ECONOMICS IN ONE LESSON, by Henry Hazlitt Don't read that commie bull shit. Learn Austrian Economics.
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Popularized economic theory when applied to the markets over the short-intermediate terms will only lose you money as those who know more than you have fully randomized any fractals that you think should exist.
Free market capitalism at its finest. Learn to create fictitious shortages to control the price in the so called "free market." Remember to cite the Lord when your in trouble, whether your a CEO or president.
Is a shame that it seems so many people on this board are here for nothing other than to refute the validity of other peoples questions and/or beliefs. There is no question that underlying economic influences govern the markets so the question is not whether or not it is a valid pursuit to try and understand them but rather a question of how to pursue this knowledge. There are many primers on basic economics which can give you an understanding, BUT if you are going to really understand the real time influences that affect markets day to day you will eventually have to toss out the theoreticals and focus on the real interactions of money flows. The best single resource for data relating to this can be found at the Federal reserve Websites, particularly the St. Louis Fed and the New York Fed. Good Luck!
Completely agree. Mankiw's books are going to serve you quite well. Recently read his Microecon book. He's one of the best for formatting the info in a reader-friendly manner.
Basic Economics: A Citizens Guide to the Economy This is a great book for anyone who wants a laypersons foundation on basic economic principles. It's not a textbook, so it doesn't include all the charts and graphs found in most economics books - its easy to read cover to cover.
I read Capitalism and Freedom in Econ 101. It is still one of my favorite books. Milton Friedman also wrote the seminal Free to Choose. The Road to Serfdom by Hayek is great. I'm rereading it now in fact. Also read von Mises and Murray Rothbard (Man, Economy and State). Don't forget Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations and works by Keynes. The lay person should be able to understand these books. With a little background, you can get a textbook and learn about supply and demand models and calculations.