Best Selling Books by Roger Lowenstein

Chronicles the tumultuous era and remarkable personalities that created the Federal Reserve, tracing the financial panic and widespread distrust of bankers that prompted the landmark 1913 Federal Reserve Act and launched America''s first steps onto the world financial stage.

“Captivating . . . [Lowenstein] makes what subsequently occurred at Treasury and on Wall Street during the early 1860s seem as enthralling as what transpired on the battlefield or at the White House.” —Harold Holzer, Wall Street Journal “Ways and Means, an account of the Union’s financial policies, examines a subject long overshadowed by military narratives . . . Lowenstein is a lucid stylist, able to explain financial matters to readers who lack specialized knowledge.” —Eric Foner, New York Times Book Review From renowned journalist and master storyteller Roger Lowenstein, a revelatory financial investigation into how Lincoln and his administration used the funding of the Civil War as the catalyst to centralize the government and accomplish the most far-reaching reform in the country’s history Upon his election to the presidency, Abraham Lincoln inherited a country in crisis. Even before the Confederacy’s secession, the United States Treasury had run out of money. The government had no authority to raise taxes, no federal bank, no currency. But amid unprecedented troubles Lincoln saw opportunity—the chance to legislate in the centralizing spirit of the “more perfect union” that had first drawn him to politics. With Lincoln at the helm, the United States would now govern “for” its people: it would enact laws, establish a currency, raise armies, underwrite transportation and higher education, assist farmers, and impose taxes for them. Lincoln believed this agenda would foster the economic opportunity he had always sought for upwardly striving Americans, and which he would seek in particular for enslaved Black Americans. Salmon Chase, Lincoln’s vanquished rival and his new secretary of the Treasury, waged war on the financial front, levying taxes and marketing bonds while desperately battling to contain wartime inflation. And while the Union and Rebel armies fought increasingly savage battles, the Republican-led Congress enacted a blizzard of legislation that made the government, for the first time, a powerful presence in the lives of ordinary Americans. The impact was revolutionary. The activist 37th Congress legislated for homesteads and a transcontinental railroad and involved the federal government in education, agriculture, and eventually immigration policy. It established a progressive income tax and created the greenback—paper money. While the Union became self-sustaining, the South plunged into financial free fall, having failed to leverage its cotton wealth to finance the war. Founded in a crucible of anticentralism, the Confederacy was trapped in a static (and slave-based) agrarian economy without federal taxing power or other means of government financing, save for its overworked printing presses. This led to an epic collapse. Though Confederate troops continued to hold their own, the North’s financial advantage over the South, where citizens increasingly went hungry, proved decisive; the war was won as much (or more) in the respective treasuries as on the battlefields. Roger Lowenstein reveals the largely untold story of how Lincoln used the urgency of the Civil War to transform a union of states into a nation. Through a financial lens, he explores how this second American revolution, led by Lincoln, his cabinet, and a Congress studded with towering statesmen, changed the direction of the country and established a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

“A riveting account that reaches beyond the market landscape to say something universal about risk and triumph, about hubris and failure.”—The New York Times NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY BUSINESSWEEK In this business classic—now with a new Afterword in which the author draws parallels to the recent financial crisis—Roger Lowenstein captures the gripping roller-coaster ride of Long-Term Capital Management. Drawing on confidential internal memos and interviews with dozens of key players, Lowenstein explains not just how the fund made and lost its money but also how the personalities of Long-Term’s partners, the arrogance of their mathematical certainties, and the culture of Wall Street itself contributed to both their rise and their fall. When it was founded in 1993, Long-Term was hailed as the most impressive hedge fund in history. But after four years in which the firm dazzled Wall Street as a $100 billion moneymaking juggernaut, it suddenly suffered catastrophic losses that jeopardized not only the biggest banks on Wall Street but the stability of the financial system itself. The dramatic story of Long-Term’s fall is now a chilling harbinger of the crisis that would strike all of Wall Street, from Lehman Brothers to AIG, a decade later. In his new Afterword, Lowenstein shows that LTCM’s implosion should be seen not as a one-off drama but as a template for market meltdowns in an age of instability—and as a wake-up call that Wall Street and government alike tragically ignored. Praise for When Genius Failed “[Roger] Lowenstein has written a squalid and fascinating tale of world-class greed and, above all, hubris.”—BusinessWeek “Compelling . . . The fund was long cloaked in secrecy, making the story of its rise . . . and its ultimate destruction that much more fascinating.”—The Washington Post “Story-telling journalism at its best.”—The Economist

Since its hardcover publication in August of 1995, Buffett has appeared on the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, Newsday and Business Week bestseller lists. Starting from scratch, simply by picking stocks and companies for investment, Warren Buffett amassed one of the epochal fortunes of the twentieth century—an astounding net worth of $10 billion, and counting. His awesome investment record has made him a cult figure popularly known for his seeming contradictions: a billionaire who has a modest lifestyle, a phenomenally successful investor who eschews the revolving-door trading of modern Wall Street, a brilliant dealmaker who cultivates a homespun aura. Journalist Roger Lowenstein draws on three years of unprecedented access to Buffett’s family, friends, and colleagues to provide the first definitive, inside account of the life and career of this American original. Buffett explains Buffett’s investment strategy—a long-term philosophy grounded in buying stock in companies that are undervalued on the market and hanging on until their worth invariably surfaces—and shows how it is a reflection of his inner self.

