The Trading Game: A Confession

by Gary Stevenson

An outrageous, white-knuckle journey to the dark heart of an intoxicating world - from someone who survived the trading game and then blew it all wide open

'If you were gonna rob a bank, and you saw the vault door there, left open, what would you do? Would you wait around?

Ever since he was a kid, kicking broken footballs on the streets of East London in the shadow of Canary Wharf's skyscrapers, Gary wanted something better. Something a whole lot bigger.

Then he won a competition run by a 'The Trading Game'. The a golden ticket to a new life, as the youngest trader in the whole city. A place where you could make more money than you'd ever imagined. Where your colleagues are dysfunctional maths geniuses, overfed public schoolboys and borderline psychopaths, yet they start to feel like family. Where soon you're the bank's most profitable trader, dealing in nearly a trillion dollars. A day . Where you dream of numbers in your sleep - and then stop sleeping at all.

But what happens when winning starts to feel like losing? When the easiest way to make money is to bet on millions becoming poorer and poorer - and, as the economy starts slipping off a precipice, your own sanity starts slipping with it? You want to stop, but you can't. Because nobody ever leaves .

Would you stick, or quit? Even if it meant risking everything?

Genres: Nonfiction, Finance, Economics, Business, Biography, Memoir, Audiobook

352 pages, Hardcover

First published March 5, 2024

About the author

Gary Stevenson left his trading career behind, convinced that solving inequality was the only way to repair the world economy. He has since studied for an MSc at Oxford, worked with economic think tanks, and founded a YouTube channel, GarysEconomics, teaching people about real-world economics. He regularly appears on television and radio and has written for The Guardian and OpenDemocracy, among others.

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars*

Gary Stevenson is from a working class background, he was expelled from grammar school in Ilford for selling drugs, but a few years down the line, his quick brain and a head for numbers, secured him a position on the trading floor of a large bank in Canary Wharf, London, and he became one of the highest earning traders in the world. This then is Gary’s true story of his climb to success, and ultimately the price he paid for it.

Gary helps demystify the very basics of trading - FX swaps, equities, fixed income, futures, options, commodities, foreign exchange, buying and selling securities, though there are still things that went way above my head!

If the very thought of trading sounds dull to you, let me dispel that notion right away, because the author’s real life story is absolutely riveting, and takes us on an emotional journey, right to the heart of the trading floor and beyond, demonstrating that whilst the attraction of earning eye watering amounts of money may be tempting for many, it also reveals the true cost to one’s mental health, as family, friends, leisure time, sleep, and even personal hygiene go out of the window in the endeavor to reach the next financial goal. Highly recommended.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Press UK - Allen Lane, Particular, Pelican, Penguin Classics for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *

[Abby Moeller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy crap. This was not what I expected. A couple of takeaways:

1. I do NOT want to be a trader, for Citibank or for anywhere else.
2. The author is a little bit of an asshole, and if I met him I wouldn't know whether to shake his hand, give him a hug, or slap him across the face.
3. This is one of the best books I've ever read.

From the get go you could tell that Gary Stevenson probably talks at the speed of light. I listen to podcasts on 2x speed, and I swear that was what the little narrative voice in my head was doing as I sped through this book. And speed through I did. This book is slightly terrifying, highly addictive, and a little bit (or a lot a bit) depressing, which I guess is a bit like trading itself.

As someone in the middle of a finance degree, the beginning of this book hit a bit too close to home. Coming into your second to last year of school and suddenly having everyone be obsessed with networking, internships, various business acronyms? Yeah, that hasn't changed.

At first I thought this would be an educational read instead of a fun one, but it turned out to be a good bit of both. I am not someone who rates books 5 stars very often, but I think this one deserves it, and more than that, if I had to bet on the (book) market, this one is going to be big. I don't know how much is cold hard truth and how much is dramatized for the narrative, but you will feel every emotion, whether it be triumph, anger, or no emotion at all, right alongside the author, because the trading game is one hell of a game to play.

