The Black Swan

The Black Swan - by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

Nassam Nicholas Taleb achieved notoriety when he published a book one week before 9/11, speculating about the chances of a plane crashing into his office building. In the Black Swan, he explains that the events which really change the world are not based on planning or predictability, but are completely random.

He covers a wide spectrum of human endeavour, but there is no place more relevant to his advice than the financial institutions. By the time he has made his reasoned case, it would be a brave investor that took the advice of “experts” without asking serious questions. He argues that it is safer to assume random, significant events than to pretend that everything can be predicted using pseudo scientific techniques and jargon. Described by “The Economist” as a “deeply intelligent, provactive book”