Watch a Video Watch a video Download the cheat sheet for Roger Lowenstein''s The End of Wall Street » The roots of the mortgage bubble and the story of the Wall Street collapse-and the government''s unprecedented response-from our most trusted business journalist. The End of Wall Street is a blow-by-blow account of America''s biggest financial collapse since the Great Depression. Drawing on 180 interviews, including sit-downs with top government officials and Wall Street CEOs, Lowenstein tells, with grace, wit, and razor-sharp understanding, the full story of the end of Wall Street as we knew it. Displaying the qualities that made When Genius Failed a timeless classic of Wall Street-his sixth sense for narrative drama and his unmatched ability to tell complicated financial stories in ways that resonate with the ordinary reader-Roger Lowenstein weaves a financial, economic, and sociological thriller that indicts America for succumbing to the siren song of easy debt and speculative mortgages. The End of Wall Street is rife with historical lessons and bursting with fast-paced action. Lowenstein introduces his story with precisely etched, laserlike profiles of Angelo Mozilo, the Johnny Appleseed of subprime mortgages who spreads toxic loans across the landscape like wild crabapples, and moves to a damning explication of how rating agencies helped gift wrap faulty loans in the guise of triple-A paper and a takedown of the academic formulas that-once again- proved the ruin of investors and banks. Lowenstein excels with a series of searing profiles of banking CEOs, such as the ferretlike Dick Fuld of Lehman and the bloodless Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan, and of government officials from the restless, deal-obsessed Hank Paulson and the overmatched Tim Geithner to the cerebral academic Ben Bernanke, who sought to avoid a repeat of the one crisis he spent a lifetime trying to understand-the Great Depression. Finally, we come to understand the majesty of Lowenstein''s theme of liquidity and capital, which explains the origins of the crisis and that positions the collapse of 2008 as the greatest ever of Wall Street''s unlearned lessons. The End of Wall Street will be essential reading as we work to identify the lessons of the market failure and start to reb...

A financial journalist presents an analysis of the stock market and economics of the 1990s, examining the causes of the crisis and discussing the collapse of Enron, the dot-com bubble, and the accounting scandal and Andersen.

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator is adapted from a series of Saturday Evening Post articles written by Edwin Lefevre in the 1920s. The book narrates Livermore s ascent from a boy plunger to the most influential speculator on Wall Street. While much of the book is devoted to Livermore s experiences, a larger part of the book deals with trading wisdom and rules that Livermore imparts through Lefevre. Years later, many trading and investing books repeat the very same rules first enunciated by Livermore in Reminiscences, such as: go with the trend; no stock is too high to buy or too low to sell; let your winners run and cut your losses short; make your own decisions; and market history repeats itself. Interestingly, Livermore frequently violated his own rules and usually lost money as a result. The enduring appeal to the book rests in Livermore s view that the market is made up of people and the excesses of the market reflect mass psychology and the mistakes of individuals are frequently the result of the inability to control fear and greed. Thus, the views and lessons of Livermore continue to be relevant to every new generation of investors and traders.

A call-to-action evaluation of the economic dangers posed by the retiring generation''s pensions and health-care needs offers insight into how pensions work and why they are threatening major companies and public institutions.

There are many ways to make money in today''s market, but the one strategy that has truly proven itself over the years is value investing. Now, with The Little Book of Value Investing, Christopher Browne shows you how to use this wealth-building strategy to successfully buy bargain stocks around the world.

