Black Swan: All things Nassim Taleb

November 27th, 2009		\| More
Contributed by: Claude Bovet, SFCS Capital
Nassim Nicholas Taleb is nothing if not outspoken. And we should consider ourselves fortunate for his quirky demeanor because his views are very much worth listening to…and applying. Today, he is world-renown for his work in the field of uncertainty and for anticipating the distress in the global financial crisis (he doesn’t predict). It’s regrettable that the authorities in government and bank CEOs weren’t listening to him because we wouldn’t be in this mess if they had been. His 2007 bestseller “The Black Swan” (TBS) clearly details the shortcomings (and dangers) of current financial thinking and practices by describing our inability to manage uncertainty, especially in a world that is more and more subject to Black Swans. If you haven’t read his book, run to the bookstore today and grab a copy. I would also recommend picking up his earlier book “Fooled By Randomness”. Together they form a solid foundation to begin exploring “a world we don’t understand very well.” – Taleb. Taleb is Principal at Universa Investments LP “an investment management firm that specializes in hedging tail risks for its clients.” Universa was formed by Mark Spitznagel who was previously Partner and Head Trader at Taleb’s seminal firm, Empirica Capital. For more information on Taleb, visit his informative below by clicking "Source."