Flash Boys is the fascinating [and frequently alarming] story of high frequency trading, the practice by which big finance firms use cutting-edge computer technology to execute transactions ahead of ordinary investors and so make often massive risk free profits at the expense of less tech savvy competitors. The process itself is of course far more complex than that but Michael Lewis breaks it all down so that the facts and danger of high frequency trading become all too apparent. Through the experiences of Brad Katsuyama, a Canadian trader who noticed back in 2007 that his trades were no longer going through as they should, Lewis describes how technology rapidly replaced people in the trading process and how the ability (and the competition involved ) to execute transactions so quickly and thoughtlessly has led to the destabilisation of worldwide stock markets. Flash Boys is an astounding and incredibly disturbing book; Lewis closes his investigation in late 2013 and so the trading practices that he discusses are still current and the problems associated with them are still very real.

This is not my usual choice of read but I found it difficult to put it down once I had started. This book was free in exchange for a review. It is very well written, using good examples when describing the goings on within the stock exchanges. I must admit that quite a lot of the intricacies went over my head but that was OK - it was usually explained again further on. The research that went into the book is excellent, and whilst it could have been very dry, it was easy to read, well told and explained the scenarios really well. It is also a shocking book - showing man's greed and manipulation of situations and of others (usually the layman investor). Definitely worth reading.

This book provoked in me a mixture of anger and admiration. Angry at the 'Flash Boys' in the financial markets who seem to be hell bent on making money whatever the cost to the rest of us, and with little concern for their clients!; admiration for Michael Lewis for his engrossing way of telling the story. if you didn't know it you would swear this was fiction. But it is true and really scary, after all our pensions depend on the financial markets. This is just an engrossing and enthralling MUST read.

Flash Boys essentially tells the story of how Brad Katsuyuma came to discover the exploitation of the computerised trading systems in the US and how he and his colleagues set about the creation of a new fairer exchange. By leading with the human stories of those involved Martin Lewis has written a compelling and flowing read in which the necessary technical details are presented in a way that is easy to follow and understand.

Over the past decade, the financial markets have changed where alpha males in colour-coded jackets stand in trading pits, hollering at each other. That picture is now dated. Since 2007 there have been no guys in colour-coded jackets standing in trading pits. There are still some human beings working on the floors of the New York Stock Exchange but they no longer preside over any financial market or have a privileged view inside those markets. The U.S. stock market now trades inside black boxes, in heavy guarded buildings. I would say this type of story may be for men readers, but I am a woman and enjoyed every page of Flash Boys. more of this review on ireadnovels.wordpress.com