[Nina (ninjasbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s so refreshing to stumble upon a book that has great reviews about a topic you know nothing about. I’ve watched some series about stock exchanges, but my knowledge is very basic. This gave me an interesting insight to ‘the trading game’ while also being highly entertaining. No dry descriptions here, on what could be a boring topic.

[Aoife Cassidy McM · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Trading Game is the type of book where while reading it, I wanted to talk to someone who’d read it but also wanted to throw it out of the window.

Gary Stevenson is a recovering trader. After a working class upbringing in Ilford, East London, he secured a spot in LSE studying maths and economics (he’s a maths genius), and from there secured a prestigious internship and job at Citigroup from the summer of 2008, just as the financial crisis was tipping the world economy into chaos.

He worked at Citi for around six years as an FX trader, making millions by betting that interest rates would keep going lower and stay low, while everyone else believed they couldn’t possibly go lower and the world economy would bounce back.

Stevenson says he saw what others didn’t - that as the economy crashed, the value of assets rose and the cost of borrowing crashed, turning the fundamental rule of capitalism on its head, thereby making the rich richer and everyone else working their arses off to pay for it.

Stevenson portrays everyone he worked with as absolute pricks, most of them utterly unhinged with it. This is very entertaining at times but wears thin too. I found the idea that he abhorred the amorality of it all dubious - I mean, this is the guy who refused to leave under any circumstances until his exorbitant bonus was guaranteed to be paid to him. He has since called on Rishi Sunak to introduce a wealth tax and he runs a successful YouTube channel on economics. The vibe is more embittered finance bro than Robin Hood in the book - he comes across every bit as egotistical and full of self-loathing as his erstwhile colleagues.

Conpulsive reading but also, I kind of hated it! It lacks the self-reflection to be truly thought-provoking though it’s undoubtedly very compelling. Read it but don’t blame me if you hate it too 😂. 3.5/5 ⭐️

*Many thanks to the publisher for the arc via Netgalley. The Trading Game will be published this Tuesday 5 March. As always, this is an honest review.

[Matthew Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Initially I enjoyed it, for the first few chapters at least. It was coherent and well explained. I’m not sure if it was a narrative decision to have it become less and less coherent as it went, as if to mirror the author’s own mental breakdown, but I didn’t feel it worked and left a lot of threads unresolved. The author himself doesn’t come across well. He comes off as arrogant, callous and selfish; the only problem being I’m not sure if that was intentional. To sum the book up, the author could have written:

“Look how good with numbers I am, I’m from a poor background, look how much money I can make, I’m the best! Oh no, my mental health is suffering, Citibank are meanies but I beat them in the end and got all my bonus money.”

I think this would be a more accurate description of the book than the blurb.

I finished feeling rather disappointed after a decent opening.

[Oliver Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating memoir with thriller vibes that provides a great insight into the work of investment banking and currency trading. Stevenson's honesty in documenting his own failings and his colourful descriptions of his colleagues make for a book which is both moving and funny. What really makes it so gripping though is his development from eager teenager wanting to make his first million, to passionate campaigner for wealth equality. Highly recommended.

Video review: https://youtu.be/fQIoduOhMlM?si=GHtkO...

[Ian Harrup · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book that begins by reassuring us that traders and brokers are the arrogant, greedy and selfish individuals that many of us probably expected they were. Through their privileged position they earn eye watering large sums of money by placing simple, relatively low risk bets. What surprised me a little was how relaxed and poorly governed / controlled the environment was, but Gary seemed to miss this point, focusing instead on how it allowed him to quickly become the biggest earner!

I did struggle with Gary’s moral dilemmas, was he expecting that because he had started from a different background on his journey to becoming one of these greedy, arrogant individuals we should somehow see him differently, and instead recognise his achievement?! Then Gary realises that the bets he places are really low risk and high earning because they exploit the wealth gaps in our society, having learned this he continues on his journey to top trader rather than acting on this knowledge. Surely this makes him worse, as I suspect many of his arrogant colleagues were too dumb to realise this.

