Equity (2016)

Trader's Film Library #80 · Markets and trading in fiction. A thriller about an IPO and inside information, told from the perspective of women on Wall Street.

Original title: Equity · Type: film · Created by: Meera Menon · Usefulness for traders: ★★★☆☆

What it's about

Naomi Bishop (Anna Gunn) is an experienced investment banker leading a tech company's IPO. After an earlier failed deal she has to rebuild her standing in the firm, and leaks and an insider-trading investigation start to swirl around the offering. The film tells a Wall Street story from women's perspective and was made largely by women from the industry.

What it has to do with markets

A rare film that shows what goes on behind an IPO: the valuation, the investor meetings, the pressure on the offering price and the temptation to use information before it's public. It shows clearly how much depends on trust and how easily it's lost.

Lessons for traders

• an IPO price is the result of negotiation and sentiment, not an “objective value”
• inside information is a crime, not an edge
• in finance, a reputation takes years to build and a day to lose

What to watch out for

An intimate drama with little action. Some of the personal storylines are simplified.

Discussion

The discussion takes place in Hetman Capital Club (in Polish). Join the discussion in the Club →

Navigation

← #79 Floored · Film Library index · #81 Life Without Principle →

The description outlines the plot without revealing the ending where possible (true stories have a known outcome). Educational content, not investment advice.