Product Description

The next bull market is here. It’s not in stocks. It’s not in bonds. It’s in commodities –and some smart investors will be riding that bull to record returns in the next decade.

Before Jim Rogers hit the road to write his bestselling books Investment Biker and Adventure Capitalist, he was one of the world’s most successful investors. He cofounded the Quantum Fund and made so much money that he never needed to work again. Yet despite his success, Rogers has never written a book of practical investment advice–until now.

In Hot Commodities, Rogers offers the lowdown on the most lucrative markets for today and tomorrow. In 1998, gliding under the radar, a bull market in commodities began. Rogers thinks it’s going to continue for at least fifteen years–and he’s put his money where his mouth is: In 1998, he started his own commodities index fund. It’s up 165% since then, with more than $200 million invested, and it’s the single-best performing index fund in the world in any asset class. Less risky than stocks and less sluggish than bonds,, commodities are where the money is–and will be in the years ahead. Rogers’s strategies are simple and straightforward. You can start small–a few thousand dollars will suffice. It’s all about putting your money into stuff you understand, the basic materials of everyday life, like coal, sugar, cotton, corn, or crude oil. Once you recognize the cyclical and historical trading patterns outlined here, you’ll be on your way.

In language that is both colorful and accessible, but Rogers explains why the world of commodity investing can be one of the simplest of all–and how commodities are the bases by which investors can value companies, markets, and whole economies. To be a truly great investor is to know something about commodities.

For small investors and high rollers alike, Hot Commodities is as good as gold . . . or lead, or aluminum, which are some of the commodities Rogers says could be as rewarding for investors.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11633 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-27
• Released on: 2007-03-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780812973716
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

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

From Booklist
Commodity investing has gotten a bad rap. Everyone seems to have heard of someone who "lost his shirt" trading commodity futures. What are commodities? Commodities are "things," the essential raw materials that go into making everything from bread to automobiles. This includes foodstuffs such as sugar, wheat, soybeans, and coffee; the fossil fuels crude oil and natural gas; and industrial materials such as lumber, copper, lead, gold, and silver. As a group, they typically do well when stocks are doing poorly, and vice versa. But unlike stocks, the price of commodities can never go to zero. Rogers, known for his world travels, his ability to size up any market, and his contrary approach to investing, says we are in the beginning of a multiyear bull market in commodities. Although he is promoting his new commodities fund, he makes a very good case that commodities belong in any balanced portfolio, particularly now. Rogers walks us through the sometimes obscure language of commodity trading, and shows us how to get involved without "losing our shirts." David Siegfried
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Jim Rogers cofounded the Quantum Fund and retired at age thirty-seven. Since then, he has served as a some time professor of finance at Columbia University’s business school, and as a media commentator worldwide. He is the author of Adventure Capitalist and Investment Biker. He lives in New York City.


From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews

Self serving to an extent
Rogers wrote this book because he runs a commodies index and a fund to go with it. The book is poorly disguised advertising. With that said I believe Rogers is sincere in his beliefs. However, as usual there are several caveats. First, he quotes papers and research showing that investing in commodies in the past has been less risky and had better returns than equities or bonds. All of this research however ignores institutional risk associated with commodity investing. The fees are high, the market is sometimes manipulated, the investor virtually has to use a full service brokerage firm, and even Roger's mutual fund is available only through a broker and has high surrender charges. Second, although many money handlers like Rogers end up rich, it is almost never pointed out that the vast majority of their money is not made by their own fantastic investing but by charging high fees to their investors. Look at the fees on the Rogers fund. Good God. Third, the various commodity indexes that are out there are new. Gibson, in his book on asset allocation, took the Goldman Sachs index back to the good old days of the seventies not bothering to point out that the GMCI only dates back to 1992 and so this was essentially backtesting - a popular hobby even though there is much evidence to indicate this is not the way to go. There are good reasons to believe that the commodity bull market of today will not repeat the golden years of the seventies even though it is real enough. None of this even touches the fact that the average investor should only have 5 - 10% of his money (at the most) in commodities. Either high minimums on the funds or huge front and back end fees will keep everyman out. Nevertheless, Rogers is correct in his assertion that learning about commodities will help any investor look at the world in a different way, and, in the long run, teaching the investor the basics of understanding commodities is the real contribution of this book. Those looking for a commodity investing how to book will have to keep looking. He is pushing commodities indexing.

Great Book
Jim Rogers wrote a very easy to read book.

If you are looking for hot tips as to what commodity to invest in do not waste your money buying this book. He does not offer any "hot" tips. I personally believe if any one person had "hot" tips to make tons of money, why would they tell other people? It does not make sense. Anyhow this book does not have any formulas, and actually the author points out that most technical analysis traders loose money, it is the people who write the book on technical analysis that make money.

The book however is well written, and makes basic arguements based on facts, namely suppy and demand. Jim Rogers as you can tell from his book is a fundamentalist. His arguements are clear and concise, and make perfect sense. You will not be disappointed in this book, and even if you are technical trader, you could still use many concepts in this book to help with your trading, or if you just want some information on the fundamental side.

This is one of the best books I have bought in a long time. It will sit with my arsenal of other books, so that I can use this to help make better judgements into what commodities to invest into.

He also makes some nice parallels with the stock market and commodities market.

You will not be disappointed, and the price is not bad at all.

Great insights from a world class investor
I've been a fan of Jim Rogers for a long time. I've read his previous books (Investment Biker and Adventure Capitalist) as well as numerous articles and stories about him (Worth Magazine, Fortune, Barrons, etc). This book did not disappoint.

What I enjoy most about Rogers is the fact that's he's produced consistent results throughout his career. He made a fortune with George Soros in the 70's at the Quantum Fund (up 4,000% in the decade). He made huge calls about the crash of '87, the crash in the Nikkei, forecasts of emerging bull markets in Austria, Botswana, and numerous other countries. His move into commodities in 1998 was another great coup.

No investor is going to be perfect. No one will get it right 100% of the time (he's been overly bearish on the US since at least the early 90's). But I believe Rogers core philosophies will get you much further than anything else you hear in the mainstream media and by the talking heads on TV. They haven't made fortunes in the market for the past 30 years.

"Hot Commodities" is a good introductory guide to the world of commodity investing and more importantly, contrarian investing. Fortunes are made by thinking independently from the crowd, looking for opportunities that no one else sees and making sound, logical investment decisions. Rogers takes you down that thought process beautifully.

I knocked a star off because he could have discussed options and other ways of buying commodities in more depth. Some may see the book as a giant ad for his own commodities fund. More balance would have been nice.

All in all, some great insights from an investing legend.