As Gary got bored with trading, I got bored with his book, the last quarter focuses on his desire to leave but at the same time maximise the money he can take from Citibank through exploiting contract options. I have little sympathy for his battle with HR and the stress it put him under when others clearly have much more stressful situations for things that really matter.

Overall I found the book entertaining although if Gary was looking for some form of self-healing and sympathy through sharing this story, he failed.

[Alan Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Trading Game by Gary Stevenson

Nearly 40 years ago I attempted to become a dealer at the London International Financial Futures Exchange at the Bank. I was an account manager for BT and we provided the dealer boards for all the banks in the City. I had been seconded to the LIFFE as it was known then. One day, whilst on the trading floor (a madcap hubbub of incessant but oddly compelling noise), I asked a ‘Yellowcoat’ (a runner) how I could get a job as a dealer. A slim, young girl on one of the desks turned around to face me and in her best Surrey, privately educated accent said; ‘Do you know anyone?’. I said no and she replied ‘Well, you can’t get a job here then’ with a finality that brooked no further argument. Her voice was so posh that I felt slightly embarrassed about my own working class accent.

But that was that, my 30 second inquiry into the world of banking ended as abruptly as it had began. I had a good job, but of course, I wanted the big bucks, the riches that dealers earned. I wanted to be a Master of the Universe, a big swinging dick! ‘Lunch is for wimps!’ said Gordon Gekko and I wanted to buy into that.

But that is where my story diverges from Gary Stevenson. Like me, he came from a modest background, but unlike me, he was a Maths genius with a clutch of top academic grades that got him into one of the five universities that the big banks recruit from. His memoire is a rags to riches story of his time as a successful FX swaps trader at Citibank between 2008-13. Stevenson’s story is a wry and darkly comic look at his life during of the most turbulent periods of economic history, which largely explains how he made his millions, as he bet against the markets by forecasting a downturn in the economy.

One of the problems I have with the book is his portrayal of himself as the Artful Dodger, a kid from the wrong side of the tracks, living in poverty, but ultimately surviving on his wits looking up at the bright twinkling, beckoning lights of Canary Wharf in…Ilford! NAHHH! I know Ilford well and this portrayal of his childhood circa the 1990s is a romanticised fantasy. Ilford in the age of Brit Pop is NOT Dickensian London! Far from it in a borough with no housing estates.

Stevenson plays down two big assets that he has - a natural talent with numbers and a place at the London School of Economics. This puts him in the top 10% and not the bottom 10% of society. Thus, his trajectory to the trading floor of Citibank is not such a great leap forward that he purports it to be. Moreover, he has an enormous stroke of good fortune with the trading game that he wins, which earns him an internship at Citibank, when the rules are explained to him in advance by a stranger, giving him an opportunity to prepare for the competition thoroughly.

The first half of the book up to 2012 is a fascinating look into the world of high finance, and you will come away with an understanding of why mortgage interest rates are calculated on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the book is flawed by the fact that Stevenson is not a likeable figure. He does not treat his parents well, as the cancellation of his Sky Sports subscription for his dad attests, despite having thousands in the bank. He falls out with his friends. He is scathing about his colleagues. And has a long suffering girlfriend to boot. In fact, he is a dick and is honest enough to admit it in the book.

Another problem with his story is the complete lack of proper explanation and introspection. Despite his best efforts to portray himself as ‘giving it to the Man’ as his postscript story infers, Citibank and his colleagues come out of it pretty well. It is clear that they helped him and tried to help him when he is in the throes of a mental and physical breakdown in 2012-13, but how and why this came about is not explored, and Stevenson himself does not address the fact that he was having a nervous breakdown. In fact, it is never mentioned in these terms, yet was blatantly obvious in his conduct and behaviour. Strange indeed.

