An Interview with Mr. Jim Rogers, Investment Expert and the Author of Investment Biker, Adventure Capitalist and Hot Commodities
Jim Rogers is an author, word traveler and successful international investor. He has been frequently featured in Time, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, and most publications dealing with the economy or finance. After attending Yale and Oxford University, Rogers co-founded the Quantum Fund, a global-investment partnership. During the next 10 years, the portfolio gained 4200%, while the S&P rose less than 50%. Rogers then decided to retire - at age 37.
In 1990-1992, Rogers fulfilled his lifelong dream: motorcycling 100,000 miles across six continents, a feat that landed him in the Guinness Book of World Records. As a private investor, he constantly analyzed the countries through which he traveled for investment ideas. He chronicled his journey in his bestseller book: Investment Biker. In 1999 - 2002 Jim also embarked on a Millennium Adventure. He traveled for 1101 days on his round-the-world, Guinness World Record journey. Passing through 116 countries which he recounted in his bestseller book Adventure Capitalist. His most recent book, Hot Commodities was published in 2004
Yaron Bazaz: Hi Jim, 5 years had passed since you and your wife Paige had completed the “Millennium Adventure’” and set a new Guinness record for the longest continues car journey around the world. At 2007, do you feel a new urge to hit the road?
Jim Rogers: “We are moving to Singapore so that plus our 4 year-old daughter is enough adventure for the moment.”
Y.B: As it reflects in your bestsellers books Investment Biker and Adventure Capitalist,
that cover the motorcycle round the world trip and the ‘Millennium Adventures’ story (respectively), it’s seems that you had a bigger mission then setting new Guinness records. You actually tried to understand the global economy and you took that mission to the extreme: you literally crossed almost each country on the planet during your journeys, analyzed the economical situation in each visited country, conducted forecasts, and looked for investment opportunities. Is it an experience that any real investor should have in some degree?
Jim Rogers: “The more everyone travels, the better they will be at whatever they do including investing. The world would be better too if everyone travels more.”
Y.B: In your book Adventure Capitalist you declare that “The twenty-first century will belong to China”. Is it really over for the USA? Does the “American way of life” lead the west to a dead end?
Jim Rogers: Yes Is it really over and the American leadership is about to end. It’s a dead end for America … not necessarily for the rest of the west. The UK leadership ended, but it did not lead to a dead end for others in the west. I explain why the twenty-first century will belong to china in that book as well as in my later book Hot Commodities.”
Y.B: China, Led by a mutation of communist oligarchy, achieved a phenomenal growth during the last 25 years, and become a world economical super power. Could it be that the best economical results could be achieved by a combination of totalitarism and capitalism and not democracy and capitalism as we all used to believe?
Jim Rogers: “There have been some great successes under both approaches. In Asia in the past 50 years, the big successes have been the former: Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea, China, Vietnam. But some who tried that way failed too: e.g. Myanmar, Laos, etc.”
Y.B: You summaries some of your insights by recommend us all to “Get out of the dollar, teach your children Chinese and buy as many commodities as you can”. What is the most lucrative currency today?
Jim Rogers: “renminbi”
Y.B: You are the creator of the Rogers International Commodities Index (RICI) . Why you choose the commodities sector as your chief investment arena?
Jim Rogers: “I explain it in my books Adventure Capitalist and Hot Commodities.”
Y.B: What is your forecast for the Canadian economy?
Jim Rogers: “It will be the strongest in North America and one of the best in the world for several years.”
Y.B: How the world wide expending religions tension would affect the global economy?
Jim Rogers: “Badly. The US has made huge numbers of enemies around the world especially in the Middle East where religion will be used as a further rallying point against the US. Strife and war are never good for the economy.”
Y.B: Investors seek for positive indicators from Africa for decays but it’s seems that the continent present nothing but endless catastrophe. Any hope for Africa?
Jim Rogers: “Things will be better there for the next decade or two because they have so many commodities which are in a major bull market.”
Y.B: One of your insights is that the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are a scam that inject billions of dollars into the inflated NGO organizations themselves and into the Swiss banks accounts of corrupt rulers around the third world. In that case, how the west can make a different and assist those countries?
Jim Rogers: “Open up free trade, investment, and immigration with those nations.”
Y.B: What’s next for you Jim, where you intend to invest most of your time and efforts?
Jim Rogers: “Comes of December 2007 I’m releasing a new book
A Bull in China: Investing profitably in the World’s Greatest Market. Beside that - In Asia with my daughter and wife.”
Y.B: All the best with the family, the new book and the relocation to Singapore
Jim Rogers: “Thank you Yaron”
