MARCH 5, 2022 – A friend shared the above quote by Baron Nathan Rothschild. Nowadays we say buy the rumor and sell the news.
Just as the time to buy oil and gas and all commodities was 2 years ago during the worldwide lockdown. Soon will be the time to buy Russian assets.
I recall people saying I was crazy to buy when oil traded at -$30 a barrel (no one gives credit to President Trump ordering the USA to stock up its oil reserves when the price of oil was so cheap…brilliant move). Exxon traded at $31 (over $84 yesterday). Freeport-McMoran I had bought around $6. Yesterday it broke $50. With virtually every commodity at record highs, I will start to slowly take my cards off the table. You sell when everyone in the world is wanting to buy. As is the case now and for awhile longer.
The challenge will be figuring out when to buy Russian assets. And which ones. Russia isn’t going away. Their oil and gas will be needed by Europe, and others, for the remainder of this century. 25% of the world’s wheat goes thru Russia/Ukraine (that is why the price was up 40% this week!). Even if Russia/Ukraine is limited to trading with China, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and other members of that alliance, their companies will come back and do well. China alone has enough people to buy Russian goods forever. Remember, Russia’s economy is only the size of Italy’s. It doesn’t take much buying to support that economy.
The key is figuring out which companies and ETF funds will survive. I remember in early 2009 when Fifth Third Bank traded at $1.01 and I believe Bank of America was below $5. The fear was these banks would not survive. But, if you knew they would survive, you had minimal downside risk. As we say, at those prices it is like buying an option. You are prepared to lose 100%. But, also prepared to hit a 5x or 10x winner.
We are in a similar period for Russian stocks and other stocks invested in Russia. I don’t have definitive answers, yet. But, I think I am getting a handle on what to watch for re the Smart Money. The Smart Money will be investing heavily long before the public, and Fake News Media, know things have turned the corner.
I have long thought about writing a paper about markets that have declined 75%-90%+ and bounced all the way back. Those opportunities occur enough for you to make large killings throughout your life. The key factor is KNOWING that market will survive. The DJIA was going to survive The Great Depression. It declined 89%, but it was going to stay around and rebound. The NASDAQ did about the same in the Dot Com Bubble. There are dozens of such events. There are lots more where the stock went 100% under and did not survive. Again, the key is KNOWING the asset will survive no matter what.
If you are crazy enough to want to invest in depressed Russian assets, stay in touch with me. I am not 100% certain I will dive in. But, I do know this is a rare opportunity to keep an eye on. Rare because many of these assets are down 99% right now.
And, yes, you can tell I am totally against companies boycotting Russia. I have always said corporations owe society nothing. If you want something to help society, that is what Not-For-Profits are for! Corporations need to stay out of politics. In fact, they should be banned from donating to political campaigns. Just make money for the owners, pay your employees, buy supplies from other companies, et al. All of that done ethically and within existing laws, of course.
Albeit, I would say the Russian people are lucky right now to have no Facebook and Instagram and so on!!! That is a dream world! Can you imagine if your kids had no social media to waste their lives on!!!! Your kids had to spend that time with you:) I have a dream….
These are times I live for. I look forward to seeing how this evolves. And possibly, making money off of it:) We shall see.
Shalom,
The Mann