In these days of financial uncertainty, it makes sense to preserve some of your wealth in gold. Humans have treasured gold for millennia. And with China and India’s increasing appetite for gold (thanks to those countries’ growing middle classes), it’s not going to go out of fashion anytime soon.
Russia gets a lot of bad press. But savvy investors look through that. For us, it’s the cold hard facts about Russia, and specifically Russian stocks, that matter. Most people in the West have a negative view of the country as a result of constant adverse media reports.
There’s a four-letter word on every savvy investor’s lips right now. And that word is “gold.” After almost five years of a bear (falling) market, gold is rising again. At a price of $1,271 per troy ounce (used to measure precious metals) at time of writing, it’s up 20% from the low of $1,055 reached in December 2015. This big reversal means it looks like gold has finally bottomed out. And a new bull (rising) market has started.
When you first visit Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, all your senses are assaulted by the constant activity. On every street, masses of people hustle and bustle to make a buck (or a dong, the local currency). The architecture is an intriguing mix of colonial French, traditional Vietnamese, and communist monolith. The food is sensational: among the best I’ve tried anywhere in Asia. And Hanoi’s thriving arts scene attracts creative types from across the country and beyond. All this adds up to a place bursting with energy—and potential.
These days, most developed countries have huge government debts. But there’s one country with massive net assets. It also has substantial natural resources and twin surpluses (budget and current account). Despite this, its stocks are on sale right now. And these stocks could net you a solid return over the coming years—if you act quickly.
Emerging markets are, and will remain, the centers of global economic growth for the foreseeable future. That’s why all serious investors should have them in their sights, especially when they offer us a cheap, low-risk entry point, as they do now. True, investors in emerging markets have had a tough time in recent years. Prices have been sliding since April 2011, with especially sharp falls in the second half of 2015. Commodity prices have collapsed, which has slammed the economies and local currencies of the big commodity exporters, such as Brazil, Russia, Chile, Colombia, and Peru.
Vietnam is a place that gets me excited. In the capital Hanoi, the sights, sounds and smells assault your senses all at once. Of all the cities in the 32 or more countries that I’ve traveled to, Hanoi is my top pick for a city trip.
My Dad had an agricultural business when I was growing up. I loved spending my summers working with him on farms, driving machinery around.
Spies in suburbia... that's the biggest Russia story we've read in years. But there's another, better one the mainstream press hasn't noticed.
Everyone knows Asia is where the growth is. We hear a lot from the mainstream media about China and India. There’s certainly money to be made in these places. But these are crowded trades... They’re big, chaotic and, for the most part, poor.