Customer Reviews:
 Good, but not the Investment Biker January 12, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I'm a great fan of Jim Rogers and his insights into the world economy, especially when his personal enthusiasm makes its way into what he is writing and his latest book on Investing in China is no exception.
I'd recommend it as a good starter on the general situation in China and its comparison with the USA 100-150 years ago, though overall, despite being an interesting read, I know little more about how a normal investor like me can invest in China at reasonable cost, and if and when I should be doing it than I did before reading this. I also found he often talks about market highs and lows, but without any real help as to how we might identify them. Some charts showing performance of key indicators such as the major chinese markets / indexes, rises in commodity demand, etc. would have been very useful.
One more thing about this book, it's the first mainstream publication I have ever read which appears to have utilised the services of Print-on-demand, and that probably tells us clearly where the publishing world is heading.
The A, ADR, B, H, J, L, N, NET, OTOBB, and STAQ of Trading Chinese Shares January 3, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
One of the many complications of investing in Chinese equities is deciphering where they can be traded at the lowest cost. Not all shares have the same rights and prices. Early in the book, Jim Rogers spells all of that out for you.
In the same light style that made Investment Biker and Adventure Capitalist entertaining books, Jim Rogers tells you how China became a capitalist country again and is progressing towards becoming a greener, more innovative source of competition. Economic sector by economic sector, he describes where China was, is today, and seems to be headed. At the end of each sector, he lists the companies (and where the trade -- including the ticker symbol) while summarizing what they do and their three-year change in revenues and profits. It's a dazzling overview that you couldn't hope to match by reading a hundred magazine articles.
This book is an excellent complement to Hot Commodities where Mr. Rogers explained beautifully the commodities boom that has enriched so many who have paid attention.
I have two concerns about this book:
1. Why bring this out when Chinese stock multiples are up in the stratosphere after climbing almost 100 percent in 2007?
2. Although he strongly advises buying on dips, what's a dip for a stock that's trading at 75 times next year's projected earnings? There's no advice on this point.
Mr. Rogers is certainly very bullish on China, and he doesn't see much that could go wrong for very long. Hmmm. That story seems familiar. I usually hear it just before a market pops. Is this book a sell signal for China? He points out that you can still play China indirectly through commodities. That is certainly the safer play. Why then invest in China? It's certainly a situation I cannot monitor personally very well. And I have no idea how accurate those financial reports are. I think the book could have used a few more caveats.
Read and learn. But keep thinking before you do anything now.
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