With more than 50,000 copies sold worldwide in multiple languages, The Wall Street Journal Guide to the 50 Economic Indicators that Really Matter is a must-have guide for investors. WSJ columnist Simon Constable and respected financial historian Robert E. Wright offer valuable tips and insight to help investors forecast and exploit sea changes in the global macroeconomic climate. Unlike other investment handbooks, Constable and Wright's guide explores the not widely known economic indicators that the smartest investors watch closely in order to beat the stock market--from "Big Macs" to "Zombie Banks." Not only valuable and informative, The Wall Street Journal Guide to the 50 Economic Indicators that Really Matter is also wonderfully irreverent and endlessly entertaining, making it the most fun to read investors' guide on the market.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
If you're in the phase of your life and your career as an investor where you'd like to better understand the economic news ... I'd strongly recommend you pick up, peruse and frequently revisit this book. --Inman News
"A short, sweet, savvy introduction to economics, indicators, and investing." -- Nouriel Roubini, Chairman and Co-Founder, Roubini Global Economics. --From the front cover
"I can't believe Simon and Robert have revealed the secret tricks that I've been using for years to make money on the markets. All of the hedge funds will go out of business!" -- James Altucher. --From the back cover
"Someone should have written this years ago," Brett Arends, WSJ -- --Customer review
"A short, sweet, savvy introduction to economics, indicators, and investing." -- Nouriel Roubini, Chairman and Co-Founder, Roubini Global Economics. --From the front cover
"I can't believe Simon and Robert have revealed the secret tricks that I've been using for years to make money on the markets. All of the hedge funds will go out of business!" -- James Altucher. --From the back cover
"[The authors] have accomplished a rare feat--they've written a book on economics that's readable, and actually enjoyable," Chris Nichols, of Yahoo! Finance writing for WG Williamsburg Greenpoint News + Arts.
"Someone should have written this years ago," Brett Arends, WSJ -- --Customer review
From the Back Cover
An entertaining, must-have guide to the indicators most investors aren't following—but should be!
To make the best possible investment decisions, savvy investors know that they should pay close attention to economic indicators. But while most are looking at conventional barometers like unemployment rates and housing starts, the smartest investors are following the often ignored, sometimes curious, but always interesting indicators that offer a true sense of where the economy is and where it's going. They provide the vital information needed to beat the market.
In The Wall Street Journal Guide to the 50 Economic Indicators That Really Matter, Simon Constable and Robert E. Wright offer investors powerful new tools to guide them through the markets. Whether it's the VIX index (which tracks the level of anxiety among investors) or the Vixen index (which tracks the number of attractive waitresses in your hometown), this essential guide includes in-depth analyses of 50 valuable economic indicators, as well as what to watch for, what to do when movement happens, and the risk level involved in taking action. This must-have guide entertains and enlightens while offering essential advice on navigating the global economic climate.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 44 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
You know you are dealing with a book that's overstating its value just a tad when you see this in the introduction: "... we'll show you how the indicators we've chosen can help you see the turns in the economy before they happen. With that prescience you can make changes to your investments ahead of time and avoid the suffering you probably felt during the past couple of years." Now anyone who could actually predict the "turns in the economy" using these indicators -- or any others -- would be reclining on his yacht moored off the south of France, and would be unlikely to divulge his secrets in a mass market paperback. That said, this book is an entertaining read and can serve as a useful reference to anyone who follows the markets or the broader economy.
Simon Constable writes for the Wall Street Journal and hosts their afternoon "NewsHub" recap of the markets. Anyone who follows the NewHub will be familiar with his witty -- actually, kind of snarky -- commentary. He's sort of the Simon Cowell of the Wall Street crowd. His distinctive voice is evident in this book. His co-author, Robert Wright, has written extensively on business history and used to be associated with the Stern School at NYU and the Museum of Financial History in Manhattan's financial district, although he apparently now teaches at a college in South Dakota.
The book consists of 50 short chapters devoted to the indicators. Each chapter has a brief description of the indicator -- usually accompanied by a quote from an investment analysts on the indicator's importance -- a time series graph of the indicator, and a discussion of possible investment opportunities that might occur when the indicator is unusually high or low. Each chapter ends with an "Executive Summary" box that explains when data on the indicator are released, where to go to find the data, what to watch for, and so on. To anyone who follows the financial news even casually, many of the indicators will be familiar, such as automobile sales, durable goods orders, or M2. To most people, though, other indicators are likely to be less familiar, such as book-to-bill ratio, the Baltic dry index, and the Tankan survey. I'm a little skeptical about how useful some of the more obscure indicators will be to the average investor, but they make for interesting reading. The final (tongue-in-cheek) indicator, the "Vixen index," measures how attractive the waitresses are in your local restaurant. The more attractive the waitresses, the worse the labor market, because in a strong labor market these attractive women would be working at better jobs elsewhere.
All-in-all, leaving aside the somewhat overstated claims the authors make for investment strategies based on these indicators, this is a valuable little reference tool and should be, at the very least, a fun read for most personal investors.
