The "What the hell should I read?!" Thread. Books, Blogs, and News

[skindog]

Originally Posted by DogsBrekky

Jimmy Rogers is solid and he likes the pusseeeeeeee

Hahah, elaborate please.

[Parvex]

Looking for Behavioural Finance Sources. Books and Blogs are apreciated. Beginner Stuff as well as intermediate stuff are interesting.

Thank you very much.

[steelhouse]

There already a thread on books.

Youtube channel Vlogs

http://www.youtube.com/user/Schiff Report Schiff talks about the economy which helps you make investment decisions.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Exposethefrauds This is a new channel with only 6 videos but "CNBC is a Fraud" is a classic.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MaxKeiserTV Puts out a show every friday. Very entertaining.

http://www.youtube.com/user/XonixRogotta Really puts together great stories. How Iraq had 2 currencies.

Blogs

http://www.dividendgrowthinvestor.com/ This is a pure investing blog.

Websites.

http://stokblogs.com/ This is a nice simple fast low advertising site where people can create and track portfolios. You can also put up a blog there and it will show as a community blog. Perfect site.

http://www.topyields.nl/Top-250-dividend-yields-3.php

[skindog]

Art, are there any general programming books you'd recommend? I'm going to start programming some of my finance ideas soon, so I'm looking for general programming theory or something like a 'manual of style' for clear programming.

[ArturiusX]

Hmm, so many different directions to go.

If you've never ever programmed before I'd download a free pdf book called 'Think Python'. Try and work through that, its really entry level exercises that get you to think like a programmer.

After that I'd work on a project, I made a little program the other day that automatically sorts my movies and downloads the english subtitles for them, which isn't overly complex but does require you to know python system commands, how to open a webpage and scrape it for info and return a download link, then input output stuff which will properly configure the subtitle file with your movie and sort it into appropriate folders. Its not difficult, but it does require an understand of programming and syntax. Do a few projects like these to get a feel for what its like to use data and manipulate it, then get two books:

Code Complete, 2nd Edition

and

Pragmatic Programmer

Most of these examples will be in C++ or java, so take some entry level courses (I know sun microsystems has one for java on the site, I'm sure c++ has one somewhere). You don't need to be proficient, its just making more theoretically cases for doing XYZ a certain way, that you can apply to anything. Programming theory, in other words.

From there, I'd spend some time on reddit and hacker news and read everything on there, including comments. I'd wiki everything you don't know (if someone mentions something like using memory stacks for example, wiki it and try to get what they're saying). This will give you a good feel for what technology exists and how its used. Then you can decide what language you'd like to master.

After doing all that, you should have a strong core to build. Good programming is very difficult. Mediocre 'get by' programming is not so difficult but can be very time consuming because mistakes can wreck you. Programming is a very subjective art (I keep reminding myself of the joke motivational poster "Programming: You're doing it wrong", because everyone always knows a better way to do something or at least thinks so) so its best just to give yourself a broad understanding. Just remember, at its core, its just problem solving using logic tests, with each logic test and data storage costing system resources.

Good luck and let me know how you go!

[skindog]

I guess I should have clarified. I've been programming off and on for about 10 years, so I know some basic VB and C syntax, but it was always 'get by' programming. Like you said, that's easy, but mistakes catch up with you.

I'm definitely picking up those two books you mentioned, that's exactly what I've been looking for. Thanks!

After I get some good theory in I plan to relearn C++ so I can program neural networks on nVidia's CUDA platform. Obviously a long term project. I'll keep you updated if I stumble on anything interesting.

[ArturiusX]

Just get code complete first, that book is awesome.

[Malachii]

I would like to heartily endorse the Enhancing Trader Performance book by Steenbarger. It is awesome. Props to Art for recommending it.

[Konig]

Originally Posted by DogsBrekky

Jimmy Rogers is solid and he likes the pusseeeeeeee

Awesome, but wondering what you mean by this in particular?

Reminiscences of A Stock Operator
How I Made $2 Million in the Stock Market by Nic Darvas is a sweet book
How to Trade Stocks by Jesse Livermore
The Alchemy of Finance - Soros is genius


I apologize for any repertition of other recommendations but it is 8pm and the Cabernet is flowing !

+1 for these books.

Also in the line of these would be
How to make Money in Stocks - O'neill (get the latest edition)
Secrets for profiting in bull and bear markets - Weinstein

It's funny how some of the best books have the cheesiest names - but I can really vouch for these.

For other good books check out books by Wyckoff, Neill or Mamis.


Also, check out Gartman's 22 Rules of Trading:
http://www.dacharts.com/articles/_22rulestrading.htm

[matt nover]

I received most of the beginner investing books for Christmas. I just finished The Intelligent Investor.

The Market Wizards book has been interesting so far, but I don't understand most of it. I guess I need some trading experience. The learning experience does seem similar to poker.

Anything I should look for in these books or things I should be watch out for and possible ignore?

[DogsBrekky]

skindog - an old bloke I worked with many moons ago, Richie Verin, was Jimmy Roger's roomy in college.... said he is a bad man with the women

trouble with Rogers' analysis in general is that he follows and trades in so many markets globally that following only part of his stuff could be very dangerous..

eg he may be long Malaysian Palm Oil, Wheat, Corn, short oil stocks, long banking stocks, short bonds etc in some complex matrix.... if you only get part of the stuff you get murdered !

[muttiah]

Good addition to the economics section is The Origin of Wealth. Great introduction to the complex dynamical system approach to modelling the economy. Good insight into the failings of traditional economic theor.

[JMa]

What about real estate? Spex x recommended about http://www.johntreed.com/ in his excellent mega thread.

[AzaFolkz]

Hi,

What should I read to start Forex?

[Schwallie]

Hey guys,

I'm looking to buy a couple audiobooks, and need some advice on what to look for. My current situation:

I am in a business competition. There are 5 of us selected from my university, and we are competing with the top students in other schools. The business competition is basically this: create a product or service, and sell it to the competition people. The winner gets capital etc, and must take equity in the company.

Our professor basically has set us up. He has a friend who has many patents in a certain area, and is a millionaire from this technology. This "friend" has came up with a new and improved way to do this technology. It isn't patented yet, and I obviously can't discuss it.

So here's the deal:

I have a chance to literally make a bunch off of this. Like I said, I would be partly involved in the equity if we win. The guy wants a business plan made for more funding. So we are creating the business plan. If we win the competition, we get some funding, and then that would also mean the plan is good enough that he can get funding from other sources. I wouldn't be involved in making it, just "selling" it.

Cliff notes: I need a book on marketing of some kind. I am selling something to a competition committee, and I need to learn the ins-and-outs of making a business plan from scratch and selling it. This isn't normal marketing for a business, but a book to tell me how to go about making the business plan and laying it out and such. For example, the first thing we are doing is making a "Value Proposition" (Which I know what it is from Wikipedia, but would much rather have a book on hand by a respected author telling me the best way and notable things about making a value proposition)