Throughout the book, Stevenson develops an inexplicable hatred and scathing contempt for some of his colleagues, whom he refers to with disparaging nicknames. He also burns his bridges with an important friend, mentor and boss, who basically hired him and gave him a leg up. The second half of the book about his time in Japan and his attempts to leave Citibank with his deferred bonus between 2012-13 portrays him in an even worse light. His ‘work to rule’, sick leave, and eventual strike is frankly embarrassing, given that his behaviour is unexplained, and extremely boorish, in comparison with attempts by the bank and his colleagues to help him. Help, which he rejects.

I get it that Stevenson doesn’t like the system. I get it that he wants to challenge inequality. I get it that he wants to leave the bank. But he wants to do it on his own terms without the faintest regard for anyone else but himself, irrespective of the contract he signed. There is also no gratitude or acknowledgement for the people that helped him. It’s hard to like the story when you don’t like the person.

Ultimately, I think Stevenson betrays himself because he sees himself as an outsider looking in with a clear chip on his shoulder about privilege, but wanting to change the system and fight for inequality. Very laudable, but he can’t do that by leaving, by being an outsider.

Change is best effected from within. Stevenson was clearly a talented trader but to say he was the most successful in the world was disingenuous at best and delusional at worst because he made $31 million dollars in 2011 by correctly betting against an upturn in the markets when everyone else was betting for it. A good figure but hardly stellar, when one of his colleagues had made $100 million for the bank three years in a row. Stevenson never reached this high again.

Stevenson was well liked and could have honed his skills and become a better trader and moved upward in Citibank. In this way he could have become more influential. Instead, by leaving in a churlish and discourteous manner, he became just another talking head on YouTube with his own series of podcasts called Gary’s Economics. I have listened to some of these and have found them to be rambling and waffly. It’s a shame because Stevenson could have become so much more. Perhaps the job crushed him, although we do not know how. Perhaps he was unable to rise above his station. We don’t know. The book is a good read but raises more questions than answers and is thus ultimately frustrating. Stevenson’s oft-repeated ‘I don’t know’ to explain his own predicament is just not good enough.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young British trader at Citi, from the “wrong side of the tracks” shares his journey to success and out the other side.

What is loved is his raw take on British society, and the money that makes it turn. His passion for inequality and the plight of the regular bloke on the street shines through this story of games, recklessness and markets.

For a young chap wanting to get into the industry the first half would probably resonate deeply. It’s smart, funny, competitive, and insightful.

The second half details his descent into depression as he slowly comes to realise that the work he does (taking advantage of the breakdown in society) is deeply at odds with his working class roots.

An important message wrapped up in a jolly good story.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book club choice - at first I thought this had potential to be interesting. But after the first hour of the audiobook, I just wanted it to end. Lots of dull stories about essentially working in an office. Once the initial thrill of the amounts of money he was trading in wore off, it was just a really boring and badly written set of anecdotes about someone who seemed to lack emotional depth or any sort of introspection, instead focusing on how everyone else around him was so animalistic, immoral and...omg...FAT. There were also lengthy, 30 min long explainers on economics that couldn't hold my interest whatsoever. It badly needed a ghost writer and a more scrupulous editor. Worst of all, this book reeked of arrogance and I didn't see anything of a 'confession' in it at all.

A low point was his conversation with his childhood friend. We're obviously supposed to think that Gary was far too savvy and intelligent to get addicted to the trading lifestyle, but his stupid childhood friend did, and that he's trash because of it. But you end up just seeing a really nasty, vindictive side of Gary.

I held out for the end - there was a false spring as Gary moved to Japan. But there, it was just more of the same. Fat co workers. Dickheads. Arrogance. Revelling in doing nothing and making millions. I thought, when's the turning point going to happen when he sets out his stall for how to improve things in the future? But it never came, just a short set of glib rhetorical questions and no answers.

I won't be holding out for the sequel.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot even begin to fully put into words what this book has done to me. It’s a bit vile in many, many ways. It’s exactly as repulsive as I expected it to be and there are definitely quite a few people that deserve to be cursed with small inconveniences for the rest of their lives. But it was also kind of like watching a car crash. It’s terrible but you just can’t look away. I was captivated. I was depressed. I was delighted.