Simon Constable writes for the Wall Street Journal and hosts their afternoon "NewsHub" recap of the markets. Anyone who follows the NewHub will be familiar with his witty -- actually, kind of snarky -- commentary. He's sort of the Simon Cowell of the Wall Street crowd. His distinctive voice is evident in this book. His co-author, Robert Wright, has written extensively on business history and used to be associated with the Stern School at NYU and the Museum of Financial History in Manhattan's financial district, although he apparently now teaches at a college in South Dakota.
The book consists of 50 short chapters devoted to the indicators. Each chapter has a brief description of the indicator -- usually accompanied by a quote from an investment analysts on the indicator's importance -- a time series graph of the indicator, and a discussion of possible investment opportunities that might occur when the indicator is unusually high or low. Each chapter ends with an "Executive Summary" box that explains when data on the indicator are released, where to go to find the data, what to watch for, and so on. To anyone who follows the financial news even casually, many of the indicators will be familiar, such as automobile sales, durable goods orders, or M2. To most people, though, other indicators are likely to be less familiar, such as book-to-bill ratio, the Baltic dry index, and the Tankan survey. I'm a little skeptical about how useful some of the more obscure indicators will be to the average investor, but they make for interesting reading. The final (tongue-in-cheek) indicator, the "Vixen index," measures how attractive the waitresses are in your local restaurant. The more attractive the waitresses, the worse the labor market, because in a strong labor market these attractive women would be working at better jobs elsewhere.
All-in-all, leaving aside the somewhat overstated claims the authors make for investment strategies based on these indicators, this is a valuable little reference tool and should be, at the very least, a fun read for most personal investors.
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By Adsteelie
Format:Paperback
I came to finance more than 4 years ago and had to teach myself the basic from the ground up. After reading this book, I wish I would have had it back then because my life would have been 10 times easier. You get the economics and finance basics explained in a concise easy-to-understand way. And as an added bonus you get the invest-able angle and where to go for more information. I now keep this book with me at all times as a quick reference guide when need be. Anyone who wants to understand finance must buy this book.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Sasha Valoir
Format:Paperback
Who'd'a thunk the Wall Street Journal could issue a book that truly simplifies an explanation of how the economy works and the underpinnings of investments? This odd little volume covers a lot of ground in an unconventional format: fifty essential points, each reduced to a digestible bite size; plus breakdowns of how the economy ("the real economy," as our Washington cynics now call it) helps or hurts your investments, all this in four pages at a time.
The tone is relaxed to casual, but a good deal of highly-educated thought must have gone into planning the text because it's canny, careful and accurate. "It takes the wonk out of what's long been arcane material," said my waggish pal.
It's actually a good way to get a handle on how the economy works and how it helps or hurts your investments.
Did I mention that it's funny? The comedy swoops from sophisticated to almost-risqué. If this is a new face of the fuddy-duddy Journal, the accession of the dreaded Rupert seems to be sprouting a happy new shoot.
The tone is relaxed to casual, but a good deal of highly-educated thought must have gone into planning the text because it's canny, careful and accurate. "It takes the wonk out of what's long been arcane material," said my waggish pal.
It's actually a good way to get a handle on how the economy works and how it helps or hurts your investments.
Did I mention that it's funny? The comedy swoops from sophisticated to almost-risqué. If this is a new face of the fuddy-duddy Journal, the accession of the dreaded Rupert seems to be sprouting a happy new shoot.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book. I would highly recommend this book.
I do not review books much on Amazon, but this book is great. The book gives you step by step instruction on where to find the most important data. Read more
Published 1 month ago by UWBadgerBryan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really interesting
Certainly brings the "numbers" on the financial pages to life.
Case in point. The recent LIBOR scandal was understandable thanks to the information contained in... Read more
Case in point. The recent LIBOR scandal was understandable thanks to the information contained in... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Patrick H. Dooley
3.0 out of 5 stars
Hope you have a lot of time to use it....
Interesting book that goes way beyond the leading indicators that most lay people think matter; I bought it as a gift for my husband who is a financial advisor and while he loved... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Francophile
5.0 out of 5 stars
guide
It answers a lot of questions quickly and easily. I learned a lot during my quick read. Would highly recommend it.
Published 5 months ago by thomas murphy
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderfully identifies the key economic indicators regarding the...
This is for the economist or practioner who has everything but the essential economic indicators. The authors narrow the search down by keying in on 50 indicators, all of which are... Read more
Published 5 months ago by E. Ray Canterbery
4.0 out of 5 stars
Econ Indicators
As the title indicates, while the book is quite good, it is also one huge ad for the Wall Street Journal.
Published 5 months ago by Bolitho
4.0 out of 5 stars
Quick Read Now, Helpful Reference Later
Authors do an excellent job covering fifty key indicators in a concise manner. The graphs help put the historical movements into context, and the summaries provided at the end of... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Deal_Flow
4.0 out of 5 stars
Guide to the 50 Economic Indicators, Review
This is an important book for any serious investor. Although the terms may be familiar already, this book pulls the information together and clarifies what you thought you already... Read more
Published 9 months ago by kaye Davis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very good...
I like this because I learned a lot about so many economic measures. I would advise you to take notes and have some kind of spread sheet or word document and put down the dates... Read more
Published 9 months ago by B. Keilani
5.0 out of 5 stars
valuable insight
Interesting view on odd economic indicators. But, quite applicable in ways I never thought. I expect to put many of these to use in my investing.
Published 12 months ago by Deserounus
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