Trader Construction Kit: Fundamental & Technical Analysis, Risk Management, Directional Trading, Spreads, Options, Quantitative Strategies, Execution, Position Management, Data Science & Programming

Joel lays it all out for the reader. Not only does he have an incredible background/experience in trading. It's such a great read because he really dumbs it down for you so that the layman can understand. Since receiving the book I have already put some of the things he mentions to practice. Currently in the process of building out my own algo trading system and this book is the perfect tool to help w/ that. I recommend this book for any novice trader or even qaunt researcher that wants to become a serious trader.

I agree with the common sentiment that a lot of trading knowledge is accumulated via empirical data (AKA experience). But there is so much you will never know unless someone else takes the time to explain it. And most books, bloggers, social media traders, and professional traders simply will not or cannot do this. To this end, even a cursory glance at this book’s subjects will give you a much broader perspective on markets and how they operate. If you didn’t go to school for trading or get a job as a trader then where else would you find this? I believe that the Dunning Krueger effect is alive and well in financial markets, due to the constant stream of trader hobbyists and blatant lack of good information. You can find or make any system and it can work great, until it doesn’t, and then what? Would a non-professional even understand where to go looking for ways to improve? I know I didn’t. So anyone who writes a poor or mediocre review of this book, claiming it is “basic stuff” is vastly understating the amount of time and effort involved in finding this stuff out in your own. Of course if you’re a prop trader you will find it basic, but you wouldn’t be reading this book anyway if that were the case. In summary, anyone who doesn’t trade as their day job will want to read this book, thoroughly and carefully, before embarking on any serious efforts to game the market and create an edge. If you already know everything in this book then you wouldn’t be here reading this review anyway, so don’t bother worrying about the negative reviews. You’re going to need to learn this stuff somehow, and you might as well get it all in one source.

This book is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to gain some insight into the career of a trader. I've read several books on trading, but this is easily the most thorough and accurate insight into trading that I've seen. Very good info on specifics of trading strategies and invaluable lessons from the experiences gained in the life of a trader. The book is well-written, and the author does a good job engaging the reader, rather than reading like a textbook. After finishing the original edition a few years ago, I've referenced it several times in my trading career since then. The updated edition has great content on implementing data science. I would strongly recommend this to anyone in a trading role or considering a career in trading.

One of my favorite trading books, this is no 101 book. This is extremely comprehensive and thorough. Definitely the next step type of book so I would recommend to anyone that has a basic understanding of technical analysis to begin with.

Good book to read.

While you can purchase or sell an option, there’s more often than not, an excellent chance of disappointment as most expire worthless while others can lose substantially. Yes, nothing new about that. Learn what a team of options traders, professional competition, the counter-party, does to be successful. Original content, not found elsewhere, in all those options trading books, makes this one impressive.

Pure knowledge, no fluff. This is my trading bible. There are plenty of other good books out there but this is the most complete and concise that I’ve come across. Money well spent.

This is a great book. It's cohesive. No useless sentences, no selling a chat room, no complicated-for-the-sake-of-appearing-complicated strategies -- just a well written intermediate guide to bridge the gap between the beginner day trading books and the esoteric TA manuals you'll find all over Amazon.

This review is on the kindle book quality. The font quality is poor (looks like ~ 100 dpi). It is not easy to read for a book of this length. I will buy the physical book.

As a trader, I’ve found that you don’t really learn how to be an effective trader through books, but rather through experience. The best experience is putting down your own capital and learning how to trade with it, how to handle the euphoria of making money and the gut-wrenching sensation of watching your positions reverse on you. That said, Trader Construction Kit is written by a seasoned professional trader, and it shows. It’s pointed, subject oriented, information dense, and accurately reflects the field and vocation of trading and portfolio management. People who would benefit greatly from this book are finance students who wish to move into the portfolio management space, day traders who have the intellectual capacity to read through densely packed information and synthesise trading ideas (the book won’t give you ideas, it will show you how trading ideas are formulated; you’ll need to come up with trading ideas yourself), and people who are interested in understanding the fundamentals of investment, trading and portfolio management. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it a great refresher, but knowing most traders I know that someone who is already in the industry won’t benefit much or will find it a bit boring. Most day traders are too busy looking for moonshots and “secret strategies” and other ridiculous ideas and will dismiss pretty much everything in this book. If you approach trading and portfolio management in a respectful and detached manner, much like an academic, you will benefit from this book.