[Diana · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was going to have a whole rant about this one, but to be honest, it’s not worth the effort.
This guy comes across as a massive douchebag with the world’s biggest inferiority and victim complex. And to add insult to injury, anyone with any finance industry experience (which I happen to have) can easily tell that he’s at best exaggerating, at least twisting and at worst probably lying about things.
Also, don’t go with the audiobook - if that’s his real accent then bless him because it’s so hammed up I became convinced it was a posh guy doing a working class impression.
The finance industry has a shit ton of issues, including making for a comically miserable workplace at times. This guy is clearly the wrong person to write about it because his self-absorbance and victim complex trumps any capacity for reflection he might have had.

Edit: I missed that the FT finally looked into him last year. You guys are being had. There are tons of left wing activists and economists out there who identify the same problems he does (and actually come up with some workable solutions too) who don’t have his delusions of grandeur, don’t elevate this grifter just because you agree with him.

[Cris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t know why he bothered calling it a confession when there is not an inch of self reflection. Throw this book out of a window before it’s too late.

Revisiting this review a year later: This man is the worst.

[x · Rating 1 out of 5]

Author is whingey. Felt the story has massive gaps and doesn’t explain how he went from arrogant dickhead top trader to depressed and disillusioned about work. Or how he went from brown nosing intern to callous, cruel colleague. Seems like a horrible friend, boyfriend and son too. Didn’t help the people who mentored him, ditched Harry, dumped the girl who moved to Japan for him and by his account was only ever supportive, doesnt seem to have done anything for his parents etc etc. I’ve tonnes of complaints but this book isn’t worth any more of my breath. I give him 2 stars for being so open about what an ass he is.

[Benji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhere in the 4.5-but-rounding-up-to-5 territory.

Really engaging, interesting, and messed up. Also I consider the Penguin audiobook to be the definitive version of the book — read by Gary Stevenson himself, it added a whole another level of enjoyment.

[Also Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a well judged hysteria underpinning the entirety of “The Trading Game” by Gary Stevenson. A memoir of a former Citibank trader, Stevenson writes of his exploits in making his way from East London working class to becoming one of the bank's most profitable global markets traders at a time of financial turmoil between 2008-2012.

Apart from some uneven sections, the overall pacing of the book is excellent- having set the scene with conflict (leaving us wondering right from the very beginning as to exactly what sort of trouble the author has landed himself) Stevenson doesn't dwell overly long on his origins and gets right to it with a rather thrilling account of winning a competition run by the bank, with the prize being a much sought after internship as a trader.

If you are thinking that a story involving FX swap trading sounds dull, it is anything but. Stevenson has a knack for explaining some of the aspects of trading in accessible language. It also helps to liven things that he is surrounded by a bunch of absolute characters in the form of his fellow traders, ranging from the colourfully eccentric to the downright crazy. The sheer amount of money sloshing around is staggering and it's not long until Stevenson seemingly becomes addicted to the thrill and risk of trading. What he also apparently seems to identify relatively early on is an inability to enjoy the proceeds of his work, making the whole exercise about the goal of hitting endless numbers, without obvious benefit. From there, the downward spiral is inevitable- and as he becomes more and more disillusioned and depressed, he finds himself in a trap with no obvious way out.

I've read a couple of descriptions of the book as "true crime" and I have to say, I am not seeing that angle at all. Without giving anything away by way of spoilers, Stevenson is very careful not to do anything illegal in his trading and so it's rather misleading to characterise the story in that way. There is however a definite confessional aspect- and at times, an unsavoury feeling- in revealing so much about the shady ethical and moral dilemmas of a few individuals getting richer and richer at the expense of the masses. Stevenson is bluntly honest in showing us how he was complicit in that system. He's not always likable but he is a talented writer and there are some laugh out loud funny aspects in his tale. I would have liked a bit more insight into what came after and some of the work he has done on economic inequality since leaving the bank but I also get that this wasn't necessarily in keeping with the main story.

