The Big Short

Michael Lewis

Physical

In Circulation

"The Big Short" tells a story of spectacular, epic folly. It has taken the world's greatest financial meltdown to bring Michael Lewis back to the subject that made him famous. His international bestseller "Liar's Poker" exposed the greed and carnage of the City and Wall Street in the 1980s; he wrote it as a cautionary tale, but people seem to have read it as a how-to guide. Now, he wants to settle accounts. In this visceral tour to the heart of the financial system, Michael Lewis takes us around the globe and back decades to trace the origins of the current crisis.

He meets the people who saw it coming, the people who were asleep at the wheel and the people who were actively driving us all of cliff. How could we have all been so deluded for quite so long? Where did it all start? Was it systemic? Was it avoidable? And who the hell can we blame? Michael Lewis has the answers. No one is better qualified to get to the heart of this labyrinthine story. And no one can make it such an enjoyable ride along the way.

What will you learn from this book

  1. Housing Bubble: Lewis explores the housing market bubble in the United States, detailing how it was inflated by subprime mortgages, low lending standards, and the packaging of these mortgages into complex financial instruments.

  2. Credit Default Swaps and Mortgage-Backed Securities: The book explains the creation and trading of credit default swaps (CDS) and mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and how these financial products contributed to the crisis.

  3. Crisis Predictors: Lewis follows the stories of investors such as Michael Burry, Steve Eisman, and others who identified the flaws in the housing market and made substantial bets against it, foreseeing the impending collapse.

  4. Shorting the Market: The book details how these investors used various financial instruments to bet against the housing market, essentially "shorting" or making bets that the market would crash.

  5. Complexity and Lack of Understanding: Lewis discusses how the complexity of financial products and the lack of understanding among investors, regulators, and even some financial institutions led to the crisis.

  6. Role of Rating Agencies: The book likely touches upon the role of rating agencies and how their flawed assessments of mortgage-backed securities contributed to the crisis.

  7. Banking Practices and Greed: Lewis may explore the role of banks, financial institutions, and their profit-driven practices that fueled the crisis.

  8. Impact on Main Street: The book might highlight the broader impact of the crisis on ordinary people, including job losses, foreclosures, and the overall economic downturn.

  9. Government Response: Lewis might cover the government's response to the crisis, including bailouts, regulatory reforms, and attempts to stabilize the financial system.

  10. Lessons Learned: The book likely concludes with reflections on the lessons learned from the crisis, advocating for reforms, stronger regulations, and improved risk management practices in the financial industry.

Language English
ISBN-10 9781846142574
ISBN-13 9781846142574
No of pages 266
Font Size Medium
Book Publisher Allen Lane
Published Date 15 Mar 2010

About Author

Author : Michael Lewis

13 Books

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