The Greatest Trade Ever: The Behind-the-Scenes Story of How John Paulson Defied Wall Street and Made Financial History

                           

Author: Gregory Zuckerman

7.8/10

READ

Did people make money from the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2008? Other than Michael Burry, whose personality and his posts on X keep reminding us that he managed to profit then, despite a near collapse, very few people are known to have called it in time. Most of these guys are in Michael Lewis' The Big Short. 

However, the biggest profit was enjoyed by the person who is the main protagonist of this book, John Paulson. More so, he did it without having to endure the near-bankruptcy issues that affected Burry. This alone makes for an interesting read, especially with regards to the timing of an investment and its sizing. 

P.S. Both Burry's and Paulson's performance after the GFC was not that good, again suggesting that luck, manifested as being at the right place at the right time, plays a big role in investing. Naturally, "what is luck, but the ability to exploit accidents"?

READ IF: You enjoy reading about one-off huge wins

PASS IF: You prefer a how-to strategy book

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