If you ever thought that making millions each year on the trading floor in a major bank was a job to covet I suggest you read this compelling confession of Gary Stevenson as to how he found it.
Gary, a boy made good . He goes from state school to The London School of Economics to a job with Citibank. From newspaper delivery boy to millionaire. Sounds like the dream come true but, in reality, for Gary at least it became anything but.
His narrative vividly captures the pace and ruthlessness of the Trading Floor along with exposing the isolation of working from 6am until late at night dealing on screens in short term interest rate instruments. There are moments of real humour contrasted with the extraordinary aggression he sometimes experiences from the people he works with. It is only blind faith in his own decisions, allied to his ability to think outside the box, that creates his extraordinary success. But at what cost?
The trouble is, however many millions he was making for himself, he was making hundreds of millions for Citibank and Citibank weren't about to let him go. His battle to leave drives him into a downward spiral in which his health, friendships and belief in his colleagues all collapse. Like Icarus, Gary falls prey to flying too close to the sun.
A salutary tale perhaps perhaps confirming the adage that money isn't everything.

All hail Gary! What a ride. A rags to riches story and the dark side of wealth. I found the memoir an eye opening look into the banks and how they make their money, and I was astounded at the amounts that could be made per trader. I really related to the struggles Gary had and it reassured me that when I myself had doubts about earning money compared to doing what felt right that I made the right choice.

I was gripped from page one, I just wish it had a little bit about what Gary's been up to since, maybe an epilogue?

Gary is a a trader and at the top of his game. The book is very fast moving and details mans greed and obsession. I haven't read such a fast paced book and couldn't put it down. I was sorry when it was finished. Having worked in a high finance environment it was a 5* for me. Thanks to NetGalley for a great ARC.

Wow, I didn't expect it at all! This gave proper Bret Easton Ellis vibes, with a major bonus of it being a true story. I picked it up because I work with Financials and thought it would help me understand them better. I didn't know this would take me on a pretty wild and dark journey which made the reading experience amazing. I loved the writing style - it was very punchy, gripping and visceral. The observations were on point. Great balance of irony and darkness. I loved being in Gary's head from when he's still green and has no idea what it happening to "robbing" the bank and being acutely aware of the inequality in the world. The last part set in Japan was very powerful - it had such a surreal quality to it and I could imagine it so well. Overall a brilliant memoir. Loved it

Gary is a trader - not just any trader but the biggest one ever.
This is his life story from looking and admiring the skyscrapers in the City of London as a kid to working at Citibank via the London School of Economics.
This is Gary’s confession and it is a very well put together novel with interesting characters and a compelling story.
I really enjoyed reading The Trading Game and would recommend it with 5 stars.

This is not the type of book I would usually be drawn too but the blurb hooked when I read it and so glad I got the opportunity to read The Trading Game.

This memoir was so informative and made sense of a subject that I only ever had a very vague knowledge and a subject I would, until know, have always shied away from learning more about. I feel like I could hold my own now if I was trapped in a lift with a load of traders or trapped at an event sitting beside one, commodities, securities, futures... Bring it on, I have more than ever now, zero interest in ever investing myself!

This is the quintessential rags to riches story from being expelled from school for dealing, to nurturing his love of numbers at the London School of Economics to becoming the youngest trader at Citibank. Stevenson takes his reader along every dizzying step of the way , eye watering deals to devasting lows and its a wildly entertaining, at times tense at others deeply uncomfortable , read. I liked how Stevenson details it all and doesn't necessarily paint himself in a forgiving light. The brutal honestly kept me turning the pages of this one and I couldn't put this down.

Thought provoking, informative and easy to read. Recommend wholeheartedly, so glad I read this one. I will be buying copies of this for several people.

I found this fascinating and disturbing in equal measure. Having worked in the City many years ago, it did remind me of how a dealing room can go from dead to frenetic in a split second. Also a reminder of how young traders are, because they burn themselves out by 30. Disturbing because the economy rests in the hands of these fickle youngsters who are only doing it for the money. A great insight into this world.

ARC REVIEW:

I heard so many amazing things about this memoir by Gary Stevenson and truthfully it had its really interesting parts. However… for me I found it very hard to pick up and want to read more. It took me over a month to finish the book (which was hard to do anyways) because I didn’t find it attention grabbing. I also found that some parts were “jumpy” and stories changed without reasoning. That being said the way Stevenson explains how the trading business works for people who won’t and don’t understand is brilliant. As well as the author being from somewhere so close to home and from “lesser well off background” made this much more interesting for me personally. Overall, I think this memoir would be more suited for people who are from the background of trading or industries like it where they would be able to related and maybe understand better than I did.

