"This is the book on porcelain we have been waiting for. . . . A remarkable achievement."-Edmund de Waal, author of The Hare with Amber Eyes A sweeping cultural and economic history of porcelain, from the eighteenth century to the present Porcelain was invented in medieval China-but its secret recipe was first reproduced in Europe by an alchemist in the employ of the Saxon king Augustus the Strong. Saxony's revered Meissen factory could not keep porcelain's ingredients secret for long, however, and scores of Holy Roman princes quickly founded their own mercantile manufactories, soon to be rivaled by private entrepreneurs, eager to make not art but profits. As porcelain's uses multiplied and its price plummeted, it lost much of its identity as aristocratic ornament, instead taking on a vast number of banal, yet even more culturally significant, roles. By the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, it became essential to bourgeois dining, and also acquired new functions in insulator tubes, shell casings, and teeth. Weaving together the experiences of entrepreneurs and artisans, state bureaucrats and female consumers, chemists and peddlers, Porcelain traces the remarkable story of "white gold" from its origins as a princely luxury item to its fate in Germany's cataclysmic twentieth century. For three hundred years, porcelain firms have come and gone, but the industry itself, at least until very recently, has endured. After Augustus, porcelain became a quintessentially German commodity, integral to provincial pride, artisanal industrial production, and a familial sense of home. Telling the story of porcelain's transformation from coveted luxury to household necessity and flea market staple, Porcelain offers a fascinating alternative history of art, business, taste, and consumption in Central Europe.

Want to take the financial journey to a new investing philosophy that might very well affect the rest of your moneymaking life? No one can guarantee the yellow brick road, but Michael Covel promises the red pill will leave you wide freaking awake. Trend Following reveals the truth about a trading strategy that makes money in up, down and surprise markets. By applying straightforward and repeatable rules, anyone can learn to make money in the markets whether bull, bear, or black swan by following the trend to the end when it bends. In this timely reboot of his bestselling classic, Michael Covel dives headfirst into trend following strategy to examine the risks, benefits, people, and systems. You ll hear from traders who have made millions by following trends, and learn from their successes and mistakes insights only here. You ll learn the trend philosophy, and how it has performed in booms, bubbles, panics and crashes. Using incontrovertible data and overwhelming supporting evidence, with a direct connection to the foundations of behavioral finance, Covel takes you inside the core principles of trend following and shows everyone, from brand new trader to professional, how alpha gets pulled from the market. Covel s newest edition has been revised and extended, with 7 brand new interviews and research proof from his one of kind network. This is trend following for today s generation. If you re looking to go beyond passive index funds and trusting the Fed, this cutting edge classic holds the keys to a weatherproof portfolio. * Meet great trend followers learning their rules and philosophy of the game * Examine data to see how trend following excels when the you-know-what hits the fan * Understand trend trading, from behavioral economics to rules based decision-making to its lambasting of the efficient markets theory * Compare trend trading systems to do it yourself or invest with a trend fund Trend following is not prediction, passive index investing, buy and hope or any form of fundamental analysis. It utilizes concrete rules, or heuristics, to profit from a behavioral perspective. Trend Following is clear-cut, straightforward and evidence-based and will secure your financial future in bull, bear and black swan markets. If you re finally ready to profit in the markets, Trend Following is the definitive treatise for a complex world in constant chaos.

Very few books published so far have touched upon commodity finance and fewer still have provided a systematic explanation and analysis of the subject. It is however a subject that is relevant throughout almost every corner of the world From food to gold, commodities are ubiquitious. In this book, Dr. W. Huang, a practitioner and a trainer, covers commodities, commodity markets, commodity trade and the finance of commodity trade. As such, practitioners such as bankers and traders in commodity finance, and those institutions operating in this field, or planning to be active in this field, will all benefit from this book. This revised and updated second edition is a hands-on summary of commodity finance, with a special chapter dedicated to real-life case studies of commodity finance. Topics covered include: - High-level overview of commodity trade and finance. - The three major sectors of commodity finance: soft commodities, hard commodities and energy - Commodity finance and emerging markets, as most commodity export countries are emerging markets countries. - The special mechanisms and products of commodity finance, from plain vanilla products to more complicated structures. The concept of Supply Chain Finance is also covered in detail. - Bank and country risk. - Risk management principles, with practical case studies. - The organization of a typical commodity finance bank. The key benefits of the book are: For bankers - how to do business and what risks should be watched for? For traders, brokers and institutional investors - how commodity finance is done and what bank instruments can be used. For students - how is commodity finance handled and developed by banks? Each chapter can be read independently. The content has been reviewed by both experts and newcomers, incorporating their comments on style and content, to ensure it is as useful and clear as possible.

