How the stock market works : a beginner's guide to investment / Michael Becket, Yvette Essen.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Many people might see the current global recession as the very worst time to invest in the stock market. But many of the world's most successful investors will insist that a market downturn is the very moment when people should be investing. Given the wealth of material available, how can you strip away the hype, unlock the jargon and demystify the workings of the City as well as the global financial markets? How the Stock Market Works will tell investors, both existing and potential, what is being traded and how, who does what with which and to whom, and how to evaluate both the shares and the proponents' claims. With brand new material on the more complex derivatives, foreign shares and the use of the Internet in trading, the authors provide a fresh and lucid perspective on an increasingly turbulent market sector, explaining the full inter-relationships between the stock market, the banks, brokers and the regulators. Despite the credit crunch and a global recession, there is still money to be made. It may not require a genius to make a fortune, but it does need care, common sense, lots of luck and the expert advice contained within this revised and updated edition of The Daily Telegraph's How the Stock Market Works.