Book · 1989 · Business & Economics
The Predators' Ball
The Inside Story of Drexel Burnham and the Rise of the JunkBond Raiders
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Why people recommend it
The Predators' Ball by Connie Bruck is a financial history book that chronicles the rise and fall of the junk bond market and the corporate takeover era of the 1980s. The book was discussed on the Invest Like the Best episode titled The Art of Franchise Investing in October 2024. During the conversation, a guest on the podcast shared that they maintain a comprehensive library containing virtually every major finance book published between 1979 and 2023, which they study with great dedication. The guest specifically highlighted that they reread The Predators' Ball every single January as a foundational exercise. They described the text as the definitive story that originally sparked the modern era of high-yield securities and private equity finance. By revisiting the historical accounts detailed in the book at the start of each year, the speakers demonstrated its enduring relevance as an essential case study for understanding aggressive corporate financing, leverage, and the evolution of modern Wall Street dynamics. The mention underscored the volume's status as a canonical text for serious finance professionals, private equity investors, and market historians seeking to comprehend the structural shifts in capital markets over recent decades.
Every mention
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker1
“We have pretty much every finance book written from 1979 to 2023. We read them religiously. We reread Predator's Ball, which is the story that started them all every January.”