions and markets.

The history of the futures market, derivatives, and speculation is full of misunderstandings and false assumptions. Wheels of Fortune seeks to clarify these misconceptions by chronicling the events and individuals that brought scandal and skepticism into the markets, and exploring the laws and governing bodies that were established to rein them in–but lacked the power to do so.