Fooling Some of the People All of the Time: A Long Short Story

David Einhorn

Wiley , 2008

Agent: Sandra Dijkstra

A revealing look at Wall Street, the financial media, and financial regulators by David Einhorn, the President of Greenlight Capital

Could 2008's credit crisis have been minimized or even avoided? In 2002, David Einhorn-one of the country's top investors-was asked at a charity investment conference to share his best investment advice. Short sell Allied Capital. At the time, Allied was a leader in the private financing industry. Einhorn claimed Allied was using questionable accounting practices to prop itself up. Sound familiar? At the time of the original version of Fooling Some of the People All of the Time: A Long Short Story the outcome of his advice was unknown. Now, the story is complete and we know Einhorn was right. In 2008, Einhorn advised the same conference to short sell Lehman Brothers. And had the market been more open to his warnings, yes, the market meltdown might have been avoided, or at least minimized.

  • Details the gripping battle between Allied Capital and Einhorn's Greenlight Capital
  • Illuminates how questionable company practices are maintained and, at times, even protected by Wall Street
  • Describes the failings of investment banks, analysts, journalists, and government regulators
  • Describes how many parts of the Allied Capital story were replayed in the debate over Lehman Brothers

Fooling Some of the People All of the Time is an important call for effective government regulation, free speech, and fair pla

Reviews:
“[Mr. Einhorn] is an infallible observer of human lapses and regulatory failures.”
New York Times
 

“In Fooling Some of the People All of the Time, David Einhorn, one of the great investors of all time tells one of the great investment tales of all time. This is a book in which you will learn about investing, short selling, and the politics of business. David is not only a great investor, but a wonderful storyteller. I recommend it wholeheartedly for your brain and your pocketbook.”
William A. Ackman, Pershing Square Capital Management, L.P
 

“In the world of finance, as in the worlds of politics or science, free speech and open debate are essential. Sadly, our current system is rigged against bearers of bad news, and short sellers are an oppressed minority. David Einhorn’s amazing story of scam artists, corporate doubletalk, clueless regulators, and sleazy lawyers is a gripping narrative. A great read.”
Owen Lamont, Fellow, International Center for Finance, Yale School of Management