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 A Must Read for any Long-Term Investor
This book is highly recommended for all investors, as it makes compelling arguments for what the future will be like and where to profit from it. Unfortunately, this future is not bright and rosy as I thought it might be.
The book argues that technology will not continue to increase productivity, which will result in inflation. It shows you how you might capitalize on these trends in the upcoming decade. It includes a model portfolio for conservative and aggressive investors and strategies to help in case of deflation. The book is well written, easy to understand and hard to put down. It will really make you think. Though the only negative I see is his recommendation of Enron, and the fact that he doesn't recommend market timing, where his previous book did
Insightful!
According to Stephen and Donna Leeb, technological advances are slowing while global economies are pressured to maintain growth. These factors will combine to create an inflationary environment. Inflation will change investors' strategies. The authors suggest investing in oil stocks, small-cap companies, and a few select large-cap companies. They are intriguing contrarians. They assert that Internet companies are a poor investment, because they believe the Internet won't achieve its promised increase in productivity and efficiency. They warn that overpopulation will create environmental disasters, which investors should prepare for by how they invest. We at getAbstract recommend this thought-provoking advice to investors, though not as their sole source of guidance.
Ambivalent about this book
I am somewhat ambivalent about this book. The authors say that there has been no major scientific or technological breakthrough in the last 20 or so years, and yet, fail to pinpoint the reason why technology as an investment sector has done so well in the last decade. To present my own opinion, I think it is because of the immense progress made in *applying* science and technology to real-world problems. I don't think the authors say this anywhere in their book. All they say is that scientific and technological innovation is slowing down. However, they make a good case as to why they think the sector will slow down even more in the coming years.I am also in agreement with the authors' arguments that as far as investing is concerned, the kind of portfolio that will generate great returns in the next 15 years is going to be something that will look vastly different from the one that generated great returns in the last 15 years. Towards this end, the authors present various portfolios consisting of inflation hedges, deflation hedges, franchises and environmental plays. They also explain in great detail the reasons why an investor should diversify along those lines. All in all, a very interesting book. I think it will serve as a handy reference for every serious investor during the coming decade or two.
 Terrific! Essential reading for any long-term investor.
On the recommendation of a friend, I just finished reading a new book by Stephen and Donna Leeb, Defying The Market. This book is amazing - thought-provoking, original, strongly argued, and exceptionally readable. In relatively few pages it packs in an incredible amount of information about everything from computers to medical research to agricultural trends and somehow makes it all understrandable, interesting, and most important, instantly relevant to my investment needs. The authors' main point is that technological progress is slowing down, while strong worldwide economic growth has become a necessity. These trends - which they argue will lead to, among other things, rising inflation, will affect every kind of investment, and they tell you exactly which investments will benefit and which ones will suffer. The book is terrific! In fact, it is one of those rare books that, after you read it, you feel that you will look at the world differently from that point on. Whatever your feelings about technology, if you invest in the market at all, you should read this book!
Profoundly provocative.
I'm addicted to reading investment books, and I've bought and read hundreds. But I recently finished one that I think is truly special-Defying the Market by Stephen Leeb and Donna Leeb. Although I knew that Stephen Leeb is well-respected investment adviser and money manager, I was skeptical when I saw from the jacket copy that this book argues that technology is slowing down and bases its investment advice on that premise. But the book convinced me that there's a lot to what he says. This is an investment guide that contains no hype, just a lot of solid research and original analysis. As a bonus, it is so readable that even though initially I thought I might find the section on technology and science hard going. I zipped through it. The Leebs aren't trying to impress or fill up pages-they have a real message and it comes across clearly. In fact, this book is a book not just for investors but for everyone that is interested in making sense out of today's world.
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(based on 12 reviews)
