The Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution

How did Jim Simons do it? is a question that investors have been asking for decades. Gregory Zuckerman, the bestselling author of The Greatest Trade Ever and The Frackers, provides an answer.

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The biggest money maker in the annals of contemporary finance is Jim Simons. No other investor can match his track record, not even George Soros, Ray Dalio, Steve Cohen, Peter Lynch, or Warren Buffett. Renaissance's flagship Medallion fund has had average yearly returns of 66 percent since 1988. Over $100 billion in profits have been made by the company, and Simons is valued at $23.3 billion.

The compelling tale of how a former code breaker and skilled mathematician became an industry expert is told by veteran Wall Street Journal investigative writer Zuckerman, who has unheard-of access to Simons and dozens of other current and former staff members. Simons invented an algorithmic, data-driven methodology that is becoming widely used.

Renaissance's CEOs started making an impact outside of the financial industry as the company grew in popularity. Simons rose to prominence in liberal politics, education, and scientific research. More than anybody else, senior executive Robert Mercer is to blame for the Trump administration; he brought Steve Bannon into the campaign and provided finance for Trump's successful 2016 campaign. Mercer had an effect on the Brexit campaign as well.

In The Man Who Solved the Market, a contemporary Midas is portrayed as having recreated markets in his own image but failing to foresee the effects that his success would have on his company and his nation. It's also a tale of what the rest of us should make of Simons' revolution.