- Hardcover: 206 pages
- Publisher: John Wiley & Sons (9 Mar 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0471899631
- ISBN-13: 978-0471899631
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.7 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,462,333 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
Cowardly Capitalism: The Myth of The Global Financial Casino
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Cowardly Capitalism is nothing if not a provocative title for a book that invites the reader to indulge in some vigorous mental gymnastics. Given the usual depiction of capitalism as an all-devouring monster, it comes as something of a shock that it might be thought of more as the lily-livered lion in The Wizard of Oz. Fear of risk rather than a willingness to risk is the prevailing mood, according to Cowardly Capitalism. The financial markets are not, after all, the casinos of popular metaphor.
The pinkishness of many Financial Times journalists is legendary, so it's hardly a surprise to learn that former FT man Daniel Ben-Ami is now a senior editor with Morningstar. What is more of a surprise is that anyone connected with a traditional anti-capitalist name should be berating that same economic system for, in effect, not being ruthless and buccaneering enough; for preferring to save and preserve rather than invest and exploit. These are, indeed, interesting times. An intrinsic system of risk management can hinder economic activity, says Ben-Ami in the chapter entitled "Killing The Patient: Why the quest for safety can be dangerous"--a chapter that addresses the problems of sustainable rates of growth and financial instability. Readers would expect certain standards from an author with such a pedigree (FT, Economist Intelligence Unit, The Guardian) and they will not be disappointed. Ben-Ami writes clearly and lucidly, as, for example, in a brief passage on Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer in the UK since New Labour came to power in 1997. Ben-Ami highlights the "Iron Chancellor" as an arch-exponent of an approach that refuses to consider the possibility that a degree of instability may often be a price worth paying for faster growth. "In his emphasis on prudence and in his other rhetoric he often sounds more like the manager of a small bank branch than the finance minister of a large economy," says the author. --Brian Bollen
Review
"Ben–Ami′s well–written and thought–provoking book, is bound to attract considerable comment. This book will not be one of your riskier investments."
(Lloyd′s List, 3rd March 2001)
" This is a thoughtful, easy–to–read book which nevertheless tackles big issues from a fresh perspective."
(Portfolio International, May 2001)
"thought–provoking book."
(MoneyWise, June 2001)
"fascinating analysis"
(Financial News,13 August 2001)
"His is a brilliant introduction to the impenetrable world of high finance and an uncompromising analysis of its function in the contemporary economy."
(The Independent, 23rd June 2001)
"well–documented short book...a book to make you think"
(IFS News, June 2001)
"excellent book"
(www.zdnet.co.uk 23 October 2001)
(Lloyd′s List, 3rd March 2001)
" This is a thoughtful, easy–to–read book which nevertheless tackles big issues from a fresh perspective."
(Portfolio International, May 2001)
"thought–provoking book."
(MoneyWise, June 2001)
"fascinating analysis"
(Financial News,13 August 2001)
"His is a brilliant introduction to the impenetrable world of high finance and an uncompromising analysis of its function in the contemporary economy."
(The Independent, 23rd June 2001)
"well–documented short book...a book to make you think"
(IFS News, June 2001)
"excellent book"
(www.zdnet.co.uk 23 October 2001)
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
The global financial markets are often seen as a giant casino. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The global financial markets are often seen as a giant casino. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A challenge to perceptions of the financial system,
By A Customer
This review is from: Cowardly Capitalism: The Myth of the Global Financial Casino (Hardcover)
The financial system continues to be one of the most baffling and misunderstood areas of society. This book examines the perceptions and the reality of the financial markets. The tendency is to see these markets as out of control and often in need of greater regulation. However, according to this book, this viewpoint has more to do with today's exaggerated sense of crisis and uncertainty, rather than the realities of the financial system. Through a discussion of the key markets and institutions, the author argues that the financial system is actually characterised by risk aversion - i.e the stock market, investors who diversify risk, derivatives which are a form of risk management, new types of insurance, and so on.Insofar as there is volatility in the financial markets, (recent examples being the Asian crisis and the recent ups and downs of technology stocks), it is not just down to the frantic activities of traders. Ben Ami's argument is that it has to be seen in relation to the real economy. Here the author suggests that high levels of liquidity and volatility in the financial system is actually a product of slow growth in the real economy, as companies engage in financial engineering and pour money back into the financial markets, rather than invest elsewhere. The main point is well worth thinking about. We tend to concentrate on financial volatility but miss the problem of risk aversion and a lack of dynamism. The result is slower growth in the economy and relatively dynamic areas such as technology.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating, Contrarian and Long Overdue,
By
This review is from: Cowardly Capitalism: The Myth of the Global Financial Casino (Hardcover)
