Shares Made Simple: A Beginner's Guide to the Stock Market

by Rodney Hobson

Financial journalist Hobson tears away the mystique and jargon that surrounds the stock market and takes readers step-by-step through the most basic concepts of investing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Finance, Business, Self Help

211 pages, Paperback

First published October 11, 2007

About the author

Rodney Hobson is a former financial journalist and current mystery novelist. He has published five books on investment and four mystery novels.

Hobson has held senior editorial positions with publications in the UK and Asia, most recently Editor of the financial news website Hemscott. Previously, he was News Editor for the Business section of The Times, Business Editor of the Singapore Monitor, Deputy Business Editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review, Head of News at Citywire and Editor of Shares magazine.

Reviews

[Adam Power · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is ideal for people who want to get a good understanding of the foundational concepts of the stock market and how it works and it also explains a lot of important rules and regulations associated with the stock market. I also think it keeps the reader's attention very well by explaining concepts simply like the title suggests as well as presenting the information in a way that really makes you interested in it, and I feel the concepts are explained in a way that is easy to remember and easy to digest.

However, what I would have liked to see more of is the psychology and human aspect of the stock market explored in more depth. Behavioural economics and human behaviour in general is a very big factor in the way the stock market and the economy as a whole operates, and it's also just fascinating. There are sprinklings here and there of how human behaviour and emotions affect stock prices and short term price movements, but I would have liked to see this explored in more depth. For example, instead of just looking briefly into how traders think, I would have liked to learn more about how a range of different categories of people in the stock market tend to think, why they tend to make certain decisions and also how those decisions affect the actions of others. This isn't too much of an issue however as it is mentioned here and there, and also this is clearly intended to be more of an introductory book to give people a solid understanding of how the stock market operates while explaining it's benefits to the range of different people and companies that are involved in or are affected by the stock market. This is more of a nice-to-have and it definitely didn't ruin the experience for me by any means.

In summary, this book is brilliant for those interested in learning the fundamentals of the stock market and how it works, but some more focus on the psychological aspect of the stock market would've been nice and is honestly the only thing holding this book back from getting a five star rating.

[Amir · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who was very interested in shares and even having invested in the stock market before reading this book, I definitely found it useful and it has taught me a lot.

There were two to three typos I found in the book which annoyed me but besides that it’s a great book to provide a foundation of knowledge about the stock market. It also explains a terms so you don’t have to worry about investing jargon.

Will be reading more books on investing after this one.

[pexfa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rodney Hobson does an excellent job explaining the basics of what a beginner needs to know about shares. The book is fairly comprehensive and gives a broad overview and introduction to the subject matter. It doesn't attempt to provide strategy like Naked Trader does but instead gives you a comprehensive introduction to shares, how they are created, invested etc and some useful tips to remember when investing in them. Definitely a resource I will revisit again.

[Sipho · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lucid introduction to stock marketing investing, particularly in the UK. Pretty much all you need to know to get started as a self investor.

I appreciated how it was written in plain language and de-mystified the key concepts.

[Lucian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to the share market. very informative and easy to understand but i was expecting more tips like building up your portfolio, but i guess the author has another book on this subject.

[Gary Dooley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good starting point for anyone interested in learning g about stocks and shares. It's written in a way that will enable someone who knows absolutely nothing to feel confident about share dealing. The author explains all the Stockmarket terms including how to assess an income and balance sheet.

[Mike Ncube · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book. I enjoyed every bit of it. Will be checking out Rodney’s other books too

[Laurence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent intro for someone who knows they are interested but not where to start. Answers the unknown unknowns, so you can move forward on specific topics after.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really worth a second look. Good information, but all over the place

[Robbie Newman]

Bit outdated, but good general context of how the ftse works.

[Matt Newman]

Great introduction for absolute beginners

[Harry Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and easy to follow book, really starts from the bottom and builds up a decent ground knowledge of the stock market and other relevant topics. I read this for a module as part of my degree and it has given me more than I need for that.

There is just one issue, somebody should have proofread this book. It isn't too bad but there are enough typos for it to be noticeable and in some places it can lead to confusion. Would have been 5 stars if not for these errors.

[Thomas Eyles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly helpful for any start out economist, it has all of the areas of shares covered in an easy to understand way.

[Mr Stephen Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read

Very informative and wish I had this book when I was at university. I will be putting all this helpful advice into practice.