Customer Reviews

CNBC 24/7 Trading : Around the Clock, Around the World

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The last couple of trading books I've picked up (and decided not to purchase)were too fluffy, celebrity driven. This book is different. No theory for theory's sake -- lot's of thoughtful strategies that seriously improved my ability to analyze market trends as well as individual stock offerings. I'm not a professional trader, but I do take investing very seriously and have been doing more of it myself (without a broker) and have begun exploring trading 24x7. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a serious investor and is already familiar with the consistent and reliable financial reporting of CNBC.

Although Barbara Rockefeller's attention to detail and obvious knowledge of the inside world of the life of a stock trader are quite phenomenal, I found the story lacking direction, and the climax weak. The characters of George Soros and Abby Joseph Cohen, for example, are minimally developed at best, and unnecessarily verbose at times. But Rockefeller has most certainly done her homework in terms of setting the stage for her story, an example that more contemporary writers should heed. All in all, however, this was a quite satisfying read!

I found this book to be very informative, providing helpful hints on how to manage your portfolio and bringing together information which would otherwise take a lot of time to research. This book greatly reinforced my belief that you do not have to pay "professionals" to invest your money for you. Finally, unlike other books on investing which tend to be confusing if not boring, Ms. Rockefeller's writing style allows for an easy read.

Whereas this book definitely has its good points, the title is quite misleading. As a matter of fact its focus is quite limited mostly to foriegn markets and evaluating these investments combined with trends within the many international markets. On a general level this is discussed fairly well but the details are explained in a matter where it is assumed that you have taken a good number of economics classes. In addition, the different chapters seem to touch back to the same point that when investing overseas you have to look at not only the stock market but the state of affairs within the country both ethically and economically. You must be a good follower of the currency markets as well. This is not easy for most investors to understand on an in depth basis which is needed to trade overseas.

What is also annoying besides the constant redundancy of this book, is the matter in which the author sites references and website addresses for more information. The author must have included at least fifty if not a hundred sites that support each single example. What would have helped the overall presentation of this book, if the author included a list of helpful web sites to locate key information at the end of the book rather than interspersed within his blah blah blah commentary.

There is some useful information in this book and one who likes to explore new web sites might find more value here. However CNBC could have made this book reach a wider audience by organizing this book in a more easy to read manner. Therefore a 2 1/2 star rating fits the bill.

This book is an excellent addition to a collection of a small investor who wants to learn about the benefits of international investing. However, it is also a great reading for somebody who is just starting in the field of Finance. It explains basic concepts very carefully, so that a good base is established for further explanations. Yes, to a certain point it concentrates more on non-U.S. markets, but I believe this is only because U.S. market information is readily available to us every day. The book is very well written and deserves a full five-star rating.

Everywhere I look there is CNBC. Those guys really have their finger on the pulse. In this new book, they're giving you all the inside information and tools you need to be a global investor. There are markets discussed here that I didn't even know were options for me or existed. I was pleased to see the do-it-yourself risk assessment advice. This is the kind of analysis I never thought I could do myself--this book is the only one that tells you what you can and can't do yourself as an individual investor. A great gift, too.

Barbara's book is a much needed addition to the trader's library. As currency, bonds, and stock index futures are now traded around the clock, the need for more information on how to deal with this fast-paced environment is much needed. Barbara's real expertise is in the currency sector and the information in the currency chapter alone is well worth the price of the book. As a CTA and investment advisor, I find Barbara's information highly useful and would highly recommend this book.

A recent amazon.com reviewer states incorrectly that Barbara Rockefeller's 24/7 Trading fails to note that the increasingly wired world raises volatility and affects the correlations among global stocks because this is one of the main points in the book. To wit: "...the developed world is so wired together these days that a drop in the Dow and the Nasdaq is often followed by an equivalent drop in the Nikkei (225 (Japan), DAX (Germany), CAC (France), DTSE 100 (UK) and other major indices." (p.187) She continues, saying that the benefits of international diversification may be exaggerated because a bear market in the United States contaminates other markets, at least in developed countries.

Note please some additional points on this topic. One is that the author advises that many portfolio diversification exercises use only classes of securities, rather than the securities themselves, which she describes as a sub-optimal practice because the same class of securities can contain a highly volatile security as well as a `placid' security.

The second point is that the author could have gone a lot farther in criticizing financial planners who create "optimal" portfolios for customers that are nothing of the sort. She perhaps should have warned much more strongly about paying an advisor to create an optimal portfolio. You will not always get what you think you paid for.

Finally, Rockefeller says clearly that no website today will give you the correlation of any two securities easily. You have to do it yourself, if you can get the data. Data on foreign stocks is hard to get, and, often, is not free; and, useful websites come and go, all of which the author acknowledges.

Why should US investors care are about non-US stocks? Because the new US administration is western states-oriented, investors should be prepared for future US dollar weakness that will presumably favor western states' exporters of commodities - grain, oil, beef and timber. With US dollar weakness, non-US stock will presumably appreciate in price versus US stocks. This means that savvy investors should be taking far closer looks at non-US stocks in the next four years than they have been taking in the last four. For serious investors, 24/7 Trading could not have come at a better time. Reading it is fair warning for the future.

Desmond MacRae New York City

In my opinion, CNBC is sure to have the ability to write a stock book teaching people how to make money. Since they can get the fastest information from top CEO around the world and recommendation from top analysts and fund managers, their advice are definitely good. However, in this book, are they trying to teach people on how to perform technical analysis or others? You should read yourself! As a whole, it is a good book.

In my opinion, CNBC is sure to have the ability to write a stock book teaching people how to make money. Since they can get the fastest information from top CEO around the world and recommendation from top analysts and fund managers, their advice are definitely good. However, in this book, are they trying to teach people on how to perform technical analysis or others? You should read yourself! As a whole, it is a good book.