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Description of Soros on Soros

George Soros Ends the Speculation

"The outcome [of this book] is a summing up of my life′s work. . . As I finish the book, I feel I have succeeded."—George Soros from the Preface

Critical praise for Soros on Soros

"If you have ever wanted to sit down for a candid conversation with a phenomenal financial success, George Soros′s book provides the opportunity. You will meet a complex man and a first–rate mind."—Henry A. Kissinger

"The best expert on Soros is undoubtedly George Soros! After all, who is better equipped to tell us what he really thinks and how he thinks, a matter of some importance given the fact that he has translated a remarkable personal financial success into a truly generous and historically significant effort to promote postcommunist democracy."—Zbigniew Brzezinski

"The best X–ray of the mind of the master yet."—Barton M. Biggs

"George Soros brings a lot more to the world of finance than the intuition and nerve of a born trader—and in Soros on Soros he′s no longer bashful about telling us about it. A philosopher at heart, George attributes his success at investing to a theory of the interaction of reality and human perception. What really drives the man now, with a personal fortune beyond all personal need, is a different kind of strategic investing—investment to build in Eastern Europe the kind of open societies he came to value in his own life."—Paul A. Volcker

Financial guru George Soros is one of the most colorful and intriguing figures in the financial world today. Now in Soros on Soros, readers are given their most intimate and revealing look yet into the life and mind of the one Business–Week dubbed, "The Man Who Moves Markets."

Soros on Soros interweaves financial theory and personal reminiscence, political analysis and moral reflection to offer a compelling portrait of the world (and its markets) according to Soros. In an interview–style narrative with Byron Wien, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, and with German journalist Krisztina Koenen, Soros vividly describes the genesis of his brilliant financial career and shares his views on investing and global finance, politics and the emerging world order, and the responsibility of power.

Speaking with remarkable candor, he traces his progress from Holocaust survivor to philosophy student, unsuccessful tobacco salesman to the world′s most powerful and profitable trader and introduces us to the people and events that helped shape his character and his often controversial views.

In describing the investment theories and financial strategies that have made him "a superstar among money managers" (The New York Times), Soros tells the fascinating story of the phenomenally successful Soros Fund Management and its $12 billion flagship, Quantum Fund. He also offers fresh insights into some of his most sensational wins and losses, including a firsthand account of the $1 billion he made going up against the British pound and the fortune he lost speculating on the yen. Plus: Soros′s take on the devaluation of the peso and currency fluctuations internationally.

He tells of the personal and professional crises that more than once threatened to destroy him and of the personal resources he drew upon to turn defeat into resounding victory. And he explains his motivations for establishing the Soros Foundation and the Open Society Institute through which he worked to build open societies in postcommunist countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.

Finally, turning his attention to international politics, Soros offers keen insights into the current state of affairs in Russia and the former communist bloc countries and analyzes the reasons behind and likely consequences of the West′s failure to properly integrate them into the free world. He also explores the crisis of the ERM and analyzes the pros and cons of investing in a number of emerging markets.

Find out what makes one of the greatest financial wizards of this or any age tick. Soros on Soros is a must read for anyone interested in world finance and international policy.

Title Information

ISBN:

9780471120148

Pages:

336 pages

Format:

Hardback

Product Code:

129831

Publisher:

John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Published:

11/09/1995

Press and Industry Reviews

;Financial genius, global philanthropist, Holocaust survivor, LSE-educated philosopher - what makes George Soros tick? A stake of 1,000 invested in his Quantum Fund in 1969 would be worth 2.15 million today. With a personal fortune beyond most people's wildest imaginings, what drives him on? ('I find collecting totally alien to my nature... it's not just a matter of buying a certain number of paintings or having a certain number of wine bottles, but you've also got to remember their names. I find that very tiresome.') These candid interviews show various facets of the man, interweaving financial theory, political analysis and personal reflection. 'I was facing extermination at the age of 14 because I was Jewish... it took the better part of my life to come to terms with it.' And how can you use his ideas to your advantage? Simple, really. Find the pressure point for irrational forces and do the opposite - sooner or later, the market will follow. (Kirkus UK);This penetrating interview with dominant financial philosopher and philanthropist Soros (Underwriting Democracy, 1991, etc.) is unfortunately hindered by repetition, obscurity, and occasionally forced contrariness. A book of conversations with a successful investor automatically suggests the Market Wizards collection, the seminal pair of books containing interviews with financiers who fit the title. Like those works, Soros on Soros sinks or swims with the ability of its subject to shed light on the methods that have made him the second most successful money manager in history (after Warren Buffett). The reflective and talkative Soros provides three interviews. The first, conducted by investment strategist and Soros friend Wien, concentrates on the Hungarian immigrant's upbringing and investment style. Hungarian journalist Koenen poses the questions in the second interview, which explores Soros's philanthropic efforts and global political interests. The final interview, again by Wien, delves more deeply into Soros's philosophy as it informs his life outside of investing. Untangling the man's uniquely philosophical approach to market prognostication, the first section is by far the most tantalizing. Since 1969, Soros has managed the Quantum Fund, the superior precursor to today's hedge funds, which, by employing a greater deal of leverage than most funds dare, has grown at a pace that would have turned a $1,000 investment in 1969 into over $2 million today. Soros is perhaps best known for Quantum's attack on the British pound in 1992, a maneuver that netted Quantum shareholders over $2 billion but is viewed with hostility by many who fear the trader's power. The play-by-play of this wrangle and others best grabs the attention of readers not intimidated by concepts such as derivatives and currency speculation. Call it messianic or ballsy, there's a courage to this interviewee that makes for both an educational and entertaining read, though one dampened by the constraints of the question-and-answer format. (Kirkus Reviews)

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About George Soros

GEORGE SOROS runs Soros Fund Management, the principal investment advisor to Quantum Group of Funds, a series of off–shore investment funds. Its flagship, Quantum Fund NV, is generally recognized as having the best performance record of any investment fund in the world during its 26–year history. In addition to being a renowned financier, George Soros has established a network of foundations operating in 25 countries and spending hundreds of millions of dollars annually on major philanthropic efforts. George Soros′s other books include The Alchemy of Finance, Opening the Soviet System, and Underwriting Democracy.