Rigged: The True Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil, from Wall Street to Dubai

by Ben Mezrich

Book Overview

After conquering the hallowed halls of Harvard Business School, an Italian-American kid from the streets of Brooklyn decides to take on the testosterone-fueled Merc Exchange in lower Manhattan--where billions of dollars in oil money trade hands every week and where fistfights are known to break out on the trading floor. Soon our hero is living the good life in the gold-lined hotel palaces of Dubai and on private yachts in Monte Carlo, teeming with...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061252735
• ISBN13: 9780061252730
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Awesome

Book was awesome, read it in about two days and learned a lot. Very interesting.

Well worth the read

Like Mezrich's other books, this one was hard to put down. Initially, I thought the story line would not be as interesting as his other non-fiction books, however, I was pleasantly surprised. Mezrich is a great writer and has the ability to capture the reader's interest. For those reviewers who were disappointed that the book was a little light on oil futures trading, I suggest purchasing a book on the topic, as this book does not claim to be a textbook on the subject. Rather, it portrays the story of an Italian-American Ivy League student who claws his way into the chaotic world of the oil exchange. Having never been to Dubai, I found it fascinating reading about the culture, customs and excess riches of the place. In my opinion this was a fascinating story and I'm unsure why this book received so many negative reviews.

Excellent and Captivating

I absolutely give Rigged 5 stars. I very much enjoyed the style (non-fiction novel). Hearing how Nick and Khaled set up the energy exchange in Dubai was captivating. I'm 24 and hope someday to go to HBS. I am an entrepreneur and investor and have been to Dubai. The book was certainly more 'targeted' to my demographic. Perhaps it allowed me to dream and think just a bit bigger. For ambitious and driven individuals in their 20s it's an exciting and informative read.

Your Next Vacation Book

Ben has a knack for creating an incredible visual in his books. This is a great read, captivating in every aspect. I couldn't put it down and would recommend as your next vacation book.

Exciting Times We Live In

A true story about a Brooklyn kid that went to Harvard Business School then landed at the Mercantile Exchange in lower Manhattan (aka the Merk) where testosterone charged traders muscle their way from rags to riches and can become millionaires overnight. Then in a blink of an eye, literally a few weeks he is spearheading the push for the Merc to partner with the Sheiks of Dubai to open the Dubai exchange to trade oil. Granted they came up with a different contract not to compete with the NY Merc. I enjoyed the book and the brief tales of the traders and their excesses, in both the amount of money they can make in a matter of minutes and the amount they spend when blowing off steam. After all what's few hundred grand a night after a successful trading day when just as much, or more can be made. What also becomes clear is the opening of the Dubai Merc in a sense amplifies the end of an era, or at least the beginning of the end. The inevitable cutting of the fat or squeezing of the margins that has happened all across the securities industries over the last ten years is going to continue right through the energy markets. The spreads will tighten and electronic matching systems will eventually decimate the order flow that needs to pass through the floor traders hands. This which will affect the "outcry auction system" as it has on the NYSE. I have friends on the NYSE that tell me their flow of the volume is down 80% since they went electronic. This trend started when they changed from stocks being quoted in fractions to pennies. Ultimately it's better for the consumer. Capitalism is an evolving game that is unfolding and changing in front of our eyes. Exchanges are going from not for profit to "for profit" publicly traded companies where the name of the game is get the profit to the bottom line and cut as much fat from the middlemen as possible. Exciting times we live in. By Kevin Kingston, author of "A 20,000% gain in Real Estate, A True Story About the Ups and Down from Wall Street to Real Estate"