The Alpha Masters

Unlocking the Genius of the World's Top Hedge Funds

By: Maneet Ahuja

Narrated by: Joe Geoffrey

Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

The Alpha Masters is the ultimate behind-the-curtain look at the hedge fund industry, unlocking the most valuable stories, secrets, and lessons directly from those who have played the game best.

Written by Maneet Ahuja, the hedge fund industry insider, The Alpha Masters brings the secretive world of hedge funds into the light of day for the first time. As the authority that the biggest names in the business, including John Paulson, David Tepper, and Bill Ackman, go to before breaking major news, Ahuja has access to the innermost workings of the hedge fund industry. For the first time, in Alpha Masters, Ahuja provides both institutional and savvy private investors with tangible, analytical insight into the psychology of the trade, the strategies and investment criteria serious money managers use to determine and evaluate their positions, and special guidance on how the reader can replicate this success themselves.

There are few people with access to the inner chambers of the hedge fund industry, and as a result it remains practically uncharted financial territory. Alpha Masters changes all that, shedding light on star fund managers and how exactly they consistently outperform the market. The audiobook:

• Contains easy-to-follow chapters that are broken down by strategy: Long/Short, Event Arbitrage, Value, Macro, Distressed, Quantitative, Commodities, Activist, Pure Short, Fund of Funds
• Includes insights from the biggest names in the trading game, including Ray Dalio, Marc Lasry, Jim Chanos, Sonia Gardner, Pierre Lagrange, and Tim Wong
• Features contributions from industry icon Mohamed El-Erian

Many of the subjects profiled in this groundbreaking new book have never spoken so candidly about their field, providing extremely provocative, newsworthy analysis of today's investing landscape.

©2012 Maneet Ahuja (P)2012 Gildan Media LLC

Critic reviews

"Maneet Ahuja's The Alpha Masters is a must for anyone working on Wall Street - or anyone planning to work on Wall Street. Getting even one of these titans of the industry to talk on record would be an impressive feat (and I know this because I've tried unsuccessfully to interview at least two of the people featured in here!), but getting all of them together in one place is simply herculean. Maneet quite clearly has the magic touch, and The Alpha Masters kept me busy on a round trip to Vegas, with a few extra hours on the tarmac. Great work, fun listen, and a unique, fresh voice." (Ben Mezrich, author of 12 books including the New York Times best sellers Bringing Down the House, which was adapted into the movie 21, and The Accidental Billionaires, which was adapted into the Oscar-winning movie The Social Network)

Interesting book, terrible listen

Any additional comments?

Loved the information and stories in the book. HATED the narrator. Do you remember the driest math professor you ever had? Yup now picture listening to him for 7 hours

Awesome stories

Although it lacks a little bit on details, to hear about the stories of these guys from themselves is truly invaluable. The narrator, however, seems to lack somehow...

Great overview about the big hedge fund players

Liked the content and the stories.

This book gives a good overview of today's key players in the hedge fund industry.

Narration was clear.

Worth reading but not that insightful

What did you like best about The Alpha Masters? What did you like least?

I had previously read Jack Schwager's Market Wizards books before reading this book. This book has a similar theme, to provide the background and basic methodology of a number of leading fund managers. I found though, that this book did not provide as much insight into the strategies of the fund managers as Schwager's books. Instead this book focuses on the background of the fund managers and what makes them who they are today. It is worth reading but I did not learn that much from it.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Provide more details of the trading strategies employed by the fund managers.

What three words best describe Joe Geoffrey’s voice?

Softly Spoken, old.

Could you see The Alpha Masters being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No!

Any additional comments?

The reader is difficult to hear about traffic and road noise.

now I understand hedge funds.

Okay let's just say that I liked it. no need to go overboard. it was informative and enlightening. the speaker had a rather deadpan monolog, which keeps the book from getting a stellar review.

Not comparable to "Stock Market Wizards"

Written from journalistic / sensationalistic standpoint. Lacks depth in investment principles and philosophy. Concentrates too much on single deals.

Chapter division are incorrect

Chapters of the audiobook aren’t divided as the book and don’t have title. It’s hard to go back and forth this way

Mostly bios. Didn't learn much

Was hoping for more... Market wizards is so much better. Normally, I finish books with new insights. I finished this one with none.