The Greatest Trade Ever: How One Man Bet Against the Markets and Made $20 Billion

Why this book is great – 1. Deals with the 2008 financial crisis and explains it in lucid terms. 2. Delves into the history of various traders and how they became what they are today. 3. Explains various credit instruments with ease, but it can still be a tad-bit difficult for newbies. 4. Has a great flow. 5. Offers a fresh perspective on the 2008 financial Crisis. 6. Acts as a great compliment to ‘The Big Short’. The long version - I was quite intrigued about this book when I read a review about it. I’m a finance buff and I’m always interested in the 2008 financial crisis and how it changed the world. The book held great promises and I must admit, it fulfilled all of them. The book is about John Paulson and a few other traders who noticed the shortcomings of the housing market and made a bet against the entire economy. The book recalls all the scorn they encountered and how they persevered against all odds and made billions while the entire world economy crumbled to its knees. The book delves a bit on the life and history of the traders and how they ended up in the hedge fund industry. The trades were described very well. The book mainly focuses two credit instruments: mainly, Credit Default Swaps (CDS) and Collateralized Debt obligations (CDO). If you understand the fundamentals of these two credit instruments, the book can be a breeze for you. However, if you are from a NON- Finance background, I suggest familiarizing yourself about these instruments from Wikipedia or Youtube. If you do not about them, the book can be a bit hard to follow. The author does try to make a thorough explanation about these instruments, but it could be vague for some. The narration was very fluid. I thought this book would be like ‘The Big Short’, but it offers another fresh perspective on the Global Financial Crisis. It acts as a good compliment to ‘The Big Short’. If you want to know about the 2008 Financial Meltdown, this book would be a great choice.

This book gives you a great insight into the complex financial world which Wall Street has created. And off course how the trades fared In 2007 crisis

Very easy style of writing with enough personal details and anecdotes to make it interesting..really enjoyable…a must read I would recommend

Thought provoking and instilling that the stock markets prices are nothing mere front end. A lot is hidden from regular investors

This book gives an insider glimpse of how this one person earned a large amount of money during dot com bubble burst.

Highly recommended for those interested in knowing what happened in 2008. Covers the players beyond those covered by the movie 'the big short' .

An interesting read,couldn't stop reading until I reached the end.

A must read if you’re into stock market.