14
Jun
One Person's Junk... Greece's credit rating with Moody's is already in "junk" territory, and, yesterday, Spain was downgraded to just above junk quality. Things are getting interesting in Europe. A few weeks ago, I recommended that, given the current and trending status of the euro versus the U.S. dollar, as well as the disastrous local [...]
22
Mar
Pinochet's Legacy Last week's trip was my first to Chile and, therefore, my first visit to Santiago. Santiago is a large, modern city where things generally work. New highways have been built and more new highways continue to be built to combat the traffic. The city boasts a clean, well-functioning subway system. And an economy [...]
19
Mar
Prediction: Buy Argentina In 2013 A colleague here in Mendoza, Argentina, where I've spent the weekend, has been talking about this country's last financial crisis, in 2001, which started with the unpegging of the Argentine peso to the U.S. dollar. "Those who didn't have some money outside the country were devastated," he explained. "But Argentines [...]
23
Feb
Can You Trust Me?...And Other Reader Comments Monday's e-letter hit a nerve with reader L.S. in the United States:"Dear Mr. Simon, "With all due respect, you have not a clue as to the IQD and its stated re-valuation. Your lack of knowledge and understanding of the IQD since 1992 to date and its current status brings [...]
20
Feb
Iraqi Currency Plays...And Other Scams "I'm moving to Panama (or some other country) as soon as my Iraqi dinars revalue."I've heard this comment maybe a half-dozen times over the last year or so. Someone (I don't know who) came up with a great, plausible scenario to get people to "invest" in the Iraqi currency. Telling [...]
16
Feb
Europe Is Collapsing! Should You Care? At lunch yesterday, a friend here in Panama City asked what I was going to do with my apartment in Paris now that "Europe has collapsed." I wasn't sure how to respond for a couple of reasons. First, I hadn't realized that Europe had collapsed...that all of Europe, every [...]
30
Jan
So You Think You're Diversified? A friend who attended my wife's Live and Invest in Colombia Conference last week told me that, while he has traveled all over the globe and has friends in many different cities around the world, he had never, until last week, considered buying real estate in another country. Despite this, he has [...]
