A Conversation on Undermoney: Debut Novel by Jay Newman
On January 20th, 2022 FOLCS was joined by seasoned international finance expert Jay Newman, to discuss his new book, Undermoney.
Jay’s debut novel is an electrifying thriller about a group of American former military who secretly take over the world’s largest dark money operation, with the goal of installing their ideal president. As they discover the secret of the dark money pool’s success—which involves manipulating the markets to rake in billions of dollars—they come into ever increasing danger. Ultimately the team of Americans must decide whether their political objectives are worth the cost of ruthlessly sacrificing many human lives.
Just days ahead of this exciting new book release, this conversation with Jay Newman speaks to his 40 years of experience in the high-risk, fast-paced world of money and politics in which Undermoney is set.
Watch A Conversation on Undermoney: Debut Novel by Jay Newman here.
"We're living in a Greek era accept the Gods are real people that have made scads of money, and are hurling it at each other trying to get their way."
Jay Newman
Author
Jay spent 40 years in international finance, with a primary focus on managing investments in sovereign debt, including the distressed sovereign debt of Latin American, Eastern European, African, and Asian countries. He is viewed as “the mastermind” behind an historic 15-year fight to recover billions of dollars in defaulted debt from the government of Argentina.
That campaign, which included the court-approved seizure of an Argentinian Navy ship in Ghana with 200 people aboard in 2012, reached a successful conclusion in 2016. The Wall Street Journal reported that the settlement was worth $2.4 billion, a gain of roughly 10 to 15 times the original investment. The New York Times reported that the return was “392 percent on the original value of the bonds.” The Financial Times said the settlement “is seen as one of the greatest hedge fund trades” in history.
Jay was born in New York City. He received his B.A. in Economics from Yale University in 1973, and a J.D. from Columbia University in 1976.
Undermoney is the first of three books in a series that Jay is developing. Undermoney has been described by author Nelson DeMille as “a groundbreaking, unconventional, and wildly entertaining peek behind the curtain of American politics, financial skullduggery, and high-stakes global conflict.” Author Lee Child called Undermoney “essential reading – makes your heart beat faster, like a thriller should, but also teaches you something big, which most thrillers don’t.”