Gregory Zuckerman Knihy

"How Jim Simons launched the Quant revolution"--Book jacket.

"Few were ready when a mysterious respiratory illness emerged in Wuhan, China in January 2020. Politicians, government officials, business leaders, and public-health professionals were unprepared for the most devastating pandemic in a century. Many of the world's biggest drug and vaccine makers were slow to react or couldn't muster an effective response. It was up to a small group of unlikely and untested scientists and executives to save civilization. A French businessman dismissed by many as a fabulist. A Turkish immigrant with little virus experience. A quirky Midwesterner obsessed with insect cells. A Boston scientist employing questionable techniques. A British scientist despised by his peers. Far from the limelight, each had spent years developing innovative vaccine approaches. Their work was met with skepticism and scorn. By 2020, these individuals had little proof of progress. Yet they and their colleagues wanted to be the ones to stop the virus holding the world hostage. They scrambled to turn their life's work into life-saving vaccines in a matter of months, each gunning to make the big breakthrough--and to beat each other for the glory that a vaccine guaranteed."-- Provided by publisher

“A lively, exciting, and definitely thought-provoking book.” —Booklist Things looked grim for American energy in 2006, but a handful of wildcatters were determined to tap massive deposits of oil and gas that giants like Exxon and Chevron had ignored. They risked everything on a new process called fracking. Within a few years, they solved America’s dependence on imported energy, triggered a global environmental controversy, and made and lost astonishing fortunes. No one understands the frackers—their ambitions, personalities, and foibles—better than Wall Street Journal reporter Gregory Zuckerman. His exclusive access drives this dramatic narrative, which stretches from North Dakota to Texas to Wall Street.

Back in 2006, hunched over spreadsheets, hedge fund titan John Paulson realised that the housing market was vastly overstretched. Fuelled by sub-prime mortgages, it was a classic bubble ready to burst. He had waited his whole life for this perfect trade. Paulson, who had never dealt in real-estate before, struggled to convince bullish Wall Street investors about the coming crash. But as house prices began to falter and the financial system collapsed, he reaped the rewards. He made a now-legendary series of trades, executed with technical skill and perfect timing. The results were spectacular. In a single morning in late 2007 Paulson made $1.25bn from a five-point fall in the markets. Across the year he earned $15 billion for his fund, including $4 billion for himself - more than the incomes of J.K Rowling, Oprah Winfrey and Tiger Woods put together. It was the largest trading windfall in history by far, securing his place in the history books alongside Warren Buffet and George Soros. Written with the exclusive co-operation of the highly secretive Paulson, The Greatest Trade Ever tells the full story of his trade for the first time. Like Barbarians at the Gate 20 years ago, it also tells a wider story of staggering wealth accumulation, hubris and financial whizzery. It is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the inner workings of the markets - and trying to spot the next bubble.

Jim Simons is the most successful moneymaker in modern financial history, surpassing legendary investors like Warren Buffett and George Soros. Yet, his strategies remain largely mysterious. Gregory Zuckerman, a veteran Wall Street Journal reporter, provides an insider's look at Simons's hedge fund, Renaissance Technologies. After a distinguished career as a mathematician and codebreaker, Simons sought to revolutionize financial markets through an innovative approach. He recruited physicists, mathematicians, and computer scientists—many with little finance experience—to analyze vast amounts of data and develop algorithms that identify hidden patterns in global markets. Despite initial skepticism from experts, Simons and his team became some of the wealthiest individuals, pioneering a data-driven strategy now prevalent across various industries. As Renaissance grew influential in finance, its executives began to shape other sectors. Simons became a significant player in scientific research, education, and Democratic politics, notably funding Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Conversely, senior executive Robert Mercer played a pivotal role in the Trump presidency and Brexit campaign, impacting the political landscape. Despite his foresight, Simons did not foresee the repercussions of Mercer's actions on his firm and the world. Zuckerman's fast-paced narrative explores Simons's quantitative revolution on Wall Street and his

This definitive account details the global effort to develop a Covid-19 vaccine, highlighting the successes and failures of major vaccines. Initially, many leading drug and vaccine manufacturers were slow to respond to the pandemic, leaving the task to a small group of unlikely scientists and executives. Among them were a French businessman viewed as a fantasist, a Turkish immigrant with limited virus experience, an eccentric American Midwesterner focused on insect cells, a Boston scientist using controversial methods, and a British scientist who faced disdain from peers. These individuals raced to transform their research into life-saving vaccines within months, driven by the ambition to achieve a groundbreaking discovery and the glory that would come with it. The author, a bestselling writer and investigative journalist, provides an inside look at the secret laboratories, corporate rivalries, and high-stakes government negotiations that facilitated the rapid development and rollout of effective vaccines. Meticulously reported and engaging, this chronicle captures the most significant scientific breakthrough of our time, showcasing themes of courage, genius, heroism, and optimism, alongside rivalries, ambitions, insecurities, and unexpected drama. It is a compelling narrative of how science ultimately saved the world.

Meet the Frackers. George Mitchell, the son of a Greek goatherder, who tried to extract gas from rock that experts deemed worthless. He faced an unexpected obstacle in his quest to change history. Aubrey McClendon, the charismatic descendant of an Oklahoma energy dynasty, who scored bil­lions leading a land grab. He wasn't prepared for the shocking fallout of his discoveries. Tom Ward, who overcame a troubled childhood to become one of the nation's wealthiest men. He could handle natural-gas fields but had more trouble with a Wall Street power broker. Harold Hamm, the son of poor farmer, who believed America had more oil than anyone imagined. Hamm was determined to find the crude before others caught on. Charif Souki, the dashing Lebanese immigrant who saw his career crumble and his fortune disintegrate, leaving one last, unlikely chance for success. Mark Papa, the Enron castoff who panicked when he realized a resurgence of American natural gas was at hand: one that his company wasn't prepared for. Praise for The Greatest Trade Ever 'Simply terrific. Easily the best of the post-crash financial books.' Malcolm Gladwell 'The definitive account of a strange and wonderful subplot of the financial crisis.' Michael Lewis 'Zuckerman is a first-rate reporter who is able to explain the complexities of finance in layman's terms. At times, The Greatest Trade Ever reads like a thriller.' The New York Times