“Secrets of the Temple” book

Has anyone read this book? I am wondering if it would be recommended as a resource to get smarter on some US economic history, mechanics of the fed, and macro analysis in general.

It’s a pretty long read, so wondering if anyone could give their opinion if it’s worthwhile. For context, I am a college senior with a non econ background. Thanks in advance.

6 Comments
 

was wondering how important economic history is for investing, especially HF. Ray Dalio loves it, anyone else does/ finds any merit in it? Is there any merit in Dalio's economic history analyses anyway

 

I think financial history is very relevant to investing, both at the analyst but especially PM level.

It gives you insights on current macro settings that might have occurred in the past, behavior that keeps on repeating and understanding of cycles. It's useful for short and long term investing.

You couldn't have nailed the recent tech bubble without an understanding of what happened in the early 2000s. And especially you couldn't have understood why today it happens differently than back then.

It improves your grasp of the context you are living.

I sometimes follow a newsletter on fin history (Investor's Amnesia) which I find very useful.

 

Cheers man, very helpful, thanks for the newsletter rec. Couple questions here if u dont mind:

1) Why is it more helpful for PMs than analysts?

2) This reminds me of a question i thought before in the past and have asked several of my contacts. Building on what you have said, what if there were a hypothetical immortal analyst who has covered the markets since its inception. Would this guy be the best positioned to capture macro trends, armed with his knowledge? I've always wondered, shouldnt investors become smarter and smarter over time? Because we have an ever-increasing database to work on over time. Hence the question of the immortal analyst

3) Financial history assumes the market is weakly inefficient, yes? Cuz we are working on past data, and we think behavior repeats itself in markets. Isn't the main underlying assumption of these macro funds which work on financial history the same as technical analysis? - investor psychology and sentiment repeats itself

 
Most Helpful

Neque laudantium aut animi enim. Impedit beatae enim nesciunt vel explicabo iusto qui. Eum eaque ab aut cumque. Dicta quia ratione possimus adipisci sit nostrum. Quos debitis unde nesciunt dolor. Id numquam qui cupiditate.

Officia architecto exercitationem cum ducimus nulla consequuntur veritatis asperiores. Esse provident ipsum aliquid tempora. Enim omnis reiciendis quia ut est nam magnam. Aliquid in est non optio.

Ut autem officia ullam. Voluptates nam et magni magnam. At facere sit quae voluptatem vel repellat. Quia nemo quo culpa.

Qui eum ut inventore non asperiores nihil nesciunt cum. Non eum sequi et et fugiat perspiciatis exercitationem. Tenetur earum necessitatibus consequatur enim consectetur. Laborum odio dolor sed quo perspiciatis dolor consequatur blanditiis. Et expedita omnis rerum velit repudiandae quas. Dolorem et omnis incidunt ipsum debitis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Point72 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Citadel Investment Group 97.0%
  • AQR Capital Management 96.0%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.0%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Blackstone Group 97.0%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.0%
  • Two Sigma Investments 94.9%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.0%
  • Point72 98.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.1%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.1%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Portfolio Manager (9) $1,648
  • Vice President (27) $464
  • Director/MD (11) $372
  • NA (9) $320
  • Engineer/Quant (83) $287
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (26) $284
  • Manager (4) $282
  • 2nd Year Associate (32) $253
  • 1st Year Associate (76) $193
  • Analysts (233) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (29) $145
  • Junior Trader (5) $102
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (276) $95
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”