And now for something a little more in-depth than our usual further reading offerings. Here’s a list of essential strategy reading compiled by James Sweeney — Jonathan’s right-hand man in New York:

- A History of Interest Rates by Sidney Homer and Richard Sylla
Understanding sovereign debt is in large part about understanding the history of interest rates. Besides many other interesting facts, learn where French bond yields were trading in Switzerland during the Nazi occupation (hint: it wasn’t very high).

- Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
The chapter on Hamilton’s work as Treasury Secretary is critical and relevant reading. Europe today is wrestling with the same sorts of issues.

- Fault Lines by Raghuram Rajan
Ragan has a fascinating take on secular trends, though we can do without his call for an IMF marketing department that takes their messages to the masses.

- From Poverty to Prosperity By Arnold Kling and Nick Schulz
Interviews with economists on productivity.

- Jimmy Stewart is Dead by Laurence J. Kotlikoff
The smartest bear we’ve read. Scenarios to keep you worrying.

- On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You’re Not by Robert Burton
When you have a view, you literally might not see data points in front of you that disagree. The neuroscience of forecasting errors.

- On Money and Markets: A Wall Street Memoir by Henry Kaufman
See how this business of strategy developed.

- Rebound by Stephen J. Rose
US policy economist breaks down what’s been going on in the labor market and reaches some surprising conclusions.

- The Brain that Changes Itself by Norman Doidge
There’s a lot we don’t know about our brains. This book focuses on healing and neuroplasticity.

- The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century by George Friedman
Loony, entertaining, and surprisingly plausible scenarios for the 21st century. Turkey, Poland, Japan, and the US as the major powers in 2050?

- The Emperor’s New Mind by Roger Penrose
Classic on computation, neuroscience, and intelligence. This is the book Ray Kurzweil argues against in ‘The Singularity is Near’.

- Bonus: Report on Public Credit by Alexander Hamilton (text available online)
Hamilton develops a theory of shadow money in 1790.

This entry was posted by Guest writer on Wednesday, December 1st, 2010 at 10:36 and is filed under Capital markets, People. Edit this entry.