Product Description: Praise for Jim Rogers and Adventure Capitalist "[Jim Rogers is] the Indiana Jones of finance." Time "Rogers has a knack for storytelling and drawing the reader in. You'll finish this book feeling as though you, too, have spun around the globe." USA Today "A terrific read...Rogers has some extraordinary experiences and he relates them well." International Herald Tribune "...Adventure Capitalist bounces along from anecdote to anecdote with a sense of fun..." Accounting Technician "...well--written and interesting which has provided me with valuable insights..." The Independent on Sunday
Amazon.com Review: According to Jim Rogers, "commodities get no respect." Here are a few reasons why he thinks they should: they are easier to comprehend and study than stocks and behave more rationally since they are subject to the basic laws of supply and demand; they have outperformed many other investment options in recent years; it is foolish to ignore an entire sector of the marketplace; and a bull market is currently under way in commodities--a trend that Rogers expects to last for a least a decade longer. Further, Rogers believes that you cannot be a successful investor in stocks, bonds, or currencies without an understanding of commodities. Hot Commodities: How Anyone Can Invest Profitably in the World's Best Market is designed to introduce the novice to the basics of investing in commodities as well as explain what they are and why they are important. In doing so, he shatters some myths about the relative risks of commodities, explains the relationship between the stock and commodities markets, and provides a succinct analysis and history of the global oil, gold, lead, sugar, and coffee markets.
Rogers also offers practical advice and information for beginners, including the best resources, how to read the commodities reports in the newspaper or on television, the various ways to open an account, information on index funds (such as Rogers' own index fund that he started in 1998), mechanisms, terminology, and other vital details people must know before investing. Clearly written and entertaining, Hot Commodities offers a solid introduction to investments that many people, including financial advisors, fail to give the proper respect. --Shawn Carkonen
Not bad - I like the author's other titles better It was ok, it read like he was writing for a page count. His other books are much much better than this one. Read it if you want a view of the coming 'bull market' in commodities (maybe it peaked in 2008). I think he means that commodities will have more volatilty now than in past years. Perhaps a move back to volatility of the 1970s and 1980s. If that is the intent then I agree 100%.
Anyone can invest profitably in the world's best markets ignoring commodities as these potentially offer a better rate of return than running after stocks, bonds, real estate, some currencies or timber (that's an interesting one).
The first four chapters of the book give you the nuts and bolts of investing in commodities accompanied by plenty of anecdotes from Rogers' own investment activities. Of this first half of the book, chapter 4 is by far the most important. You need to know this information inside out, otherwise there is little point in investing in the futures market.
In the second part of the book - chapters five to the end - Rogers explains why China is likely to drive commodity prices in future largely based on where it is going economy-wise and even though there are certain long-term risks with regards to China's political stability, this is unlikely to dent much the country's demand for raw resources. Rogers follows this up with looking at five commodities, namely, oil, gold, lead, sugar and coffee. Some of his thoughts are quite convincing, but at the end of the day you will have to make up your own mind. In fact Rogers mentions on more than one occasion that every investor must do his own research before committing his money. In his conclusion, Rogers again urges the investor to look `deeply' into commodities if only that it should make any investor a better investor even if he only ever invests in stocks and bonds.
I also urge you to read the appendix. You will find the information given here quite useful.
This book was published in December 2004 but this does not make it history as many of the underlying fundamentals of commodities are little changed.
He's Spot-On Again When Jim Rogers speaks, I listen; when he writes something, I read it. If you go back years and years and check out what Rogers anticipated and predicted, he's been consistently accurate. His perceptions, opinions, and predictions in the 1980s and 90s, were spot-on. With "Hot Commodities" he does it again in many areas: geopolitics, equities, bonds, current and future international political trends, commodities, and more. We are seeing what he's saying in this latest book unfold in front of our eyes, right now.
"Hot Commodities" is a continuation of Roger's past works, obviously focusing on commodities. Chapters are organized well and categorized by topic, so you don't have to read the book from start to finish but can jump around from chapter to chapter to your liking.
Hot Commodities starts off with the basics and eventually tells you how to find and choose a licensed trader and invest in commodities. The important questions are answered: what are commodities? Is investing in commodities right for you? Why is there a market for them? What variables (questions) do you ask about a commodity (e.g. sugar)? What questions do you need to ask yourself and a broker who's licensed in them. What kinds of accounts can you have? What is the commodity lingo (words) you should know? How do you learn to read the symbols on the ticker tape? All the answers for the beginner and more are in this book. He has a knack for explaining commodities to the layperson.
You'll know what GH 355.5, WU 369, SN 725, and HOX 101 mean when you see them.
Although past performance is not an adequate way to predict future behavior of a group of funds, the historical trends of commodities are noted.
