From the Financial Times's global finance correspondent, the incredible true story of the iconoclastic geeks who defied conventional wisdom and endured Wall Street's scorn to launch the index fund revolution, democratizing investing and saving hundreds of billions of dollars in fees that would have otherwise lined fat cats' pockets.Fifty years ago, the Manhattan Project of money management was quietly assembled in the financial industry's backwaters, unified by the heretical idea that even many of the world's finest investors couldn't beat the market in the long run.The motley crew of nerds-including economist wunderkind Gene Fama, humiliated industry executive Jack Bogle, bull-headed and computer-obsessive John McQuown, and avuncular former WWII submariner Nate Most-succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Passive investing now accounts for more than $20 trillion, equal to the entire gross domestic product of the US, and is today a force reshaping markets, finance and even capitalism itself in myriad subtle but pivotal ways.Yet even some fans of index funds and ETFs are growing perturbed that their swelling heft is destabilizing markets, wrecking the investment industry and leading to an unwelcome concentration of power in fewer and fewer hands.In Trillions, Financial Times journalist Robin Wigglesworth unveils the vivid secret history of an invention Wall Street wishes was never created, bringing to life the characters behind its birth, growth, and evolution into a world-conquering phenomenon. This engrossing narrative is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand modern finance-and one of the most pressing financial uncertainties of our time.

RECOGNIZED EXPERT: Robin is widely considered one of the leading journalists on passive investing. His 2018 Financial Times Magazine piece Passive Attack, on the origins of the index fund, has been described as seminal work on the subject. Robin speaks and moderates at 10-12 conferences per year, has appeared on CNBC, CBS, and BBC Live, and has been quoted by Vox, The New York Times, and CNN.com.BELOVED VOICE: Robin's razor-sharp takes and trademark wit-even and especially when tackling dry subjects-has earned him a loyal readership. He is the most-read financial journalist at the Financial Times, with each article averaging 650k page views per month. He has close relationships with economists Burton Malkiel, Mohamed El-Erian, legendary hedge fund manager Paul Singer, and journalists Felix Salmon, Greg Zuckerman, Bill Cohen, Felix Salmon, Bradley Hope, Adam Tooze, and Gillian Tett.URGENT TOPIC: Increased market volatility has brought ETFs and index funds into the news more and more frequently. Robin outlines both the growing dangers and a range of possible solutions.