This is a very thought provoking and highly entertaining read- recommended with 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to Penguin Press UK and Netgalley for an advance reading copy in exchange of an honest review.

[Ruxandra Grrr [in a slump :(((((] · Rating 2 out of 5]

[then]
To be honest... Gary is pretty hot!

[now]
Yeah, I've completely lost my attraction / interest while listening to this. So, if you already know that: 1. Trading is just gambling for rich people to do with other people's money. 2. It's all a shell game. 3. This traders are absolute shits and 4. Crisis is now profitable for the markets and for rich people, then this 400 page book (13-hour audiobook) has 0 insight for you. That's what happened to me. I can't stress enough how there's no essence here!

The beginning was pretty good, as Gary is an engaging storyteller and narrator. But it all fell apart. He was just telling this stories without much (on page) introspection, being a dick to his family, who didn't seem to have been dickish to him, to be honest. Even when near the end of the book his mental health is extremey affected by his job and shit, there's not much catharsis for that, just an extremely stubborn and driven person, not wanting to 'lose' the standoff with Citibank. It all felt very meh to me.

Seeing him on his YouTube channel, where he is trying to do his part I guess in solving wealth inequality and how it's driving the world off a cliff [for the 0 persons who are following my updates on Romania's political situation that I keep dropping in reviews, there's an austerity government who just went ahead and started to cut culture funding, research, scholarships for all kinds of people from poor backgrounds, disability help, raising VAT on books and food and stuff], well that's nice, I guess, but this book was an opportunity that IMO he missed. Or maybe I guess there's people who found out about all this shit going on from him?

This book is described as 'A Confession' so I guess now he's confessed to making so much money from disasters. Hurray?!

There's also the baffling choice of him 'performing' the accent of his Japanese junior trader, which sounded soooo bad to me, idk.

[Freddie Twist · Rating 1 out of 5]

I approached "The Trading Game" by Gary Stevenson with high expectations but found it ultimately disappointing, meriting a one-star rating.

The book presents itself as a confession but lacks the genuine remorse or introspection typically associated with such a narrative. Despite portraying himself as different from other traders, Stevenson comes across as similarly money-obsessed and egotistical, exhibiting traits commonly associated with narcissism, such as entitlement and grandiosity.

Stevenson’s narrative is marked by a sense of superiority and a significant chip on his shoulder. He frequently mocks those from privileged backgrounds without demonstrating a deep understanding or appreciation of their experiences, revealing a lack of cultural awareness. This narrow perspective leads to strong opinions that often lack depth and nuance. The absence of self-awareness and critical reflection detracts from what could have been a more compelling and insightful story.

While his success story is undeniably engaging, it is overshadowed by his continual disdain for others and a lack of self-reflection. This makes the book feel shallow and one-dimensional, mirroring the very traits Stevenson criticises within the trading community.

[Quincy Hopper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fair enough if you're put off by a book about an ex-banker with a picture of Canary Wharf on the cover but I would honestly recommend this to everyone.

I discovered Gary through his YouTube vids about economics and initially expected his book to be part autobiography, part economic theory. Instead, it turned out to be a heartfelt, nostalgic and unapologetic account of his early twenties. His style of writing makes you feel like it's a real conversation with the author, like you're just chatting with him about life. I would love to see him write some fiction someday.

Gary, who grew up in a working-class family in Ilford, was offered a job as a trader at one of the largest banks in the world after winning a card game called the Trading Game. He went on to become the best in the world at his job. Despite the highs, Gary focuses more on the confusion and disillusionment of his place in the system. There's this subtle sense of sadness throughout the entire book and yeah it's pretty bloody sad. Even if it doesn't sound like your vibe I would 100% recommend this book!

