Finance Out of Order

Name: Finance Out of Order
ISBN: 9787308185684

Sijin ChenZhejiang University Press · ChinaJan 2019

3.6

Word count: 99K words
Chapters: 24
ISBN: 9787308185684

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Summary

Finance is no longer merely a contest of capital among investment banks and conglomerates; it is profoundly shaping each of our lives. In an age of information overload, seeing through the complexities of economic phenomena to the essence of investment markets matters greatly for safeguarding our wealth. Drawing on years of experience at major Wall Street institutions and deep professional expertise, the author analyzes the logic behind the chaos in investing. These seemingly "disordered" financial phenomena reveal the truest economic laws. Through this book, we can come to understand the nature of financial activity and learn how to avoid risk.

Editor's review

Disordered Finance is veteran financial expert Chen Sijin's in-depth diagnosis and critical reflection on the contemporary global financial system. Its distinctive value lies in the author's dual career experience across Wall Street and China, which he uses to build a logical framework for analyzing the nature of finance rather than merely cataloging market chaos. Chen argues that the root of financial "disorder" is that finance has increasingly departed from its original purpose of serving the real economy and has morphed into a self-inflating, under-regulated behemoth—a process of "financialization" that is dragging the global economy into a fragile state of debt-driven, bubble-accumulating risk. The book offers calm, incisive analysis of the long-term consequences of post-2008 central bank "easy money" policies, the complexity and danger of financial derivatives, and the latent risks behind the shine of FinTech. For readers, this is not only an observational record of financial phenomena but also a primer for cultivating "financial skepticism." It offers no secret to getting rich quick; instead, it helps readers see past the surface of financial news and understand the underlying logic of capital flows and the mechanisms by which systemic risk arises. Reading it leaves one more clear-eyed and less credulous about the world of money.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers with a strong interest in how the global economy and financial markets work who want to go beyond news briefings
Students and early-career professionals in finance and business seeking a critical framework for understanding finance
Investors concerned with the long-term safety of personal assets who want to understand how the macroeconomic financial environment affects personal wealth
Humanities and social science enthusiasts curious about financial history, financial crises, and the social impact of the financial system

Not a good fit for

Readers looking for concrete, actionable investment advice or short-term trading techniques
Readers who expect light storytelling or strong opinionated argument and find logically demanding content difficult

Reading tips

Read alongside classic works on financial crisis history (such as This Time Is Different) to deepen understanding of cyclical risk
Pay particular attention to the author's discussion of "financialization," the core thread linking the book's many arguments
When encountering technical terms, don't feel obliged to grasp them all at once; treat them as an evolving cognitive map to be filled in through further reading

About the publisher

Zhejiang University Press China · Founded in 1984

Since its founding in 1984, Zhejiang University Press has published across fields ranging from science, engineering, agriculture and medicine to the humanities and social sciences, covering both academic monographs and general-interest titles. Judging from the 211 books in our catalog, its strengths lie in management, finance, social sciences, world history and biography. Representative works include Wu Xiaobo's financial titles such as "Day by Day" and "Tencent Biography", translations in the social sciences such as Chizuko Ueno's "Patriarchy and Capitalism", and biographical and historical works such as "Alexander Hamilton" and "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire". Its authors include Chinese and international scholars and writers such as Wu Xiaobo, Chizuko Ueno and Ron Chernow. On the evidence of the catalog, the press combines academic translation with accessible finance and history writing, giving equal weight to specialist publishing and popular reading. It should be noted that public information on the press's full publishing structure and characteristics is limited.

版权信息
前言 “金融化”能带来财富吗？
第一部分投资的真相
01 交易是一场失败者的游戏
02 股市是被操纵的赌局
03 黄金是延续6000年的泡沫
04 房地产是投资性的财产吗？
第二部分击鼓传花的游戏
05 资本的原始积累
06 内幕交易的“罪与罚”
07 分析师与“占卜师”
08 小散户的抗争与失衡
第三部分窃国者诸侯
09 被神化的华尔街
10 华尔街炼金术
11 金融工具，制造泡沫与繁荣
第四部分不做接盘侠
12 拒绝杠杆诱惑
13 多投资，少投机
14 用好时间“魔力”
第五部分理财第一秘诀：避开骗局
15 古今中外的庞氏骗局
16 有史以来最大的庞氏骗局
17 别做击鼓传花的最后接手人

FAQ

Is the book's view too pessimistic or alarmist?

The author's critical stance is indeed pronounced, but his arguments rest on long-term industry observation and historical data analysis. It is better read as a risk warning and systemic reflection meant to counter the market's habitual blind optimism, not as pure doom-mongering.

Can readers without a finance background understand it?

The author deliberately avoids overly complex mathematical models and focuses on logical analysis and case interpretation. A basic grasp of economics is enough for smooth reading, and key concepts are explained in plain terms, so beginners can use this book as a gateway to financial literacy.

What sets this book apart from other financial critique books?

Its greatest strength is the author's unique perspective combining frontline Wall Street practice with observation of the Chinese market. This means the analysis goes beyond criticism of the U.S. financial system to address the distinctive challenges and choices China faces in financial globalization, offering a more three-dimensional global picture.

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About the author

Sijin Chen Author · Canada · 1958

Chen Sijin is a Chinese-Canadian financial writer and international finance specialist. His ancestral home is Wenzhou, Zhejiang, and he was born in Shanghai; he now lives in Toronto. He has served as an assistant vice president in the securities investment department of Credit Suisse, a vice president at Bank of America Securities, and a senior risk management consultant at the Royal Bank of Canada, and he experienced the September 11 attacks in 2001 firsthand. This career spanning investment banking and risk management gives his writing both professional depth and a sense of immediacy. His works cover finance, personal investment, management and social culture, including series such as the Investment and Wealth Management Inspiration series and the Galaxy series, as well as popular finance books like One Book to Understand Everyday Finance, The First Book to Understand Financial News, The Truth of Wall Street Finance and Disordered Finance. He has also extended financial education to general readers through a comic series on finance. He served as an academic consultant for the CCTV documentaries Wall Street and Money, and is known for explaining financial phenomena and investment logic in accessible prose.