King of the Club: Richard Grasso and the Survival of the New York Stock Exchange - Softcover

Gasparino, Charles

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0060898348 ISBN 13: 9780060898342

Publisher: Harper Business, 2008

Synopsis

Rags-to-riches stories abound in American lore, but even Horatio Alger would have been hard-pressed to write one as powerful as Richard Grasso's: the son of a working-class family whose childhood dream was to become a cop. He grew up in New York City's outer boroughs, far removed from the marble halls, expensive suits, and imported cigars of the New York Stock Exchange. Here is the riveting story of how he rose to become the most influential CEO in the Exchange's history. Minus the tony upbringing, affluent prep schools, or inside connections that were de rigueur for top Wall Street players, Grasso would master the subtle deal-making and politics necessary to succeed in the most competitive business on Earth. But despite his successes, Grasso would soon sow the seeds of his own downfall, an event that would change the Exchange forever.

The King of the Club paperback edition, featuring a full update on the story, chronicles the amazing rise, fall, and possible rise again of Richard Grasso, and also tells the modern history of the all-powerful institution that he came to symbolize: The New York Stock Exchange.

About this title

Review:

“[T]his well-documented look at the rise and fall of New York Stock Exchange chairman Richard Grasso...gives readers an astonishing look inside the boardroom.... Gasparino reconstructs the events of Grasso’s tenure with an evenhanded point of view, including plenty of ...satisfying detail... [R]iveting.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Gasparino has done his homework. He has talked to the people who matter, and King of the Club is rich with their recollection of their roles in Grasso’s rise and fall.” (Conference Board Review)

“CNBC correspondent Gasparino masterfully combines Richard Grasso’s rags-to-riches narrative with the grand history of the New York Stock Exchange.” (Library Journal)

Synopsis:

Until recently, no figure loomed larger on Wall Street than Richard Grasso, the former head of the New York Stock Exchange. Though short in stature, his power and influence was immense. During his 35 years at the exchange, the last seven as its Chairman, Grasso was known on the floor of the Exchange as The Little Guy in the Dark Suit who commanded the attention of politicians, brokered deals with the nation's most influential businessmen, became a national hero for his work helping Wall Street recover from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and then emerged as a symbol of corporate excess over the details of his enormous compensation package.Chronicling the amazing rise, fall, and possible rise again of Richard Grasso, and also tells the modern history of the all-powerful institution that he came to symbolize: The New York Stock Exchange. Known as The Club, the NYSE is the world's biggest stock market, where trillions of dollars of stocks of the nation's largest companies are priced and traded each day between its 9:30 am opening bell and its 4 pm close.

Richard Grasso began his career as a clerk on the floor of the Exchange, where screaming traders match buyers and sellers of stocks each day.Even as he rose through the ranks of the Club, Grasso never seemed to leave the floor too far behind. During his three decade career at the Exchange, Grasso fought tooth and nail to keep traders and the NYSE in business, underscored by his outlandish publicity stunts - and even more important, by his perennial public and private battles with various top players in the Club, including its most powerful member, Goldman Sachs CEO Hank Paulson.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Business
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0060898348
• ISBN 13: 9780060898342
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432