[Connor Huntly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not going to lie I started reading this because I wanted to learn a bit more about economics and trading and I liked his little vids on instagram. I did not expect to be rating this 5 stars. I can't describe how incredibly written it is for an autobiography and it exposes how almost dystopian trading and big banks are. The author is uncomfortably honest about his own feelings throughout - very sad book but I would highly recommend. Some great characters along his journey too.

[janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I'll be the first to admit that I have ZERO knowledge or understanding of the Trading World, apart from the stereotypical movie scenes of 'Buy, Buy, Buy' 'Sell, Sell, Sell' BUT the blurb of this story gripped me so I knew I had to give it a go.

This is Gary Stevenson' truth.
As a young boy from a working class background, he always felt the pull of money. Staring up at the London skyscrapers, he knew that one day he would be part of that world. Expelled from Grammer School for selling drugs , noone would have dreamed that a few years later Gary would be offered a position on the trading floor at a prestigious bank in Canary Wharf.

This is Gary's story of how he rose, how he climbed the ladder of success and the price he had to pay for it. Whilst chasing eye watering amounts of money may sound amazing was the damage to his mental health and the life he missed out on really worth it?

As someone with no concept of what goes on in these places, Gary gives an Idiots Guide and helps demystify the jargon in a way that even I could understand (and I'm clueless) but still some things went over my head!

Now whilst you may think this is going to be a dull as dishwater book about numbers, trading blah blah blah..... believe me it's not! It's about a guy that gave everything he possibly could, like a deal with the devil... but managed to keep his soul!

With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Press UK – Allen Lane for the ARC.

[Olly de Boer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is perhaps the only book I want to give a detailed review of.

I was a victim of the game, when I sat down in my first year law lecture, I thought I was on an even playing field. By the time I started my third year, and my friends were discussing careers, I realised I was looking for a career that I might never get.

In my third year of University, I realised that I couldn't afford to be a paralegal in my early 20's and be able to pay rent and bills, in the hope that I might get a training contract one day.

The people who were on my course who are now solicitors had to either; live with parents and work locally, live with a high earning partner or.... live in a rent free property in London owned by their lawyer dads.

So, why wasn't I warned? Why was I allowed to go into debt to seek a career I could never get? Why are so many teenagers told that if they hustle, they will earn money, get a house and be rich? Why are kids not told the reality of their situations?

It was simply rigged from the start.

If you are not a multimillionaire, and you are angry at each other and not the rich, who are buying us out of our assets, you are still playing their game. If you have played monopoly, you know how the game ends.

I want this book read far and wide, which is why I'm finally reviewing a book.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story that hooked me like a thriller

[jaz jameson-allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the fast pace and it was very easy to picture all the events from the writing! At points I felt bad for Gary but then you’d take a step back and realise he’s not the one to feel sorry for

[Ash · Rating 1 out of 5]

A kid who grew up with two parents, went to a private school and then one of the finest universities in the land wants to sook about his treatment at Citibank.

He sounds immature and unhinged regarding him being paid his bonus, like a child with no insight, sooking for money that of course is contractually and by the sounds reasonable and fairly delayed.

He also at times tries to portray himself as some hardened, gangster from the streets, talking about people getting stabbed? It was embarrassing, I doubt after reading this ‘confession’ that he could move the froth off a cappuccino.

Every description is woven into a dramatic metaphor in that cringey way high school kids write creative pieces.

I feel sorry for the people that would’ve had to have worked with Gary there is no appreciation for the mentoring or guidance that they would’ve offered. He has no doubt made it harder for working class kids to get work in elite institutions by this nonsense.

I gave one star because, depending on how reliable his account is he provided a nice overview of what life is like on the trading room floor and how they made trades.

