Anthony Bolton defies China bears with new fund

Bloomberg Markets profiles Fidelity fund manager, Anthony Bolton, the British investing star who recently backed away from retirement and has now "staked his reputation on China".

More in Bloomberg's article, "Fidelity's Bolton defies China bears with 27% return":

"...In Britain, Bolton’s reputation as a stock-picking genius was analogous to that of Peter Lynch, the manager of Boston- based Fidelity Investments’ Fidelity Magellan Fund from 1977 to 1990. Fidelity Investment Managers, formerly known as Fidelity International, is an affiliate of Fidelity Investments.

Now, at age 60, Bolton is in China partly to explain to clients why he has made a comeback to bet he can pick winners for the 625 million-pound Fidelity China Special Situations Fund that made its debut in April. Bolton says he’ll be able to find winning stocks that other fund managers have ignored.

So far, that self-confidence has been justified. Anyone who bought into the closed-end fund when it was introduced in April and sold on Nov. 9 would have enjoyed a 27 percent return in less than seven months. Two of his picks, The United Laboratories International Holdings Ltd. and Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Ltd, have almost quadrupled in value since the beginning of the year.

Now shares in Bolton’s fund have become so sought-after that they are trading at almost a 10 percent premium to their net asset value, prompting Fidelity to issue a statement on Nov. 9 saying it plans to sell new shares next year, giving priority to existing shareholders..."

Oftentimes, a glowing article like this can serve as the kiss of death for a fund manager (at least temporarily, as they usually follow an unusual winning streak).

Still, it's early days for Bolton's new fund and we have to imagine that an investor with his experience is probably experiencing more than just dumb luck in this latest success. Especially given that this year's outperformance comes as the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index is down over 4% year-to-date.

Mr. Bolton faced skepticism over his China fund early on, as Controlled Greed points out in this post from January. It seems that even with a lengthy & successful investing career behind him, some people thought he would be "risking his reputation" by starting anew in China.

We shall see how it turns out, but for now, I'll be reading on for more of Anthony Bolton's insights on investing in China and meeting new challenges and opportunities.

Related articles and posts:

1. Lessons on investing from Anthony Bolton - Controlled Greed.

2. Interview with Anthony Bolton - The Telegraph.

Jim Rogers at Reuters 2011 Outlook Summit

Jim Rogers said that the US government's inflation data was "a sham" and that interest rates would be heading "much, much higher" in the next few years while speaking at the Reuters 2011 Outlook Summit.

You'll find video of his chat w/ Chrystia Freeland at Investment Postcards or you can check the related video links in this Reuters article to see the full panel discussion.

As usual, Jim pulls no punches while discussing Ben Bernanke's foibles as Fed Chairman and the difficulties facing the US and European economies as inflation and runaway deficits take their toll.

He also points out some potential bright spots that could come about if the US government were to reduce its out of control spending and simplify (or do away with) the tax burdens on its citizens. Long term strength of the developing economies, commodities, and the rise of Asia are also highlighted.

Reconciling Tax Cuts with Long Term Debt Issues

Hail to the Wall Street Journal! In one short paragraph the Journal has summed up the heart of the US debt problem and why keeping all of the Bush tax cuts in force make sense as well. In today's Journal and I quote:

"While in a hopey-changey mood, let's note for his (Obama's) benefit that the real fiscal problem today is not the immediate deficit, which does not call for radical action. The real problem is a system of health-care and retirement finance that deters us from saving and budgeting for our own needs while at the same time piling up disencetivizing taxes on those who work and whom we expect to pay for us in old age. Fix this and the government is solvent again."

Wow! The WSJ nailed it. .

Interview: James Grant & Co. talk gold with Charlie Rose

James Grant, John Hathaway, and Peter Munk sit down with Charlie Rose to discuss gold and the nature of our monetary system in this important roundtable discussion.

I was surprised and delighted to find that Grant & Co. would be Charlie's guests on Monday's program. The topic of discussion became even more newsworthy as the US dollar gold price hit a record high (in nominal terms) that same day.

But this is more than just a chat about a commodity hitting a new high. As you will see from James Grant's opening statements to Rose, gold is money and it has been for centuries. What we see in the rising gold price is a concurrent loss of faith in the viability of all paper currency systems worldwide.

This is the basic truth about gold and silver as real money and store of value that Rose and his audience need to hear.

Plus, John Hathaway, subject of one of our earliest posts, and James Grant provide some much needed counterbalance to the prevailing narrative of the 2007-2009 financial crisis and the Fed's ongoing money printing operations (aka "quantitative easing" & QE2). It's all here in this interview, one of the most important discussions I've heard at Charlie Rose's table.

Related articles and posts:

1. Lew Rockwell interviews James Grant: Austrian economics & the classical gold standard - Controlled Greed.

2. Jim Grant: Requiem for the dollar - Finance Trends.

3. The Gold Standard: an interview with Guilio Gallarotti - Finance Trends.

4. Quantitative easing explained (plain English) - YouTube via Finance Trends.

A Beginning

The compromise between the President and Mitch McConnell on taxes represents a new beginning for the President and, perhaps, for the country. The compromise will definitely help the economy. The economy needs it.

There are still problems, especially on the unemployment front. Employees are still too expensive, laden down by government-imposed mandates and implied litigation liabilities for businesses. But capital expansion should pick up dramatically in 2011.

It's not perfect, but this deal is definitely an improvement over the policies of the past two years.

The looming debt problems are still there -- both for the US and for Europe. Hopefully, the idea of "workouts" and "defaults" will soon take the place of "bailouts." The debt problems have no easy fix.

Monday links: The Bernank, Macro view, & more

Came across some worthwhile links from the blogosphere and Twitter today, and thought I'd point you to 'em.

We've got some videos and posts on The Ben Bernank, a macro view of the economy and markets, interviews with Bruce Berkowitz and David Einhorn, and more for you in today's links.

1. Bear Mountain Bull wraps up some recent interviews and links on The Ben Bernank.

2. Abnormal Returns brings us 3 non-Bernanke videos, including interviews with investors Bruce Berkowitz and David Einhorn.

3. Catching up on the Macro view with Gregor Macdonald and the health of the stock market with Joe Fahmy.

Peruse what you like, leave the rest. Remember, our ability to process and retain information is finite, so focus on what's most important to you in your pursuit of market education and limit your exposure to extraneous "noise".

Thanks, as always, for stopping by.

10 questions for Mark Cuban - Forbes interview

Thanks to Leroy Gardner and Get Rich Slowly for highlighting this Forbes interview with highly-visible entrepreneur and billionaire, Mark Cuban.

Here are a few lessons on "building and keeping a self-made fortune" from, "10 questions for Mark Cuban":

"...You have $100,000--where do you put it?

First I pay off all my credit card debt and evaluate paying off any other debt I have. What I have left I put in the bank.

Then I try to create as much transactional value as possible from that cash. I look at my annual budgets for everything and anything, and I look to see where I can save the most money on those items. Saving 30% to 50% buying in bulk--replenishable items from toothpaste to soup, or whatever I use a lot of--is the best guaranteed return on investment you can get anywhere.

Then whatever I have left I keep in the bank and let it earn nothing. Why? Because then its available for when I get a good opportunity.

Every five years or so there is a bubble bursting or amazing deals available because of a change in the economy. Anyone who just kept their cash in the bank rather than in stocks over the past five to 10 years could be buying the home of their dreams for half price in most of the country..."

Pay close attention to Mark's thoughts on essential reading for entrepreneurs and the difficulties associated with starting a business in the US right now. Some key insights packed into a quick interview.

Photo credit: Mark Cuban via Portfolio.com.