| Dear Reader, We’re off to an exciting start at the Strategic Investment Conference. David Rosenberg opened the conference with one of his powerful slide decks. He said some people compare today’s economic environment to the Roaring ‘20s, but he thinks of it more like the “Boring ‘20s.” In 2020, we saw the sharpest decline in real GDP since 1946. But David believes post-pandemic, we’ll end up being much more productive. Though that doesn’t mean we’re completely out of the woods... Get your SIC 2021 Pass today and learn why David expects a “fairly big relapse in GDP growth” and his surprising statement on the correlation of commodities and inflation. “New Cold War with China,” was one of the day’s audience favorites. Geopolitical expert George Friedman, Gavekal’s Louis Gave, Horizon Advisor’s Emily de La Bruyere, and Morgan Creek Capital’s Mark Yusko debated the idea that we may be in a new Cold War. Emily called it instead a “long-term peacetime competition,” and George cautioned that the random use of war terms might negatively condition people’s minds. Louis reminded the audience that not too long ago, “people talked about ‘ChinAmerica,’ in one word, because they were economic allies.” Those days are over. Things changed drastically with the arrival of uber-ambitious Xi Jinping and the United States’ 180-degree shift to a more aggressive China policy under Trump, which is now continued by President Biden. Mark Yusko’s assertion that we made an enemy of communism and that we don’t have to regard China as our adversary was countered by George and Emily. “We did not invent the communist threat,” George said. Emily agreed that “if China wants to lead the global order, then they are our adversaries.” To find out which Chinese advancements Mark is most bullish on and what a digital renminbi would mean for the global economy—get your SIC 2021 Pass today, still available at a 50% discount. We also heard... The latest data on COVID from Dr. Mike Roizen and his colleague, Dr. Dan Culver, together with concrete advice on how to prevent disease and infection. One of my favorite sessions of the day was the data-filled presentation of the real estate dream duo, Barry Habib and Ivy Zelman, in which they revealed current trends and the four hottest housing sectors to invest in now. A succinct and on-point presentation on trends and markets by Constance Hunter, principal and chief economist at KPMG. Bruce Mehlman’s fast-paced lecture on “21 Trends in Politics and Policy” And a riveting solo presentation by George Friedman on the political US-China tensions and the developments we should expect to see next. To get all of these presentations and not miss a beat of the rest of the conference, make sure to get your SIC 2021 Pass right now—secure your seat today! The nuance of all these discussions can’t be communicated in an email. To get the full SIC experience, you just need to be there. It’s not too late to join us. Tomorrow, we’ll hear from one of the most successful private equity investors in the world, followed by one of the most successful (and one of the youngest!) venture capitalists in the world. We’ll discuss top precious metals investments, and most importantly, we’ll learn how investing will be changed forever. Secure your seat today. I’ll see you live tomorrow. Sincerely, Ed D'Agostino
Publisher
| 