[Mike Clarke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set yourself on fire: much-hyped, if mainly by himself, The Trading Game does little to educate or inform: c’mon, you know the schtick, East End oik finds himself among the latter day Gordon Gekkos, and surprise, surprise, they’re not very nice people- a mix of psychopaths, social misfits, perverts, and fanatics, and when our Gal tries to jump ship they turn on him. Is it entertaining? Fitfully, even if the characters are all pretty two-dimensional and the action plays out against a backdrop of high stress office environments, testosterone-polluted gyms and the kind of expensive restaurant most of us would need mortgages to afford. Even the most potentially interesting bit, where he’s catapulted off to Japan to bash the leaving idea out of him, is reduced to a series of eating experiences and the sort of stereotype coo isn’t Japan weird when you’re from Barking? I like Gary’s Economics, Stevenson’s big finance-bashing YouTube franchise, and he seems a decent guy. Part of my disappointment with this is from his other output I was expecting more of a takedown of the system rather than one man’s struggle with Citibank. We know they’re wankers but what we don’t know is, are they essential wankers? How much do we need this lot doing our dirty work for us (I want a decent pension, low inflation and good exchange rates as much as the next outraged lefty, but I left this book with little clue as to whether, if Citibank or any of its rivals burned to the ground tomorrow, we’d in any way miss them - Bear Stearns, anyone?). There’s the trace of a decent story here but editing it down to about half the current length and shoved in a bit more of the analysis he’s otherwise so good at, and then we can start taking telephone numbers…

[John Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having heard Gary Stevenson's videos, I was expecting a book that would primarilty seek to address rising income inequality, while padding it out with stories and anecdotes from a working-class-street-smart-boy-who-turns-trader-and-beats-WallSt. You know, to appeal to the common man and all that. Maybe that's on me for having that expectation, but that's really what I thought I was in for. While all of these things are true (and he certainly does lean into the trope), my expectations were utterly shattered. This book really reads like you're rabidly yet unconsciously diving right into the depths of trading billions for profit at the expense of the ordinary person with Gary, and then you wake up deep deep under water and you look around and you realise you're way out of your depth and you can't come up for air. Particularly impressive is how he conveys (without directly saying) how difficult it is to look at what's happening around you once the blinkers go on and you immerse yourself fully in the work. You have your goal and you won't be stopped. Only the target matters.

[Normanreadmoreman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really rate this book! It offers a bleak and fascinating insight into the financial sector and what it takes to survive on the trading floor. The narrative alternates between being raw and reserved, particularly when discussing personal relationships outside the author’s work. I would have found it interesting to explore more of the author’s emotions regarding the people in his life, but these opportunities are left somewhat unfulfilled—perhaps intentionally, adding to the emotional rollercoaster explored elsewhere in the book. At its core, this is the story of someone born into a world of wealth inequality, earning a lot of money, and then seeing behind the curtain, realizing in real time how much worse wealth inequality is becoming. Writing this book must have been incredibly challenging. I found it brave and unapologetic.

[Toby Irvine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never wanted to put it down. Even if some details are exaggerated, it is an utterly captivating story, told in an unpolished and very human way. The trading and economics content was good fun and simply explained. But best of all was the story arc: moving from wide-eyed wonder about the City and all its opportunities at its beginning, to the peak where Gary finally reached the million pound bonuses, and the turning point as he realised that they didn't justify the loss of his life to everything but work, to the exhaustion and disillusionment at the end, with the high life ultimately leaving him broken and empty. A brilliant depiction of both the allure and emptiness of the world - and made me glad to have an eternal hope far better than fleeting riches in the age.

[Joshua · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pros:
- Interesting story (assuming it is mostly true).
- Easy read, a page turner.

Cons:
- I couldn't find a real point to the story, I didn't leave with any themes to think on or a changed opinion.
- The story was too light on details to be an exposé. Stevenson repeatedly covers how "spread" works, he then covers no other technical detail. He explains he made money by "betting inequality would increase", which no one else in the world saw for years................ 🤷‍♂️
- Many times I felt I was not reading a truthful account, but rather the self-aggrandising of a YouTube grifter. To give one example, on the last page of the book he describes how, having "beaten the bank", a whole team of people on a Zoom call muted their microphones so they could laugh and clap for him.