| Bear-Trap: The Fall of Bear Stearns and the Panic of 2008 | 
 enlarge | Author: Bill Bamber
Publisher: Brick Tower Books
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $11.00
You Save: $13.95 (56%)
New (29) Used (9) from $10.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 12071
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 350
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6.2 x 1
ISBN: 1883283639
Dewey Decimal Number: 332.0973
EAN: 9781883283636
ASIN: 1883283639
Publication Date: September 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Bear, Stearns & Co., a storied Wall Street firm with a maverick reputation, had endured many crises in its 85-year history. Nothing, however, could have prepared the firm for the sudden death spiral that would lead to its takeover for a pittance. In a dramatic showdown with JP Morgan and the Fed, this is the tragic story of how fortunes were made and lost. Bill Bramber, a senior executive at Bear Stearns, had a bird's eye view of just what happened inside Bear's offices and on the trading floor that led to the most sensational financial crisis of our times.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...
 Interesting insight November 11, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book provides a step by step account of life on the trading floor and
it gives good insight into what happened to this powerful company.
I believe the author did an excellent job of describing the mood of
everyone involved and was written in a way almost everyone could understand.
I was somewhat familiar with what was happening however this definetly
added a good amount of first hand insight.
Overall I found this to be a good read that helped increase understanding
of why things came crashing down.
 Required reading October 13, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Now more than ever this book should be required reading in every American High School. Prior to reading this book listening to business commentary was like listening to a square dance mc. In a square dance everyone seems to know just what to do, and when to move, but for me, a native new yorker, it's just jibberish. So I was worried when i picked up this book that I wouldn't be able to understand what the hell the author was talking about. But was I wrong! The author did an exceptional job explaining to me, a person who never took a class in business, how an investment bank works. Now I know what leverage is and what hostile takeovers are, and now when i watch business news and they they talk about CDOs, and LIBOR, and basis points, I know what they are talking about. The author also did an exception job explaining exactly what a sub prime mortgage is, and I know that a lot of Americans hear this word every day, and don't really know what they are and how they helped cause a lot of the problems that are occurring today. So to all my fellow Americans you must go out and read this book, now more than ever it's imperitive that we learn about the basics of banking so we can make informed decisions about our economy, and dance to the rewards
 Absolutely BAD! October 6, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Nothing new here. If one read the papers, he would be as informed as after finishing the book. Moreover, the author wants us to understand how intellectual he is by presenting historical facts which for the most part are irrelevant. And the whole discourse on being a "tragic hero" is just pitiful. I am not sure where the author is now, but I think he should stick to trading derivatives!
Great Book October 5, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The book is very well written. Contents and events are explained in a manner that is very approachable for the non finance professional. The book gives you a very good blow by blow account of what it is like to be in the trenches of a financial institution that is about to fail.
Accurate Portrayal of Bear October 5, 2008
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
As a former Bear sales-trader who was there through the end, I can attest that Bamber's description of what life was like at the firm is accurate. The description of a "typical" Bear employee to the fast pace at which events transpired the week of March 14th is right on the money. The book provides others the opportunity to read a step-by-step account of life on a trading floor through the days that led to Bear's demise. The Book helps answer the question, what was it like to be amidst "the event" that would eventually lead to a transformation of our entire financial system.
There will be many books and articles about the events at Bear Stearns and the likes of Lehman, Merrill, etc. However, Bear Trap provides a first, interesting and entertaining ride through the eyes of an individual who was witness to it all. Well done Bill.
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