Favourite quotes:
•”That day, it sounded like the future.”
•”Cover. Your. Arse.”
•”And I never forgot that, and thank fuck that I didn’t.”
•”Play this one with me.
Good Luck.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the chance to read this memoir!!

I spotted this title whilst looking for something else and something drew me to it. The financial world isn’t one that interests me, but I do enjoy an autobiography and this looked a little different. Gary Stevenson was a trader in the London stock markets. It’s a world alien to most of us, but many will recall the days of the dot com boom in the 1980s and early 1990s where scenes if frenzied traders were often on tv, along with their champagne lifestyle and ridiculous overnight wealth. Gary opens the door to the Kay person and gives a glimpse into a frightening reality.

I really enjoyed this book for a number of reasons. It feels as if it’s written with honesty. The insights into a world driven by greed are truly disturbing, although no worse than I expected. He raises a number of interesting issues about morality and the human condition when affected by wealth and he charts his later difficulties with honesty. I found it a brave and frank and he has clearly evolved to put what he’s learned from the experience into better practice for a different life.

This is a genuinely remarkable book. There’s a lot of detail about the world of trading which I found astonishing. But Gary’s journey is the heart of this and it’s far more than a human interest story. Well written and I found it totally compelling.

I still feel unsure what I think about this book - basically a story of rags to riches, treading on the little guys with their mortgages and debts, similar to those the author had grown up with to line his own pockets as a city trader, then having a mental health crisis and leaving with a lot of money. Along the way he seems to have alienated his family and friends in pursuit of money he didn't seem to want or know how to spend.
On the other hand, it's an easy to read book in which the author has moments of realisation and outlines the workings of the City in all its uncaring detail. He also tries to explain trading in very clear terms, although I'm still not sure I have any understanding of it.
I had never heard of Gary Stevenson, and looked him up after finishing the book and was pleased to find that he now works to educate people around wealth inequality and is part of " millionaires for humanity"


Thank you to netgalley and Penguin Books for an advance copy of this book

This starts off strong and has some great peaks of interest. Learning about Gary’s background and trading were particular highlights. And how he becomes a trader. I also found the writing about inequality interesting, albeit upsetting, and the pace of the first half.

Where it lacked for me was the second half. Seemed to be lots of repeated information and Gary’s downward spiral. Again, interesting, but difficult to relate to because although he was objectively having a very difficult time, it’s hard to empathise with someone sat on 2 million pounds. I mean he was always going to ‘win’’! There was never any other outcome which was the take away for me regarding inequality.

Overall, worth reading, especially if you have an interest in trading but it becomes less interesting in the second half in my opinion. I would only be able to recommend to a couple of my friends as it doesn’t have a wide appeal I don’t think.

Would perhaps work better as a podcast or voice recording where you could better connect to Gary and his experience.

Honest review given for NetGalley copy of the book.

At times this was quite a difficult read and despite the attempts to explain how trading systems work, there'll be amny who still won't understand how so much money can be made by basically playing games with the system.

Despite being able to work this out and playing the game for a while it clearly drained Gary of basic humanity for a period and the style of the writing sometimes left one feeling that despite the money that it was a very lonely life that he led without true companionship or friendship.

Perhaps this should be compulsory reading for anyone about to join one of these institutions.

Such an interesting and insightful read. The authors story is soo emotional too! I feel liked I’ve learned a lot about trading and will be thinking about this one for a while. A great non-fiction pick

This is a sobering but interesting look at the way banks make money trading on the economy but with little thought to the consequences for real people.
The book describes the life of a young trader from a poor background going up against many traders whose families are rich.
Initially coming across as arrogant with little or no interest in anything but making money this trader becomes disillusioned with his life at the bank and looks to leave. This is something the bank makes exceedingly difficult.
If you never knew what happens on the trading floors this will give a good insight.
Covers the period from just before the 2008 crash to a few years after.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Press UK and Gay Stevenson for my ARC of ‘The Trading Game’ in return for an honest review.

Gary was born in Ilford in the shadow of Canary Wharf’s skyscrapers. He wants something else in life and whilst attending LSE studying economics he takes part in ‘The Trading Game’ which he wins and is offered a job on the trading desk of Citibank.

