We asked some of our favorite analysts, traders, and economists across Wall Street for the best books they read over the past year.
The responses vary — from works of fiction to nonfiction titles, both new and old.
Some deal with finance, but most don't, at least directly.
Brenda Kelly, IG Markets: "The Ocean at the End of the Lane" by Neil Gaiman
"I don’t know what can be gleaned from my choice of book but I really enjoyed 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' by Neil Gaiman. This was before it was made book of the year, might I add. I think it was a well-deserved accolade. I'm generally a fan of the dystopian and fantasy-themed novels. It evokes memories of my childhood (good and bad) and I think that’s the intention – you remember the way you thought as a child. It's a book I'll read again."
—Brenda Kelly, chief market strategist at IG Markets
Barry Ritholtz, Ritholtz Wealth Management: "The Success Equation" by Michael J. Mauboussin
"The inability to distinguish between luck and skill has a huge impact on investors. They think they can select a stock that will outperform an index. Sometimes they can; most of the time they cannot. But distinguishing when it is the result of skill and when it's random is beyond most investors' abilities. Same with choosing a hedge fund or mutual fund manager — what is perceived as an ability to make a good decision turns out to be mostly random."
—Barry Ritholtz, CIO of Ritholtz Wealth Management
Peter Tchir, TF Market Advisors: "Animal Farm" by George Orwell
"I re-read Animal Farm. I have this growing fear that we are reverting to a system that we tried to escape. A little far-fetched but can’t shake this feeling that something is wrong and what made this country great is being eroded bit by bit."
—Peter Tchir, founder of TF Market Advisors
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