To Make A Killing: Arthur Cutten, The Man Who Ruled the Markets

by Robert Stephens

One of the wildest, most spectacular decades in American history, the 1920s were a period of unprecedented growth and mass consumerism. In the New Era, people drank in speakeasies, danced to jazz, idolized gangsters, and bet their life savings on stocks. Born and raised in a small Canadian town, Arthur Cutten went to Chicago in 1890 with ninety dollars to his name. Through utter ruthlessness, he amassed a fortune trading in grain futures and stocks. Cutten was heralded as the modern Midas, and his every move was followed by the masses, who believed they could get rich quick. But everything changed after the crash of 1929. The heroes of prosperity became the villains of the Great Depression. Determined to crack down on the “banksters,” the Roosevelt administration launched an all-out attack on those it blamed for the collapse – and Cutten was at the top of the list. A US Senate committee probed how he manipulated stock prices. The Grain Futures Administration moved to bar him from trading. And the Bureau of Internal Revenue indicted him for income tax evasion. But the wily operator won on every he emerged from the Senate investigation unscathed, maintained his grain trading privileges after a victory in the Supreme Court, and left almost nothing for the tax collectors upon his death. To Make a Killing tells the tale of Cutten’s journey to fabulous wealth, the forces that propelled him, and the fascinating characters in his life.

270 pages, Hardcover

Published February 13, 2024

About the author

Robert began his career as an investment advisor and securities analyst before entering journalism.

For over a decade, he was a business and investigative reporter with the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and Ottawa Journal.

He was appointed Communications Advisor to an Ontario Cabinet Minister, and later was named Communications Director for the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Technology.

He is currently president of PR POST, a public relations agency based in Toronto.

Robert studied at Tulane University in New Orleans and graduated with an Honours B.A. in English Literature.

Reviews

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a compelling read that draws you in to the incredible life of Arthur Cutten. I don’t want to give it away but it isn’t written as a typical biography and the writing really draws you in. 10/10 and would absolutely recommend.

[J B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptionally well researched and written. This is the page turning story of one of the biggest and most successful speculators that no one knows about. Just a great and interesting book