Michael LewisFlash Boys

Such an incredible read it was. The gripping and enthralling story. And the biggest bow goes to the people who wanted transparency in the stock market orders as well as Michael Lewis - For literally just digging up the facts and the events as they happened in such an incredible manner. The research Michael has done for this book is simply breathtaking. This book is not just a casual read, it is a learning. I, personally, did not know anything about the HFTs (primarily because of the new regulations by the market regulators now-a-days) and the dark pools that the companies and the stock exchanges had/have created. Just a mind blowing book. The only tinie tiny minor downside is the penguin publications. The book quality and the page quality could've been better (if some other publishing house would've done it). But who cares because you literally have to think of some excuse to put this book down. Done with this, next two Michael Lewis targets - The big short and liar's poker. Reviews coming soon for them.Conclusion - Well as "Inventors" of the IEX stock exchange would say : Pick up the f*****g book.

Why should you read this? –1. Opens your eyes to the hidden forces that control most of the stock market.2. It tells you how HFT firms are ripping you off.3. It explains various strategies used by HFT firms.4. Tells you how the stock market is rigged to benefit a minority few.5. Reads like a thriller.The long version -We are living in an illusion where all the market prices of shares and stocks are considered to be fair, but in reality, they are decided by HFT (High Frequency Trading) firms. I'm not quite sure about their prevalence in India, but this book exposes the so-called wall street predators and tells the story about how a few people realized the dangers of HFT firms and decided to start a stock-exchange of their own to protect the interest’s of regular investors.The pace of the book is astounding, it is fast and doesn't delay much and jumps right into the origin of HFT firms and how speed became the new lust of Wall Street. Various characters are mentioned throughout the book, but the story mainly focuses on few people who, after recognizing the predatory behavior of such firms which cheat the regular investors, decided to start their own Stock-Exchange and details on the struggle they went through.The book also discusses in-detail about high frequency trading. It explains the inner workings of the US Stock exchanges. The details of various technicalities were explained in a concise manner. The book exposes the hidden organizations and people who secretly manipulate the prices of shares. At various instances, the author provided various analogies and examples to explain various financial instruments and types of stock orders, which made it easy to understand the financial concepts in the book.On some instances it was eye-opening. The fact that most stock market orders are traded in various 'Dark - pools' created by banks and the fact that they don't even go the exchanges, was shocking to hear. The book talks about various strategies used by HFT firms and how they make the mechanics of the markets more complicated and difficult for ordinary investors to understand.In conclusion, this book was certainly an eye-opener and tells you how the entire stock market is rigged to benefit a minority of banks, trading firms. It sheds light on various strategies used by HFT firms and weaves a cautionary tale to spot anomalies in the market which might suggest something strange is brewing.

Read this book before it is made into a movie. Finished reading in a day as it was a hyper interesting and fast moving story. If you happen to be live in New York spend a weekend travelling to places mentioned in the book. It is a more than immersive experience and it will all fall in place. Great read.

Good quality book

I bought this based on user reviews. Prior to this I had read Anita Raghavan's Billionaire's Apprentice. That book really whetted my appetite for books on the financial world as a whole and the wall street in particular. That book unravels in an interesting manner how the rich and powerful influence the markets in their favor this stripping the average retail investor of their hard earned money. This book, based on similar lines is almost entirely focussed on high frequency trading and does a pretty good job in explaining the technical terms in simple words. I am just half way through the book and so far have not been disappointed. I hope it continues to educate and entertain right till the end.

Amazing effort by Michael Lewis to explain the complex stock market system in US. if you had to read about the market system on its own, you will most definitely get bored but the way Michael has written this , you find it tough to put the book down

It starts off with a bang. The first four chapters were very engaging, and even the fifth one was good but then it started to sound a bit repetitive.

A Great book!! Must read if have a passion for Wallstreet & A great view in Strategic Wealth building in a Unique way and a idea to change the existing working models. also the value of millisecond:)