"Capital Ideas traces the origins of modern Wall Street, from the pioneering work of early scholars and the development of new theories in risk, valuation, and investment returns, to the actual implementation of these theories in the real world of investment management. Starting with the French mathematician Louis Bachelier - who wrote about the unpredictability of stock prices in the early 1900s - Bernstein brings to life a variety of brilliant academics who have contributed to modern investment theory over the years."--BOOK JACKET.