Short description
The bestselling author of "F.I.A.S.C.O." presents a riveting chronicle of the rise of dangerous financial instruments and the growing crisis in American business. Partnoy recounts the rise of the trading instruments and corporate financial structures that now imperil the economic health of the country. Author speaking tour.
Long description
Readers are unlikely to find a more readable explanation of how the financial system has changed since the 1980s and who came unstuck. -- Financial Times
The still-unfolding financial story is terrifying. One by one, major corporations such as Enron, Global Crossing, and WorldCom are imploding all around us, prey to a greed-driven culture and dubious or illegal corporate finance and accounting. We have reached a perilous crossroads.
In a compelling and disturbing narrative, Frank Partnoy brings to bear all of his skills and experience as a securities attorney, financial analyst, and law professor to tell the story of the rise of the trading instruments and corporate financial structures that now imperil the economic health of the country. Starting in the mid-1980s, he documents how each new level of financial risk and complexity obscured the sickness of corporate America. Finally, Partnoy offers clear policies that can save our financial system.
Review
Ambitious . . . a useful book, bringing together details of half-forgotten scandals from the past fifteen years. -- The New York Times Book Review
Frank Partnoy knows the landscape from the inside . . . a good, snappy read. -- The Washington Post