Books about Inflation from Amazon.com

It’s a giant gap in our history The Great Inflation, argues award-winning columnist Robert J. Samuelson in this provocative book, was the worst domestic policy blunder of the postwar era and played a crucial role in transforming American politics, economy, and everyday life–and yet its story is hardly remembered or appreciated. In these uncertain economic times, it is more imperative than ever that we understand what happened in the 1960s and 1970s, lest we be doomed to repeat our mistakes.

From 1960 to 1979, inflation rose from barely more than 1 percent to nearly 14 percent. It was the greatest peacetime inflationary spike in this nation’s history, and it had massive repercussions in every area of our lives. The direct consequences included Ronald Reagan’s election to the presidency in 1980, stagnation in living standards, and a growing belief–both in America and abroad–that the great-power status of the United States was ending. The Great Inflation and Its Aftermath traces the origins and rise of double-digit inflation and its fall in the brutal 1981-82 recession, engineered by the Federal Reserve under then-chairman Paul Volcker and with the staunch backing of Reagan.

But that is only half the story. The end of high inflation triggered economic and social changes that are still with us. The stock market and housing booms were both direct outcomes; American business became more productive–and also much less protective of workers; and globalization was encouraged.

We cannot understand today’s world, Samuelson contends, without understanding the Great Inflation and its aftermath. Nor can we prepare for the future unless we heed its lessons. This incisive and enlightening book will stand as the authoritative account of a watershed event of our times.

Praise for The Great Inflation and Its Aftermath
"Newsweek and Washington Post columnist Samuelson is one of the rare journalists who debates politics and economics with a healthy skepticism toward conventional wisdom. Politicians would do well to study [the errors] the past that teach that choosing quick fixes only delays and worsens the inevitable.”– Booklist

"If you want to understand the economic events of the last half century, you should read. . . Robert Samuelson's The Great Inflation and Its Aftermath: --U.S News & World Report..
Price: $13.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In Bailout, John Waggoner answers the essential questions surrounding recent market catastrophes—from the failure of Bear Stearns to the credit crisis—and reveals how you can protect your portfolio during these turbulent times. Waggoner offers a wide range of strategies to help your portfolio weather this storm, including rebalancing and using foreign currencies, and discusses how Treasury bonds, gold, commodities, and real estate can solidify your financial standing. With the expert advice found here, you’ll quickly discover what it takes to achieve safety and success in today’s volatile market..
Price: $10.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork..
Price: $26.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The 2nd edition of this successful book has several new features The calibration discussion of the basic LIBOR market model has been enriched considerably, with an analysis of the impact of the swaptions interpolation technique and of the exogenous instantaneous correlation on the calibration outputs. A discussion of historical estimation of the instantaneous correlation matrix and of rank reduction has been added, and a LIBOR-model consistent swaption-volatility interpolation technique has been introduced.

The old sections devoted to the smile issue in the LIBOR market model have been enlarged into several new chapters. New sections on local-volatility dynamics, and on stochastic volatility models have been added, with a thorough treatment of the recently developed uncertain-volatility approach. Examples of calibrations to real market data are now considered. 

The fast-growing interest for hybrid products has led to new chapters. A special focus here is devoted to the pricing of inflation-linked derivatives. 

The three final new chapters of this second edition are devoted to credit. Since Credit Derivatives are increasingly fundamental, and since in the reduced-form modeling framework much of the technique involved is analogous to interest-rate modeling, Credit Derivatives -- mostly Credit Default Swaps (CDS), CDS Options and Constant Maturity CDS - are discussed, building on the basic short rate-models and market models introduced earlier for the default-free market. Counterparty risk in interest rate payoff valuation is also considered, motivated by the recent Basel II framework developments.

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Price: $58.75 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The years since World War II have seen rapid shifts in the relative positions of different countries and regions Leading political economist Mancur Olson offers a new and compelling theory to explain these shifts in fortune and then tests his theory against evidence from many periods of history and many parts on the world..
Price: $12.45 [Notify me when price goes down.]

I just finished reading this book and found that it filled in many inconsistencies that I have noted in my mainstream economic study. The author explains clearly and concisely the origins of and money and its importance to any economic system. He proceeds to describe the evolution of banking to its current inflationary state. He clearly shows that this inflationary states results from a combination of fractional reserve banking, the government's grant of monopoly powers through a cental bank (the U.S. Federal Reserve in the case of the U.S.), and the central banks open market operations to manipulate bank reserves (e.g., monetizing debt).

I found this book to be the most interesting and revealing book I have ever read about the banking system and the Federal Reserve. He explains how fractional reserve banking makes banks inherently prone to bankruptcy, how the Federal Reserve and other central banks create inflation, and how money has evolved and been debased..
Price: $3.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]

"A guide that will turn readers into smart and savvy investors. Appel, author of several successful books on investing and editor of the leading technical analysis publication Systems and Forecasts, offers readers even more hot investment tips in his latest offering. Here, he shows readers how to read and recognize the economic climate, and demonstrates how to invest accordingly. After teaching how to understand the character of the market, Appel offers tried-and-true strategies that will help you make high-return, low-risk investments using mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and real investment trusts. He also provides solid advice on how to invest in foreign markets, taking advantage of often overlooked investment opportunities abroad. Investments in real estate, precious metals and other commodities also receive coverage, and Appel offers useful web resources for further research. The author has more than 40 years of experience, and his love of teaching the trade is conveyed through his enthusiasm and thorough explanations.Both amateurs and experienced investors who are looking for a competitive edge will appreciate this information-packed guide to making wise investments in any economic climate. " --Kirkus Reports In Opportunity Investing, you are shown which investments provide the best returns in varying economic climates, how to recognize and take advantage of investment opportunities overseas as well as investment opportunities within the United States. Specific strategies for identifying the strongest mutual funds and stock market sectors are provided, as well as strategies for periods when interest rates either rise or fall. Tools are provided to identify periods when stocks and/or other investment options are likely to advance, periods when market outlooks are more cloudy, and strategies that suggest changes in portfolio allocation that may be made accordingly. Other areas discussed include real estate, precious metals and other commodities, and investments that bring in high and steady levels of income..
Price: $10.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]