The author performs a complete and delicate post-mortem of modern capitalist beliefs and misconceptions. I read Ayn Rand's "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal" some time ago. Daniel Ben-Ami constructs a compelling argument in favour of unregulated markets, healthy competition and good old fashoined risk taking. Unlike Raynd he steers away from abstruse philosophical theories and sticks with what really matters to the reader: Real life examples, cataloging the myriad failiures of faux-capitalism. If like me you whince every time you hear about another ill-thought but well intended goverment safeguard, you'll enjoy this book for the intellectual ammunition it delivers.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extraordinarily clear analysis of global finance,
By Jose Guilherme - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Cowardly Capitalism: The Myth of the Global Financial Casino (Hardcover)
Usually, books on the dry subject of modern finance are a difficult read but this one is a welcome and worthy exception. The text is so fascinating that I managed to "make it" in three rather short sessions - and without the slightest trace of boredom in the process. I found no superfluous or pseudo-profound sentences and even the footnotes of this carefully researched study fully deserve the reader's attention.Ben-Ami manages to explain in a few dozen pages the basics of apparently difficult concepts (as he rightly tells us, "even the most complex strategies tend to be built from simple components") such as derivatives, mutual funds, pension funds, hedging, etc. In the process, he shatters a lot of mistaken myths and conventional wisdom. It is simply not true, he explains, that the instruments of modern finance are essentially speculative; on the contrary, they are usually a means for corporations and investors in general to better manage risk. Modern capitalists, unlike their predecessors of a more dynamic era, have an exaggerated aversion to risk and they try to build their portfolio in a way that minimises it. Thus a corporation dedicated to making cars, for instance, might prefer to invest part of its earnings in derivatives or hedge funds instead of innovating its production processes. The result would of course be a less dynamic form of capitalism, where more resources are spent on the financial markets - as opposed to the real, productive side of the economy. This, insists Ben-Ami, is in short what has been happening since the end of the post-war (1945-73) economic boom. He offers powerful examples to illustrate his thesis. Yes, he says, it's true that George Soros made a billion dollars out of speculating against the British Pound in the early nineties - but that was only because the fundamentals of the British economy were really incompatible with the high value of its currency. A few years later Soros was betting on a fall of the Rouble and eventually lost two billion dollars. This time he had made a wrong analysis of the fundamentals of the Russian economy and got his fingers burned. The conclusion? Well, speculators really don't have the power to dominate events. So much for the idea that modern economies are but passive instruments at the hands of unscrupulous capitalistic sharks! Ben-Ami regrets the general climate of fear for the future and horror of risk-taking that he thinks has taken hold of Western Europe and even more the USA in the last few decades - and has been, BTW, amply demonstrated in the recent near-hysteria caused by the appearance of a few cases of Anthrax in the US. He sees in this tendency a sign that the "animal spirits" that Keynes considered essential for the proper working of a dynamic capitalist economy are faltering. The author doesn't present us a "solution" for this problem, probably because he's well aware of the fact that cultural attitudes are very hard to change. But he does warn that the climate of fear that currently permeates western society constitutes a clear impediment to stronger economic growth, both in the First and Third worlds. And he writes in such a clear, unpretentious style that one might just hope his analysis will eventually find a sympathetic hearing in the decision-making centers of Europe and the United States. 3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Insightful!,
By Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Cowardly Capitalism: The Myth of the Global Financial Casino (Hardcover)
Lets start out this review by stating up front that we disagree with Daniel Ben-Amis assertion that a preoccupation with risk measurement and management is a detriment to the global economy. With that out of the way, we can say that Ben-Ami presents a unique analysis of the modern global economy that is not at all without merit. His contention that lagging growth is a greater peril to the worlds economy than financial instability is reasonable and backed up by ample evidence and illustration. And his position that increased regulation could be doing more harm than good will be embraced by all free traders. On the basis of these discussions alone, we [...] recommend this book to anyone thinking seriously about international financial systems. But this book is perhaps most useful as a starting point for debate, which it will certainly generate in the mind of any informed reader. While you might quibble with Ben-Amis conclusions as we do with his assertion that the threat of the 1990s financial crises was overblown you will not be bored.
1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating, Contrarian and Long Overdue,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Cowardly Capitalism: The Myth of the Global Financial Casino (Hardcover)
The author performs a complete and delicate post-mortem of modern capitalist beliefs and misconceptions. I read Ayn Rand's "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal" some time ago. Daniel Ben-Ami constructs a compelling argument in favour of unregulated markets, healthy competition and good old fashioned risk taking. Unlike Raynd he steers away from abstruse philosophical theories and sticks with what really matters to the reader: Real life examples, cataloging the myriad failiures of faux-capitalism. If like me you whince every time you hear about another ill-thought out but well intended goverment safeguard, you'll enjoy this book for the intellectual ammunition it delivers.
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