![]() | By: Jim Rogers Binding: Paperback Publisher: John Wiley & Sons ISBN: 0470510765 ISBN-13: 9780470510766 Released: 30 Mar 2007 RRP: Average Rating: ![]() |



He also emphasises the importance of identifying important supply & demand fundamentals that ultimately determine the price of commodities at the end of the day, regardless of the bull-market hysteria which often props up prices in the final stages of the bull cycle.
Interestingly, he also quotes a study from Yale university by some professors who have found that commodities can be less risky than stocks & have even outperformed stocks since the mid twentieth century, which can be controversial amid the existence of other studies that are around.
However, it still makes a good read, & alll investors will gain in terms of knowledge by a deeper understanding of commodities & the way they shape our lives.


Jim Rogers has a different suggestion for you. Learn enough about the commodity markets so that you can consider whether they offer an appropriate alternative for investing some of your funds. His book, Hot Commodities, is designed to help you achieve that goal.
I found Hot Commodities to be an easy-to-understand introduction to the subject that will appeal most to those who know nothing. If you were alive during the commodity-driven inflation of the 1970s & 1980s, you will find this book to be a little too simple for you. But you will probably enjoy the book, nevertheless. Mr. Rogers has a straightforward, humble approach to his writing that will appeal to most.
Some may avoid this book because they don't want to use the tremendous margin that is available with commodities. That's a mistake. Mr. Rogers is suggesting a plain vanilla index-fund approach to owning a portfolio of commodities over the long term with no trading & no financial leverage. His point: During a commodity up-cycle, many commodities will rise by ten-fold. Hitting most of the rise over a 10-18 year period will provide returns that exceed what bonds & stocks usuallly provide.
In addition, he shows that commodities tend to be countercyclical to stock & bond returns so commodities can be a useful diversification for part of a portfolio. Interestingly, commodities have also been less volatile than stocks in the last 25 years or so.
Mr. Rogers also gives you basic information in case you want to consider more adventuresome versions of what he recommends (don't do it!).
The most interesting parts of the book are the ones where he explores the pivotal role that China & Brazil play in creating a commodities boom. He looks at economic growth in developing countries, oil, gold, lead, sugar & coffee in a little detail to give you a flavor of how to analyze supply & demand fundamentals for a given commodity.
Personallly, I would have found the book to be a lot more valuable if it had had more detailed analysis in it . . . & suggestions for how to do your own homework.
But that's okay. I still learned from the book, & intend to consider doing some commodity index fund investing.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to use index fund investing to beat the pros.
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