Also noted are some misconceptions about investing in commodities, and bad investor stories. Many people who got burned did so using margin, according to Rogers. Supply and demand are straightforward indicators. But he does note, an investor should know what they're doing and know if commodities are appropriate for one's personality and investing style.
OIL:
Now, talking about oil is the new fad on the mainstream media. Only because, gasoline prices are currently high enough for the public to whine about it. The possibility of rising gasoline/diesel/fuel prices has always existed and Rogers noted it years ago. The author believes that world oil production has peaked and the numbers on worldwide output of MBP (millions of barrels per day) reinforces this. The "new finds" and offshore drilling will only put drops of oil in the worldwide demand bucket.
Rogers noted his own Commodity Index Fund only a couple of times and didn't push it, nor provide contact info for his fund. He doesn't try to sell it. (He doesn't need to.) He also listed other Commodity Index funds. This was professional and reinforces his credibility.
CHINA IS ON THE UP-AND-UP, AND THE USA IS SLIDING DOWN:
This is Roger's opinion and I agree with it. Rogers is still bullish on China for the short and long-term. In addition to rapid growth and hard-work he notes that before the Communist revolution in 1949 the Chinese had a merchant class that operated for centuries, unlike that of feudal Russia. Therefore, the merchant and trade knowledge base is already in China, obviously. The Chinese save on average 40% of their income, while Americans save an average of only 2%, and often spend more than they make. (American per capita savings was -2% recently.)
China is the number #1 consumer of copper, steel, iron ore, soybeans and number #2 in oil and energy products. China is rising fast.
The United States on the other hand, seems to be moving in the opposite direction. The US is the world's number #1 debtor with $9 Trillion in international IOUs. The US is living off of other people's money. Is anyone talking about this in the mainstream media? Politicians? Only a few are. Tying the Oil Bourse to the US dollar has propped the dollar up. The US dollar is now a declining currency holding little confidence of the world. Remember, when the American government borrows all of this money (via T-bills) it's backed by "faith in the American government." Not if the Fed has the Treasury Department keep printing money and providing Helicopter Bailouts. The M3 Money Supply is now secret. Economists can only guess how much money the US government prints.
The Chapters:
1. The Next New Thing Is - Things 2. "But...." 3. Stepping Up To Commodities 4. Stepping Into The Commodities Markets 5. Notes From the Wild, Wild, East 6. Goodbye, Cheap Oil 7. Gold - Mystique Vs. Fundamentals 8. A Heavey Metal With Potential To Be A High Flyer (lead) 9. Searching For The Next Suguar High 10 Can Coffee Perk Up?
Rogers is and has been one of the most successful investors in the world. He's often made successful personal and fund-managed investment decisions when digressing from the myopic tramped path of the sheep. As usual, the sheep that follow the herd discount and scrutinize Rogers when he just answers the questions they ask him. He makes hiw own decisions. And he proves to be right, time after time. Sheep follow fads and trends, with the most sheep piling on top of a bubble right at the top of it right before it bursts, as all bubbles do. The equity tech-stock bust, shifted the sheep into housing and REI. Now that the RE bubble has burst, some sheep are gravitating (although slowly) to what Rogers has been saying for years. Commodities is in a cyclical bull phase. He cites statistics, historical trends, and the current and future world climate to reinforce his points.
Attention sheep: he's right again.
Great introduction to commodities I almost gave this book 5 stars for the mere fact that Rogers' predictions have come true since the time the book was published. For example, gas and gold prices have increased dramatically, as predicted, since 2004. S&P has been mostly going sideways and Rogers' prediction of the housing meltdown was right on. From an investment standpoint, the book would have been more helpful 4 years ago than today. Nevertheless there is still a lot of value here. First, Rogers' writing is engaging and interesting. Second, he offers readers a different way of looking at the world which is valuable regardless of your investments. Finally, he claims that his ideas and predictions of rising commodity prices will continue at least to 2015, so there is plenty of time left to profit from his wisdom.
This book is an introduction and individual investors will have to do a lot more research and thinking before they can actually implement Rogers' ideas. The author admits that point, himself. Furthermore he does not really tell readers a logical way of even trying to profit from rising commodities. He claims the best way is to buy commodities directly, but after reading the book I have little idea how to go about buying commodities for the long term. Futures allow investors to profit in the short term but if you believe that lead prices will peak in 2015 or so, how can you profit from that prediction? After all, prices are not predictable in the short term and an investor can get burned badly speculating in the commodities' futures. Oil has been rising in value steadily since the Iraq invasion but an investor could have still managed to lose money investing in oil futures. Need to research and read a lot more on the topic if your goal is to actually invest in commodities.
Very good read An interesting read giving insight of a master investor in the domain he understands best. Many logical reasons for his argument for several commodities mentioned that has been a guide for my investments in the Indonesian stock market. Though not many mortals would have access nor capacity to have direct investment in the minerals and commodities mines and plantations as he advocates.
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