UPDATED & EXTENDED 2ND EDITION This practical book provides you with everything you need to be able to day trade grain futures effectively. It opens with chapters explaining the author's preference for the grain futures markets, and his reasons for preferring to day trade, before going on to explain the fundamentals of trading and the more specific knowledge required for his chosen approach. In a concise, punchy style the reader is introduced to some timeless trading concepts, and shown how these ideas can be moulded into a trading system to attack the exhilarating grain markets. No sophisticated indicators or complex mathematics are found here. Instead, the author builds a system based on tried and true trading principles, combined with sound money management strategies. The particular challenge for a day trader during the volatile market open is to quickly identify support and resistance zones, and form a view on trend direction, based on limited information. The author describes how he does this, with detailed illustrations and real life examples. He then goes on to explain exactly how, based on the initial market movement, he determines stop loss and target levels. A key feature of the book is the chapter tracing the progress of a real life trading session. It shows the author's methods being applied in practice, with numerous screen shots giving the reader an understanding of what the trading process feels like in practice - effectively giving you a fly on the wall view of the author in action. Another highly illustrated chapter shows a complete month of trading charts with commentary on trades taken, giving the reader an appreciation of the longer term trading process. A process described by the author as "constant repetition of a simple plan, concentrating on implementation excellence". Other chapters outline the author's views on the need for practice, and discuss the practical points a home-based trader should attend to in their computer and internet set up. The book's focus is to highlight the exciting opportunities of grain futures and provide the vital detailed and hands-on information that will make it invaluable to all futures, equity, options or CFD traders.

A Handy Road Map To Making Moneyin The Commodities Market

Getting Started In Commodities

"Having already proven his success as an options strategist and expert trader, George Fontanills reveals that he actually made his start in the world of commodities and futures, and presents a book that is easily digested by the novice trader yet still holds value for experienced traders. Fontanills applies the same reason and logic that has given his options analysis its distinctive edge, covering diverse topics in relation to commodities such as futures, ETFs, and fundamental and technical analysis. Pay particular attention to the distinctive risk management approach that has become his trademark."
--John-Paul Drysdale, CEO, HUBB Financial Group

"George Fontanills brings an options guru's spin to the commodities markets. This kind of 'risk managed' perspective makes this book a must-read for any commodities trader."
--Alex Jacobson, Vice President of Education, International Securities Exchange

"Since futures are a leveraged investment, it's critical to understand the risks and rewards of trading these instruments. George Fontanills applies his risk management philosophy in this must-read book for individual investors who are interested in participating in the commodities markets."
--Christopher Larkin, Vice President, E*TRADE Securities

This book is the first to draw together the numerous different regulations which affect how commodities are traded in the EU. Having long been a largely deregulated industry, intense scrutiny in the aftermath of the global financial crisis has left commodities trading subject to a raft of harmonized regulations, many of which have yet to be finalized. Regulation of both the physical and the financial commodities markets is undergoing significant change and participants and their advisors are struggling to understand the changes in each jurisdiction as well as the cross-border implications. The book pulls together these various pieces of EU legislation and examines how they influence the way that commodities are traded in Europe. It also provides coverage of regulation at domestic level in key jurisdictions active in the marketplace, namely the UK, USA, Switzerland, and Singapore. Divided into eight sections, the book includes analysis of the commodities trading houses (including their motives and methods), the main trading venues, trading practices, and potential illicit practices and market abuses. Each section has a detailed transnational component in which the position in each specific jurisdiction is explained, drawing parallels and setting out the differences between these countries. This extremely topical publication is an essential reference work for all those advising on or researching the increasingly complex and globalized field of commodities trading.