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Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?

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71–80 of 274 posts

Re: Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?

#71

The following list will introduce you to Western Economic Philosophy as it relates to modern history specifically. This list is weighted heavily toward neo-classical economics and does not get into computational model based economics - specifically microeconomics, which comprises the bulk of economics education today: Schumpeter - History of economic analysis Adam Smith - Theory of Moral Sentiments Kaynes - The Gener…

Isn't Nassim Taleb opposed to neo-classical economics?

Re: Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?

#73
post #61

Debt: the First 5,000 Years by David Graeber is a controversial but rather important recent publication. I haven't seen it mentioned yet, so I wanted to recommend it.

I also came to recommend this: it's possibly the most interesting book I've ever read. (Maybe save TCP/IP Illustrated Volume 1: The Protocols)

It cops a lot of flak from some conservative established economists though, probably because most of the book is dedicated to disassembling economic myth from the perspective of history and anthropology.

Great case study of a fresh pair of eyes and an example of someone from one field applying different thinking to another field and coming to some very different conclusions. Can't recommend it enough.

Re: Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?

#75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All of those are very dated and you won't learn much about modern economic thought from them. Many of those people (Keynes, Marx, Graham, etc...) are like reading Freud. Very little of what Freud wrote has made into modern psychological though. It is more of his methodical approach that brought psychology into the modern age. The same can be said of many on that list. They brought a rigor of thought to economics that…

I think it's safe to say that Keynes works are the foundation of modern macroeconomics. His economic cycles are doctrine in economic planning. Moreover he has been invoked increasingly post 2008 recession.

I didn't say that he wasn't important. I definitely think he's foundational especially to center-left political economics. I just said that nobody is a Keynesian in the original sense anymore. You have to be a neo-Keynesian now.

I think it is safe to say that most of his theories are dead as a doornail. Keynesian thought always had this problem melding macro and microeconomics (similar to physicists have with relativity and quantum mechanics -- the physics of the very large and the very small -- not fitting together).

The stagflation of the 1970s seriously attacked the very foundation of Keynes ideas. It was literally impossible for it to happen. The wage-price spiral was blown to pieces. Even today's world is completely unexplainable in original Keynesian terms, especially when looking at a global scale.

Re: Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?

#76
Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs – Karen Berman & Joe Knight

Simple Numbers, Straight Talk, Big Profits – Greg Crabtree

The 1% Windfall – Rafi Mohammed

Accounting Made Simple – Mike Piper

How to Read a Financial Report – John A. Tracy

Venture Deals – Brad Feld & Jason Mendelson

And http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2016-05-30/the-untold...

Re: Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?

#77
post #13

I have news for you: statistics is totally unrelated to economics. Better rethink everything you think you know. For people wanting recommendations, I suggest Carl Menger's Principles of Economics, which has saved me from stupidification on college.

This is a completely unrealistic statement. Our models are imperfect, but with ever increasing economic data there is ever increasing opportunity to utilize statistics with economic and financial data.

In fact look in to the field of econometrics and unless that field is a fantasy, there is a huge relation between statistics and economics.

Re: Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?

#78
post #6

Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt Human Action by Ludwig von Mises

These books are just old reactionary propaganda. If that's your thing there's much better reactionary propaganda around.

"Reactionary propaganda" is code for "true".

Re: Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?

#79
post #69

This one was recommended by the former head of NYMEX to me when I started my career in trading. Written about Jesse Livermore who made and lost his fortune multiple times. He was often blamed for rigging the market, but his lesson is simple: you basically can't rig the market; it will destroy you way more easily. Take what the market gives you and be happy it even decided to give you that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wi…

Good call on the Hull recommendation - How do you feel about Natenberg's Option Volatility and Pricing? What do you trade, out of curiosity? (Career software engineer and fledgling options trader here, these were recommended to me when I first started learning. Still looking to make an industry change.)

For options the other two that I've read and liked are Sinclair and McMillian:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470181990/

https://www.amazon.com/Options-Strategic-Investment-Lawrence...

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