Customer Reviews

The Options Doctor: Option Strategies for Every Kind of Market (Wiley Trading)

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

 

 

I have been trading options for years now and am always on the look out for a good book. This book actually disappointed me; the substance in this book were so poor that I couldn't even get past few pages. To be fair, I also tried reading some chapters where I though there may be some substance, but was disappointing. I am sure the author is learned and qualified but the book is very poorly written and lack substance. There is lot of chatter about trading floor but no reasoning on trades / strategies.

I think the author has done an excellent job of presenting (in a very beginner-friendly way), only the most relevant information out of the vast and confusing world of options.

The first half of the book is an introduction to the markets, trends, commodities, fixed income investments, etc; and an overview of technical patterns, such as, Fibonnacci retracements, point and figure charts, and other things which actually sound quite silly. Some of these things might not be useful to me, but I do enjoy learning about them, because they are precisely what the majority of the big players (and the author) are using.

The other half of the book introduces all the important things about options very nicely. The book also covers the most useful strategies that one is likely to attempt. I like the author's creative use of ratio backspreads.

The book was published in 2007, so the information is nice and fresh.

I liked the book in a way since it gave you a shotgun approach on the options world of trading. Beware! you must have some Basic Options background to even attempt to read this book if not you will be more frustrated since there are examples that are really complicated but very helpfull to a seasoned option traders. I recommend geting well versed with options before buying this book but otherwise its a good book to have for reference and review.

happy trading!!

This book is for the reader who is not familiar in the stock market and didn't trade a stock or read a graph. You may find some valuable chapters in the final section of the book, but I won't recommend this book a whole, because it lacks the central theme. If you didn't read anything about options yet, I have some recommendations. If you are not quite familiar with the stock market, I would suggest "The Options Course" by George A. Fontanills and Richard Cawood. If you did buy stocks already, then skim Trading Options For Dummies by George A. Fontanills.

Pros:
- has plenty of references to other books;
- has unique topics about managing a losing position and managing a winning position. These topics are almost always overlooked in other books;

Cons:
- an important technique of selling puts as a way of buying the underlying security is not covered in this book. If you like this topic, read chapter 19 of "Options as a Strategic Investment".
- only the second half of the book is devoted to options. The first half is about charts and graphs. I would prefer two distinct books rather than one that combines both.

I've been trading options for a few years and this must be the worst options book i own. The author writes in a talk-show host style, covering alot of nonsense that is irrelavant to the subject at hand. Worst, she explains topics that are completely irrelavant in todays market. She devotes a whole chapter on the types of charting, candlesticks, high-low, etc, info easily obtained with a simple google search.I bought this in June 2007 for $34.65 and the price now is priced $10 more today.

It has provided a good introduction. The title is misleading as the option strategies only begin in the second half of the book. Pay-off charts are not in the book so it will be hard to visualise the position.

This was a good book for me, because it made the very vague and confusing language of Options and Futures into something a lay person could understand. The illustration were quite amusing but I couldn't find any other novels illustrated by the same artist!

(I better be over the age of 13 to rate a book, because I'm on e-trade! Kids don't let kids trade stock!)

George Bernard Shaw once said, "People always blame in circumstances. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them." Jeanette's huge success as a floor trader/hedger at the New York Board of Trade is a great demonstration of that quote. As a CFA and FRM, I was very lucky to have the privilege to meet Jeanette in person at a recent New York Society of Security Analyst event. Needless to say, I was very impressed with her sharpness, practicality, kindness and approachability. She told us that writing is her way to give something back to the society and that's why she writes diligently every day for the market comments posted at the New York Board of Trade website and on her own website as well [...]. I can honestly tell you that I can't put Jeanette's book down even after a long day at work and my duties at home as a mom. As illustrations shown throughout the book, Jeanette has helped us stretch our imaginations on the possibilities of the options world. With a solid understanding of her book and right mental attitude, we are well equipped to make our own options profits and success.