An American Hedge Fund Book Review

Tim Sykes of timothysykes.com, was kind enough to send me a copy of his book, “An American Hedge Fund“, for a pre-read before it’s release. Unique in the financial world, it’s a chance to take a peek at how an ambitious trader went from reading stock message boards on aol, to running his own hedge fund in his early 20’s.

Tim shares his experience with fear and greed throughout the book.

“One stock had tripled from $5, so I shorted it as it broke through the psychologically important $15 to the downside. I covered for more than $2 per share for a quick $30,000 profit in just over two hours. Screw all that self analysis! There was money to be made.”

He shows the difficulty of raising capital, and juggling trading at the same time.

“Another factor was I was a one man shop. Many other funds had grown exponentially through the efforts of multiple employees with decades of experience, third party marketing firms, and wealthy investor connections.”

In the end, Tim reflects on “Lessons Learned”.

“There is great value in learning from the mistakes of others. People seem to be embarrassed and too worried about their reputation to admit mistakes in print. Why? Sharing success and failure helps everyone to achieve their goals whatever they may be.”

Reading “An American Hedge Fund“, was enjoyable and eye opening. Tim’s transparency, and personal viewpoint of the hedge fund industry, make this book a recommended read for anyone interested in the world of trading and hedge funds.