Here is today’s installment of my Trader’s Wish List.
Today the focus is on trading related films. The first on that is the movie by which all other financial markets related ones are measured. That’s Wall Street, featuring Michael Douglas and Charlie Sheen. Set in the middle 1980s, this story does a great job of portraying the markets and environment of the time. The “Greed is Good” speach by Douglas’s character is a classic!
Dealers is a film that most people, at least in the US, have never really heard about. It stars Paul McGann and Rebecca DeMornay and features a storyline based on a London trading operation. Like most trading movies, some of the action is over done for the sake of drama, but the basic premise is there. The side stories about those living the lives of traders are interesting as well.
Next up is Boiler Room, the most recent release on this list. In the late 1990s the boom in the stock market saw an increase in the number of fraudulent trading operations known as boiler rooms or bucket shops. This movie, which stars a number of well known modern actors, is the story of how one man became involved in such and operation.
Shifting over to comedy, there is no better film than Trading Places. Dan Ackroyd, Eddie Murphy, and a really impressive cast provide one of the most entertaining stories you’ll ever see. From a market perspective, the focus is on commodities. There are some really great trading pit scenes.
Last on the list is Other People’s Money. This film features Danny DeVito as a corporate raider of sorts. A comedy, of course, but it does provide an interesting view of how corporate takeover artists identify and pursue their targets. Of course, the story involves a Rhode Island based company as the primary target of DeVito’s character’s interests, so you know I have to recommended it. (For those who don’t know, I was born and raised in Rhode Island).
This isn’t a complete list of all trading movies, but these are ones I’ve enjoyed.
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About the Author
John Forman, author of this blog, has traded for more than 20 years, is a professional market analyst, and authored The Essentials of Trading. He is an active participant in trading forums, consults for trading related businesses, as published literally dozens of trading articles, and has been quoted in a number of books and in the media.
** See John’s full bio.
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