Robert Gay Boeken

The narrative delves into the harrowing realities of life in Rio de Janeiro's favelas, where drug gangs dominate and violence is rampant. Through conversations with Lucia, a woman who experienced the drug trade firsthand in the 1990s, the book uncovers the profound impact of poverty and systemic injustice that drive individuals, particularly women, into the world of drugs. Lucia's insights reveal the complexities of gang involvement and highlight the bleak prospects for change in this tumultuous environment.

The narrative follows a young man from Recife, Brazil, who transitions from a poor farmer's son to a leader within the Comando Vermelho criminal faction after joining the navy and selling cocaine. Through candid interviews, he reveals the harsh realities of prison life, the complexities of the Brazilian drug trade, and the dynamics between criminal factions, police, and favelas. His story highlights how mismanagement of the prison system contributed to the rise of organized crime in Rio de Janeiro, impacting the city's safety for over twenty years.

Market efficiency means the market price of a §security reflects the market s consensus estimate of §the value of said security. This book explores the §relationship between the macroeconomy of Brazil, §Russia, India, and China and their respective stock §market returns. In assessing the risk to invest in §emerging financial markets or EFMs, such as the §aforementioned macroeconomies, investors will need §to understand not only the relationship between §country-specific financial markets and how they can §be influenced by the macroeconomic factors such as §Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Consumer Price Index §(CPI), Exchange Rate, M1 Money Supply, and Oil §Price, but whether or not their stock markets are §efficient in determining the market prices.