Videos Of The Week
More Questions Than Answers On Syria, Robotti Shares A Couple Ideas And Sectors Of Interest & Big Picture Changes And Why It Is Different This Time
We have a little more than a month until Trump gets inaugurated, but things on the geopolitical stage continue to get more interesting. There are plenty of newly minted Syria experts on Twitter right now, and to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure how to make heads or tails of what is going on in Syria. Apparently President Assad is on the run now, and I’m sure we will hear more about what is going on there in coming days. I have heard a couple people make the case that what is going on in Syria is closely tied to the Ukraine/Russia situation, but the people that assumed we were close to stability in the Middle East because of a ceasefire in Lebanon (which looks like it won’t last anyway) might be waiting for a long time. My ready fire aim take on Syria is that what happened has US fingerprints all over it, but that might just be my bias talking.
and are a good place to start for anything related to geopolitics, and I wanted to share a couple links with readers if you want some more detailed reading material on Syria.
Robotti & Company 2024 Annual Meeting
Bob Robotti is one of the investors that came across my radar over the last couple years, and this video recording of their annual meeting was one of my favorite videos of the last week. He discusses Schumpeter’s Process, and why they look at opportunities that are typically in cyclical sectors and businesses. He also talked about the dynamics of passive vs. active investing, and how he thinks it is creating an opportunity for active investors.
If you’re looking for individual names, or sectors they are watching right now, you will find this one interesting. They talk about Builders FirstSource BLDR 0.00%↑ and Tidewater TDW 0.00%↑, and why they are watching homebuilding distributor consolidation, offshore oil services, metals/materials, and lumber as a couple sectors on their radar. One of the biggest lines that stood out (and I’m paraphrasing here) was this: valuation matters, and the places that have been starved of capital are where the best opportunities lie.
Hidden Forces w/ Russell Napier
This was the most interesting video I watched on the big picture of financial markets, geopolitics, and what massive changes might be on the horizon. I think it’s become obvious that we aren’t living in the Unipolar moment anymore, and the path forward is probably going to be bumpy. Napier talks about how geopolitics are going to have a bigger impact on financial markets moving forward, and how a lot of investors haven’t taken that fact into account. He talks about what could happen to currencies like the Euro and the Dollar, and how different countries are going to act in their own interests and the chain reaction that it could set off in financial markets. He talks about why he prefers value stocks and why long term bonds are probably an asset class to avoid. This one was thought provoking and it’s worth a watch if you’re interested in some of the changes that could be coming in financial markets.
Just wanted to say thank you for compiling a curated video list every week!