Sheldon Zerden

Wall St. Wonders Sheldon Zerden

For more than 200 years Wall street has been the engine of America's economic growth. It is the marketplace where capital is raised and young private companies become publicly owned. Wall Street is where the New York Stock Exchange has been located since the Buttonwood Tree Agreement in 1792. Across the street is the statue of George Washington which stands in front of Federal Hall, where he was inaugurated as the first president of the United States when New York was the capital of the country. The hopes and dreams of many people are realized by the companies which list their shares on the exchange and the investors and speculators who buy their common stock. As a veteran of fifty years in Wall Street, I have added to the literature with two outstanding books. "Best Books on the Stock Market." which won the best book of the year award by the American Library Association. A more recent work immortalized the contributions of 275 men and women in "The Wall Street Hall of Fame" "Wall Street Wonders" describes some of the processes that take place in Wall Street. The one thing that never changes is the way speculators and investors react. They buy at the high and sell at the low. Unfortunately, it would be better to buy low and sell high. Readers will see themselves in the pages of this book. It is all part of the desire to make money. Willie Sutton robbed banks because that's where the money was. Hey Willie! Wall Street is really where the money is. Good luck everyone. Today's society is saturated with materialism and luxury. It is natural that the have-nots hope to attain a higher standard of living. This substantial middle class group is flocking in growing numbers to the promised land of Wall street... the utopia, their friends tell them, where money multiplies overnight. In many cases the want of luxury turns to greed, and eventually to tragedy.