Trading Commodities and Financial Futures: A Step-by-Step Guide to Mastering the Markets

It's really great reading for a novice, interesting stories, useful basic knowledge of futures and options, including how to trade them in different ways, like you can trade the spread with lower risks, blablabla. I also benefited from the technical tools, especially the GK's own ones, like SNI and pivot indicator. What tells me the most is the traits or personalities that a successful trader should possess. I really like this book and I will read it again and again to find out more and more useful things.

Informative and insightful. I actually just read it again for the second time and picked up this 4th Edition. I read the third edition at the end of 2006, and probably didn't need to upgrade to the 4th Ed. All your looking for is different signs the market makes, but I wanted to see how the 2008 downturn reflected in his latest edition. It's a book I continue to return to and worth the read, in my opinion.

Solid book.

This is a great read for all traders. The lessons are timeless, and Mr Kleinman makes some complicated concepts and trades easy to understand and fun to read. There are a lot of lessons, concepts, and strategies packed into this book, if you have even mild interest in trading, you will not put it down once you get started. WH

Wow! Wasn't this a nice surprise. What a great book on trading all together. If you are starting out or just sharpening the knife - this book is a must. It should be in the line up of every trader. Commodities are in many ways the purest of the trades. The author does a great job of talking about the "nice to know's" and comparing those with the "must know's". Great job!

Recieved as expected. Good packaging, nothing too fancy. The book itself is rather elementary. Mostly common knowledge but good reference when nothing else is available. Good to have around but not the best book out there.

George Kleinman lays out the details simply and logically. Huge amount of information of the realities of trading both Commodities and Futures Includes the very basics of costs per trade, profits per trade and how the system works

The book was mostly on charting, not a detailed description of individual futures. I was interested in learning about the financial futures and there was little or no information. For instance there was no information on the relationship of individual futures and their corresponding ETF's. If you are interested in learning about charting, there are better books than this and if you are interessted in financial futures, there has to be a better book.

Good book! Recommended for anyone who wants to start trading commodities, both physical or paper. Even for people who are already in this industry, it is also worth the read to understand another professional's perspective in the world of commodities (except for the TA part where you would most likely already know).

The book opens with a beautiful quote by Darwin: adaptation matters more than intelligence or strength in the quest for survival. That idea sets the tone perfectly. It is extremely beginner-friendly. Futures and options are explained through small, intuitive stories, making it easy to understand not just the instruments themselves but also how different derivatives interact within the market. I learned several practical aspects—delivery month selection, the role of various market participants, volatility dynamics, and the real risks of margin calls (not the movie 🙂). One of the book’s strongest points is its emphasis on process. It doesn’t just describe derivatives; it explains how to identify the right derivative and how to trade it sensibly. The economic aspects of bubbles are also discussed clearly, and the treatment of Open Interest (OI) analysis is detailed and insightful. Towards the end, another memorable quote appears—this time from René Descartes: Perfect men and perfect numbers are equally hard to find. The message is clear: no one should be encouraged to time the market perfectly, because even for experienced traders, that level of precision is highly improbable. Overall, this is a well-rounded, thoughtful book that balances concepts, market mechanics, and practical wisdom.

This is one of the best books on trading that I have read for a long time -- and I have nearly 100 books on the subject. It discusses the Futures trading from a practical standpoint and is a must read for beginners. Some aspects of the book, such as the brief coverage on Technical Analysis, was material that I knew already but still was good to read nonetheless. The author develops a trading plan that takes you through the basics of trading futures. However, I would have liked more coverage on risk and money management. All told, this is a great book and a MUST READ for new traders. You will not regret investing in this book, as it will recoup its cost on your first trade!

I am still reading this book but from what I've read, I've found it informative. George is able to explain relevant concepts clearly which is important to someone learning a subject they know very little about. I am confident that I will be well educated on the subject upon completing my read. That's not to say I won't have more to learn but nonetheless I have certainly learned quite a bit from reading this book.

It's a small book, but great overview of all the pieces you will need to understand how to be successful in the markets. Not just trading commodities and futures, but other securities as well.