accounting

Most "investment advice" books suffer from poor editing, both of the 'grammar & syntax' variety, and, more distressingly for this genre, flat-out incorrect information. Klines's book is no exception- the grammar & syntax are fine, but her book is replete with factual errors and misstatements. For example, on page 207, she defines a synthetic long futures as "sell a call option, buy a put option." Wrong. That is a synthetic short position. Similar errors pervade the book.
One useful feature is chapter 3, which presents futures contract specifications. However, even here, some of the information is occasionally confusing or misleading.
This book is published by McGraw-Hill, a highly reputable house. My surmise is that McGraw-Hill has no financial experts on its editorial staff; otherwise, it wouldn't tolerate the publication of such a sloppily-edited piece. Disappointing!

If you are new to trading, or are interested in learning about the futures markets, then you will not be disappointed with this book. I was definitely impressed with the amount of market information that it covered. The History of the Futures markets, fundamental & technical analysis, mechanics of the trading floor, margins, interpretation of news, are all explained. In addition, it contains a great section on trading techniques for each specific commodity market. This would make a great reference textbook for seasoned traders and brokers as well. I would definitely recommend this book.

Utilizing her years of experience as a floor broker and expert futures market commentator (Bloomberg TV), Donna Kline successfully addresses a broad array of futures related topics in a pragmatic and succinct manner that is easy to absorb. Whether you are an experienced trader, or more importantly, a neophyte to the futures market, Donna Kline's "Fundamentals of the Futures Market" is an ideal primer.

"Fundamentals of the Futures Market" is an excellent addition to any intelligent investor's library collection and further validates Donna Kline's status as a maven within a market known for nebulous and sometimes treacherous trading conditions.