Lessons from the Greatest Stock Traders of All Time

The trading strategies of legends Jesse Livermore, Bernard Baruch, Gerald Loeb, and more provide ways to triumph in the market

Today's bookshelves are so laden with Johnny-come-lately experts, eager to sell their knowledge to any and all, that it's sometimes hard for traders to know which way to turn or whom to trust. Lessons from the Greatest Stock Traders of All Time makes the choice simple, examining the careers of five traders--Jesse Livermore, Bernard Baruch, Gerald Loeb, Nicolas Darvas, and Bill O'Neil--who, more than any others over the past century, demonstrated tremendous success at conquering Wall Street.

This technique-filled book presents numerous ways in which the timeless strategies of these investing icons can be used to tame today's high-speed, unforgiving marketplaces. Comparing and contrasting the successes--and occasional failures--of these five giants of finance, it reveals:

• What Jesse Livermore did to correctly call every market break between 1917 and 1940
• How Bill O'Neil stuck to basics to create his famously effective CANSLIM system
• The strategies Nicolas Darvas used to become a self-made millionaire several times over

John Boik is an active trader and former stockbroker. He is the former assistant controller and special finance project manager for Washington Mutual Finance. He lives in Atlanta.