MI375: How George Soros Beat the Markets: The Alchemy of Finance w/ Shawn O’Malley

In today’s episode, Shawn O’Malley (@Shawn_OMalley_) discusses The Alchemy of Finance by George Soros. George Soros is a controversial political figure, but he is a legend on Wall Street. Many know him as the man who “broke the Bank of England” for his epic short bets against the British pound that broke its currency peg. Soros’s hedge fund is among the best performing ever, generating billions of dollars in wealth and giving rise to a number of Soros’s protégés who would make their own names for themselves.  You’ll learn about Soros’s life growing up in Nazi-occupied Hungary, how he went from immigrant to hedge fund titan, why philosophy and abstract thinking were critical to Soros’s success, Soros’s unique theory on investing called Reflexivity and how it has helped him throughout his career, which shortcomings Soros identified in markets, how he used reflexivity to profit from a boom in conglomerates, plus so much more! Prefer to watch? Click here to watch this episode on YouTube. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN 00:00 - Intro 02:18 - What it was like for George Soros growing up in Nazi-occupied Hungary 03:15 - How Soros went from immigrant to hedge fund titan 10:01 - What is reflexivity, and how did Soros use it 12:16 - Why markets are a place to test hypotheses 24:30 - Why Soros thinks free markets have shortcomings 26:33 - What value investors miss about reflexivity and stock prices 29:45 - How Soros profited from a boom in conglomerates using reflexivity 32:06 - What causes reversals in markets  And much, much more! *Disclaimer: Slight timestamp discrepancies may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Join the exclusive TIP Mastermind Community to engage in meaningful stock investing discussions with Kyle and the other community members. George Soros's book, The Alchemy of Finance. George Soros's book, Soros on Soros: Staying Ahead of the Curve. George Soros’s wiki. How Soros broke the Bank of England. Check out the books mentioned in the podcast here. Enjoy ad-free episodes when you subscribe to our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Follow our official social media accounts: X (Twitter) | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok. Check out our Millennial Investing Starter Packs. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here. Try Kyle's favorite tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Stay up-to-date on financial markets and investing strategies through our daily newsletter, We Study Markets. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Toyota Facet Fundrise Public Airbnb Bluehost NetSuite Connect with Shawn: Twitter | LinkedIn | Email HELP US OUT! Help us reach new listeners by leaving us a rating and review on Spotify! It takes less than 30 seconds and really helps our show grow, which allows us to bring on even better guests for you all! Thank you – we really appreciate it!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm