As someone who has bought about 14 day trading books in the past year,I guess I'm as good a critic as anyone - this book is so far ahead of the other daytrading books in both quality, illustrations, and content that it stands alone -
I am a firm believer that if you can walk away with 1 or 2 lasting ideas from any book than you are ahead of the game - Farrell book has about 15 such ideas - not to mention I think that the 3 sections on how the market makers, NYSE specialists, and day traders manipulate stock prices is the most informative chapters in any of the daytrading books out there -
is by far the most in-depth day trading book of the 10 I have bought because it talks about issues that, literally, none of the other day trading books I have ever read even mention - this books wastes no time on the "getting started 101" nonsense that so many other day trading books talk about (how to get started, what broker to choose) - also, this guy actually worked as a bond trader on Wall Street before he got started - so I think his perspective on "the shady side" of how Wall Street works is a bit more accurate than the others - Here is why I liked the book: Farrell attacks things like: why the NASDAQ can be so tricky, how the NYSE specialist can made a stock collapse by cancelling bids, how big firms like Goldman Sachs can hold a stock down with the appearance of 100 share sell orders, how hidden orders affect the supply and demand in a stock - this is all stuff that I had absolutely no idea even went on -
Christopher A. Farrell's book stands out as a different and brutally honest look at both the Nasdaq and the NYSE, how they work, and the pitfalls they hold for traders. Numerous quotes by market notables supporting the author's contentions are interspersed throughout the book.
One of the book's major themes is technical and fundamental analysis are useless to the daytrader who is contemplating a trade where a large market maker could be manipulating the stock's price. I couldn't agree more. However, I believe the author goes too far in discounting the usefulness of these valuable tools, as he sounds as if he believes that charts and fundamental information would never enter in as valid trading criteria in any other styles of trading. Nevertheless, I found his insights about market makers to be invaluable.
Ways in which a trader can gain somewhat of an edge over the Nasdaq market makers are spelled out, such as how to use "hidden orders." Also, "Spoofing" was a very interesting tactic exposed by the author: the advertising of huge size to buy or sell on Level II with no desire to be filled, but to manipulate the stock higher or lower. The author is very experienced at trading.
Insights into the NYSE specialist's role are covered in great detail, as well as a number of NYSE daytrading tactics. The author puts us in the specialist's shoes, giving various scenarios of market conditions and what a specialist does in his own interest and in the interest of the public. A more informative piece I have not read.
The author concludes by speculating on a trading world of totally fair markets, or "The 24-hour Unified Exchange, the Virtual Specialist, and the Extinction of Wall Street." A nice sentiment, but a lot of big money and influence stands in the way. All told, this book is an excellent read for any trader.