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Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street |
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Amazon Sales Rank: 349
Publication Date: 1990-10-01
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
ISBN: 0140143459
Type: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 256
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In fiction there was Bonfire of the Vanities; in reality, there is Liar's Poker--the fascinating insider's account of what really happens on Wall Street. This irreverent and hilarious birds-eye view of Wall Street's heyday will appeal to anyone intrigued by the allure of million dollar deals. Now in trade paper. First serial to Manhattan Inc.
Average Rating: 
Review: 2009-01-07
Insightful look into Salomon Brothers in the 1980s
Michael Lewis does an excellent job describing the internal history of Salomon Brothers in the 1980s. He writes an easy-to-read narrative that is not only a pleasure to read, but is also a sarcastic and detailed examination of how business is done on Wall Street. While Lewis writes specifically about Salomon Brothers, it is not difficult to apply his various criticisms toward other firms.
I felt the book was split implicitly into three parts. First, Lewis describes his first impressions of Salomon Brothers, the training program, and his initial experiences getting the job. Second, he steps back from his autobiographical narrative and explains the bigger picture. He tells the reader of the people who ran and built the firm in New York, the crazy things that happened on the trading floor, and how the mortgage trading department grew from a one-man team to a behemoth that would dominate Wall Street. Finally, he returns to his autobiography and talks of his experiences as a bond salesman in the London office. He outlines the fateful events of late 1987 and finally describes his last day at Salomon in 1988.
In the third part, Lewis also gives a brief history of Michael Milken and his rise to power at Drexel Burnham. Lewis gives the reader a lesson on how junk bonds became popular (Milken essentially made the market for junk bonds, just as Lewie Ranieri did the same for mortgage bonds). He describes how the demand for junk bonds greatly exceeded the supply until a new use for junk bonds was found - financing leveraged buy-outs by corporate raiders.
This book is a very enjoyable read. It is not as vengeful as Monkey Business (also a great read, but very different), but more descriptive and historical in nature. I was a bit reminded of Barbarians at the Gate when reading it. I felt that I got a great overview of Salomon Brothers in the 80s and of the people who made the firm great, especially Lewie Ranieri. Lewis also does an excellent job describing various finance concepts that he discusses throughout the book. He keeps things simple but he doesn't leave out details that would leave me hanging. That was very thoughtful of him, in my opinion.
In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the corporate culture on Wall Street in the 1980s. It's a quick, easy, and enjoyable read.
Pros:
+ great historical overview of Salomon Brothers in the 80s
+ sharp, insightful, and satirical - an excellent look at Wall Street corporate culture
+ lots of interesting detail on people who built markets in the 80s
+ good definitions and descriptions of several financial concepts
+ fun to read!
Cons:
- a relatively small window into the history of the firm
- ends in 1988; would be great to see another edition wrapping up Salomon's story
Review: 2009-01-01
One Man's Experiences in the Financial Industry
Michael Lewis details his short career on Wall Street working with Salmon Brokers as a trader (working both in the US and Europe). Lewis provides a description of the rise and fall of the mortgage bond market at Salomon Brothers as well his experience with other derivative markets. Included in the book are several outlandish incidents that went on behind the scenes at Salomon brothers. Many of the undertakings by the high net worth investment professionals will leave you taken aback as their actions show an often significant lack of any real viable market knowledge.
Beyond some revelations revealing the sophomoric attitudes of the investment professionals and a peripheral description of the financial markets, Liar's Poker offers little insight that one would not acquire by working as a temp at any major brokerage firm. Expecting to find a perceptive analysis on the financial markets, I was disappointed only to find a marginal account of the industry and some commentary on the author's personal experiences. Lewis is not a bad writer, as he proved to be witty at times, but the material becomes monotonous rather quickly.
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