The Big Mo [Paperback]

'A brilliant analysis of a potent force'
-- David Hale, Global Economist

The Big Mo is a compelling book that journeys seamlessly from finances to the Iraq war, from oil prices and climate change to religion and pop culture in an effort to explain how we behave and why we are so easily led. From start to finish, it's an entertaining read.
--The Financial Times

The Big Mo is a compelling book that journeys seamlessly from finances to the Iraq war, from oil prices and climate change to religion and pop culture in an effort to explain how we behave and why we are so easily led. From start to finish, it's an entertaining read. --The Financial Times, February 16, 2011

A brilliant analysis of a potent force. --David Hale, Global Economist

The Big Mo pulls together lots of strands of varied thinking from many fields. It will make people think and reflect. --Dr Paul Marsh, London Business School

Roeder's book is a revelation --Phillip Adams, broadcaster, critic and film producer

Almost nobody understands (momentum). Mark Roeder does. He makes it starkly clear why it can never again be 'business as usual'. This book is a brilliant wake up call.
--Joe Bageant, American social commentator and author of Deerhunting With Jesus

A compelling book that journeys seamlessly from finance to the Iraq war, from oil prices and climate change to religion and pop culture (...) From start to finish, it's an entertaining read
--Financial times

A fascinating exploration of the increasing impact of large-scale momentum in our lives

News cycles move faster now than ever before, technology allows us to connect with others in seconds and markets crumble faster than ever. Amidst it all we've come to accept - even expect - that events will continue to accelerate and have an ever greater impact: that the next disaster will always be bigger than the last, that more money than ever will be made in business.

Welcome to the new world, in which momentum is the driving force behind everything.

Drawing on the latest research by economists and scientists as well as real-life examples, Mark Roeder charts the unstoppable rise of the Big Mo. He reveals why momentum was the real driver of the global financial crisis and how this mysterious force is also at work in spheres as diverse as the media, politics and the environment.

This provocative book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the dangers of 'going with the flow' and harness the power of positive momentum.

Recent events in the Middle East demonstrate the power of momentum, or Big Mo, to reshape events disturbing quickly, often with unintended consequences - both good and bad. Mark Roeder's prophetic book about the impact of large scale momentum is an important, enlightening and highly entertaining work. He makes it starkly clear that 'Momentum is the new Zeitgeist of our age'. This book is a must read for anyone interested in understanding the dynamic that is now driving our world in the early 21st century.

News cycles move faster now than ever before. Technology allows us to connect with others in seconds. And markets crumble with startling speed. Amidst it all, we've come to accept - even expect - that events will continue to accelerate and have an ever greater impact: that the next newsworthy disaster will be bigger than the last; that more money than ever will be made in business.

Welcome to the new world, in which momentum is the driving force behind everything.

Drawing on the latest research by economists and scientists as well as real-life examples, Mark Roeder charts the unstoppable rise of the Big Mo. He reveals why momentum was the real driver of the global financial crisis and how this mysterious force is also at work in spheres as diverse as the media, politics and the environment.

This provocative examination of the force that is reshaping our world is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the dangers of 'going with the flow' and harness the power of positive momentum.

Mark Roeder is an author, cultural commentator and corporate executive. He was global head of advertising at UBS, one of the largest banks in the world, and previously held senior positions at Zurich Financial Services and Westpac Banking Group. He has lived and worked in New York, London, Sydney and Zurich. Currently he works with David Hale Global Economics and lives in Sydney and Zurich.

There are many indicators that the influence of momentum in our world has not only grown exponentially in recent years, but that its influence is not always for the better. The rapid and unprecedented integration of technology, media, communications and markets has greatly accelerated and magnified the impact of events. Things tend to happen faster, with bigger consequences. Our world has never been more interconnected and interdependent, and therefore more fragile. In terms of Newtonian physics, we are dealing with bigger issues (mass) moving at greater speed (velocity), which generates more momentum. As our globalised world becomes more efficient and automated, there is less `friction' to slow this momentum, particularly in highly deregulated, free-wheeling industries such as financial services. We are far more likely to be swept up in forces that propel us forward in a particular direction, like leaves in a fast-flowing stream, heading for a waterfall.