Warren Buffett - Quá Trình Hình Thành Một Nhà Tư Bản Mỹ Warren Buffett - Quá Trình Hình Thành Một Nhà Tư Bản Mỹ là câu chuyện thú vị về cuộc đời và triết lý đầu tư của nhà lựa chọn cổ phiếu thành công nhất nước Mỹ. Tác giả cuốn sách, phóng viên tờ Wall Street Journal, Roger Lowenstein đã chỉ ra rằng phương pháp đầu tư của Buffett là sự phản chiếu của nhũng giá trị cuộc sống mà ông luôn theo đuổi. Bằng cách vén lên tấm màn bí mật bao quanh con người này, Roger Lowenstein khám phá ra những phẩm chất đáng quý ở ông - nhẫn nại, trung thành, liêm chính, kiên định. Cuốn sách này lần theo mọi dấu vết của cuộc đời một nhà tư bản Mỹ, từ lúc đi giao báo cho đến khi trở thành nhà đầu tư vĩ đại với khôi tài sản khổng lồ luôn nằm trong top 3 của thế giới. Không chỉ là một tuyển tập những giai thoại về tài chính doanh nghiệp, cuốn sách này còn là câu chuyện đầy tính nhân bản khắc họa nên chân dung của một con người thành công nhất thế kỷ XX. "Có rất nhiều cuốn sách viết về Warren Buffett và chiến lược đẩu tư của ông, nhưng... đây là cuốn đáng đọc nhất." - Bill Gates, Harvard Business Review "Cuốn Buffett của Roger Lowenstein còn hơn cả một cuốn tiểu sử; đó thực sự là một lát cắt sống động của nền văn minh Hoa Kỳ." - Adam Smith "Một cuốn sách hay cho ai muốn tìm hiểu về Warren Buffett, nhà hiền triết của Omaha, bậc thầy về đầu tư tài chính, một người "kỳ dị" trong đầu tư, "bình dị" trong phong cách và "giản dị" trong cuộc sống, một tấm gương sống động của thành công, một người "cao" mà không "xa", có Tầm tài năng và nhân cách mà có cuộc sống rất Đời Thường. Chỉ cần đọc vài trang, bạn sẽ khó buông cuốn sách này xuống khi chưa đọc hết. Tôi thích cuốn sách này!" - Lý Trường Chiến, Chuyên gia kinh tế cao cấp - tư vấn tái cấu trúc, quản trị chiến lược & phát triển nguồn lực Kể từ khi được xuất bản vào tháng Tám năm 1995, cuốn Buffett đã xuất hiện trong danh sách bán chạy nhất của các tờ Wall Street Journal, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Seattle Times, Newsday và Business Week. Buffet là một bức chân dung mang tính bước ngoặt của một nhân vật có một không hai của nước Mỹ - Warren Buffett. Khởi đầu từ con số không, chỉ đơn giản bằng cách chọn các cổ phiếu và các công ty để đầu tư, Warren Buffett tích lũy được một một tài sản ròng đồ sộ trị giá 10 tỷ USD, và hiện vẫn đang ngày càng tăng. Hồ sơ đầu tư đáng kinh ngạc của ông đã khiến ông trở thành một hình mẫu được sùng bái trong giới đầu tư, nổi tiếng với vẻ mâu thuẫn của mình: một tỷ phú với lối sống rất chừng mực, một nhà đầu tư thành công phi thường mà không phải ra vào thường xuyên Phố Wall. Nhà báo Roger Lowenstein dựa trên ba năm tiếp xúc với gia đình, bạn bè, và các đồng nghiệp của Buffett để đưa ra bản ghi chép đầu tiên, chi tiết và chân thực về đời sống và sự nghiệp của con người này. Roger Loweinstein giải thích chiến lược đầu tư của Buffett - một triết lý dài hạn căn cứ vào việc mua cổ phần của các công ty được định giá thấp trên thị trường và giữ cho đến khi đạt được giá trị thực của chúng - và chỉ ra triết lý đó chính là sự phản chiếu những giá trị cuộc sống mà ông theo đuổi từ thời trai trẻ.

Amerikas Geschichte als Weltfinanzmacht begann einen Tag vor Weihnachten. Am 23. Dezember 1913 unterzeichnete Präsident Woodrow Wilson den Federal Reserve Act. Es ist die Geburtsstunde der Federal Reserve, der amerikanischen Zentralbank, der Fed. Was 1910 mit acht Männern als getarnte Entenjagd im Ferienhaus des Senators Nelson W. Aldrich auf der entlegenen Jekyll Island begann, ist heute eine der mächtigsten Institutionen der Welt. Die Gründung der ersten amerikanischen Zentralbank ist bis heute eine packende Geschichte voller Intrigen, politischem Machtkalkül und Verschwörungstheorien. Gut 100 Jahre danach hat die Fed das Finanzsystem so massiv zugunsten ihrer Eigentümer verändert wie keine andere Zentralbank: In den letzten 30 Jahren sind mehr als 10 000 US-Banken verschwunden und fast 70 Prozent aller bilanziellen Vermögenswerte liegen in den Händen von jenen zwölf Großbanken, die »zufällig« auch die größten Anteilseigner der Fed sind. Bis heute sind die Gründer und frühen Fed-Chefs wie Paul Volcker, Carter Glass oder Paul M. Warburg Legenden. Roger Lowenstein erzählt erstmals die packenden Hintergründe um die Gründung der Federal Reserve.

So hätte es nicht kommen dürfen. Drei Jahre sorgten zwei Nobelpreisträger und ein gewiefter Wall-Street-Händler dafür, dass superreiche Investoren mit dem Finanzdienstleister Long-Term Capital Management noch reicher werden konnten. Plötzlich aber brach das Kartenhaus aus Schulden, milliardenschweren Spekulationen und internationalen Arbitragegeschäften in sich zusammen. Long-Term Capital stand vor dem Ruin. Roger Lowenstein zeichnet eine der größten Geschäftspleiten der Menschheitsgeschichte detailgetreu nach. Vom kometenhaften Aufstieg bis zum tiefen Fall von LTCM. Packend erzählt wie ein Krimi.