The story follows his career: the highs and lows and introduces many strange customs and dysfunctional individuals who make millions with their trading each year. He explains it all in detail keeping the descriptions simple and clear, he begins to make the money, realising he is making it by ‘betting’ on others staying poor.

Highly enjoyable and eye-opening. Recommended

The Trading Game just did not really work for me. The prose seemed robotic and somehow devoid of all emotion. At times it was confusing and repetitive. It is overly long and a hard slog after the first third. I certainly admire Gary's mission to do something about the massive inequality in this world. So if the proceeds of this book will go entirely to that cause then I wish the book success. However Gary's numerical talents would perhaps be best used a la effective altruism in making money trading and distributing it to such causes. Special thank you to Penguin Press UK and NetGalley for a no obligation advance review copy.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Gary's experience is told honestly, movingly and stylishly. His depiction of the world's banking system and economy is delicious black comedy/manifestation of my worst fears. I think it will have a large impact when it is released.

I was a little apprehensive as to whether to read this book or not. When I read what it was about, it immediately caught my interest but…. finance, trading, the City, would it be dry? Would my eyes glaze over like they do as soon as anyone mentions pensions and financial advisers, would I even understand it? But curiosity got the better of me and I’m so glad because this book couldn’t be further away from the doubts I had. Gary Stevenson is an absolutely brilliant story teller.

However it’s not a story. Well it is, it’s Gary Stevenson’s story and it’s all very real. The working class boy from East London, a whiz at maths and harbouring a desire to make it the top, he always believed in himself, with a steadfast motivation to achieve whatever he set out to achieve.

It’s a fascinating book, with the basics of the financial transactions he was dealing in explained in layman’s terms. I still didn’t completely understand most of those dealings but there’s enough explanation to at least give a good gist of what was going on and how money is made. The one thing that I feared the most, this being a non fiction book about City finance, of it being too dry most certainly wasn’t the case.

It’s a compelling read, right the way through from the highs, when he was making so much money he was embarrassed to tell his friends to when it began to dawn on him that he had become so obsessed, so focussed on making money that he’d lost sight of everything else and his mental health was beginning to suffer.

There are so many anecdotes in here, the colleagues he works with become characters in themselves, almost like reading fiction. Told with a lot of humour, yet later into the book you can feel the atmosphere of his downward spiral into depression and a desperation to get out before it consumed him completely.

It’s a fascinating insight into the world of finance and city banking. I’m glad I chose to read it and it’s probably the only non fiction book I’ve ever been sorry to reach the end of.

As someone who knows nothing about working in finance and city traders, this book was a real eye-opener. Some aspects are as expected- the ridiculous bonuses, the behaviour of the traders (all male) and competitive nature of who can make the biggest deals. However, Gary has a conscience and his narrative reveals his drive and greed. For anyone who wants to know how the global financial crisis happened- read this. A fascinating read.

This is the amazing story of how a kid from the East End of London became one of Citibank’s leading financial traders – making the bank a fortune in the process – and then walked away from it all.

Gary Stevenson won his first job at Citibank as a trader, by winning an extraordinary recruitment game, which essentially involved gambling against other job applicants and forecasting their actions. The company loaded the game against him but he still won!

He went on from there to become the bank’s most profitable trader ever, but he came to realise that in currency exchange and speculation he was betting on a decline in the global economy. Whether that was happening anyway, or to what extent Citibank and other major financial institutions encouraged it, is an open question but, eventually, Gary walked away from the job disillusioned.

The book is fast moving, authentic and highly personal. Gary Stevenson brings across the stresses and strains of city trading, the absurd shows of wealth, the abusive relationships and the lack of any conscience, through a highly personal memoir tracking both the highs and the lows.

There’s an almost symbiotic relationship between the bank and its traders, who make a lot of money but sell out any moral compass they once possessed. They become the supporting cast in the novel as their roles change within the institution but they rarely escape! One of the most fascinating aspects of the account is how, when a bank has you as a major asset, it will go to almost any lengths to keep you, with minimal regard for your employment rights and mental health.

The book is not just an exciting ride either, when you realise that the billions of pounds and dollars they are playing with is actually your money, and that these same institutions drove the Greek economy into the ground for their own profit.

At the end of the story, Gary Stevenson is at a low ebb but he has recovered since and you can find him talking about economics on just about every social media platform – and talking a lot of sense as well.

Given the state of the nation in 2024, this book should probably win every prize going!