Martin Hutchinson – författare

An engaging look at how modern finance almost destroyed our global economy

Over the last thirty years, capital markets have been restructured through the tenets of modern finance. This has been enormously profitable for the financial services sector. However, these innovations, coupled with unsound risk and regulatory practices have proved disastrous for the global economy.

In a clear and accessible style, ex-investment banker and financial journalist Martin Hutchinson, and highly respected academic, Kevin Dowd show how modern finance combined with easy money threatened to bring down the world financial system. At the heart of the book is modern finance as a U.S. invention, the theories and practices associated with them, and the changes they made in business models and risk management on Wall Street and other major financial centers.

The Alchemists of Loss will help you to understand how our financial system crashed and show you what it will take to make sure this won''t happen again as we move forward.

An engaging look at how modern finance almost destroyed our global economy

Over the last thirty years, capital markets have been restructured through the tenets of modern finance. This has been enormously profitable for the financial services sector. However, these innovations, coupled with unsound risk and regulatory practices have proved disastrous for the global economy.

In a clear and accessible style, ex-investment banker and financial journalist Martin Hutchinson, and highly respected academic, Kevin Dowd show how modern finance combined with easy money threatened to bring down the world financial system. At the heart of the book is modern finance as a U.S. invention, the theories and practices associated with them, and the changes they made in business models and risk management on Wall Street and other major financial centers.

The Alchemists of Loss will help you to understand how our financial system crashed and show you what it will take to make sure this won''t happen again as we move forward.

Hailing from Muswell Hill in London, The Kinks were one of the top British bands of the sixties, with over twenty hit singles in the UK, including a trio of number ones, the famous tribute to their home city ‘Waterloo Sunset’ being one. They also had ten top thirty hits in the USA thanks to the clever and sometimes sardonic songwriting of Ray Davies, who dominated the band and deservedly went on to be knighted. When the seventies came along, they recorded a number of critically acclaimed concept albums, and their live shows became more theatrical, with the band shifting focus to become pioneers of arena rock in America. Following a resurgence of commercial popularity in the late seventies and early eighties, the band continued to record interesting and lyrically insightful albums. They last performed together in 1996.

   The combination of Ray’s songs and the musicianship of the band – including his brother Dave Davies, with whom Ray had a rather tempestuous relationship – has led to many bands citing them as an influence. This book examines every track released by The Kinks, whether released on single or album, and provides a valuable insight into one of music’s greatest groups.

Martin Hutchinson has been a music fan all his life and his knowledge of sixties and seventies music is encyclopaedic, having completed over 270 liner notes for CDs. He has written for numerous newspapers and magazines (a labour of love rather than profit) for over thirty years and has also written comedy sketches for TV and Radio. This is his first book. Martin is also a quizzer, having been on a dozen TV quizzes (including Bullseye and The Chase, both of which he won). He lives in Horwich, near Bolton, UK, with his wife Michaela, who also loves music.