Wealth, War and Wisdom

During our current years of political upheaval and dramatic market swings, it's important to look back on historic periods to gain insights into the direction of stocks and economic stability for investment opportunities today. In Wealth, War, and Wisdom, legendary Wall Street investor Barton Biggs has analyzed, for the first time, the major events of World War II and how they shaped the stock market and individual wealth from 1930 to 1945. No one before Biggs has traced this intersection, and the lessons for investing today are unparalleled. In Wealth, War, and Wisdom, Biggs discusses the performance of equities in both victorious and defeated countries. He then reveals how individuals preserved their wealth and explores whether or not public equities were able to increase in value and serve as a wealth preserver in spite of the ongoing battles. Besides examining the stock market, Biggs looks at how other assets, including real estate and gold, fared during this dynamic and devastating period. His unique account of the Second World War is lively and lesson-filled on life, politics, and survival, and completely relevant to predicting the way modern financial markets and the economy may act during times of uncertainty. Filled with in-depth insights and practical advice, Wealth, War, and Wisdom will help investors apply these original financial lessons directly, and beneficially, to today's turbulent markets. Barton Biggs (Greenwich, CT) spent 30 years at Morgan Stanley. In that time, he formed the firm's number-one-ranked research department, built up its investment management business, and served as Chairman of the investment management firm. At various times during this period, he was ranked as the number one U.S. investment strategist by the Institutional Investor magazine poll and then, from 1996 to 2003, as the number one global strategist. He was also a member of the five-man executive committee that ran the firm until its merger with Dean Witter in 1996. In 2003, Biggs left Morgan Stanley and, with two other colleagues, formed Traxis Partners. Traxis now has well over a billion dollars under its management.