Where will we be investing in 20 years?
November 09, 2009
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We had this conversation on our Global Gains discussion boards, but I thought it was interesting enough to bring out into the open on the blog.
As you may know, today marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Die Mauer, as it was known in Germany, was long a symbol of Cold War political and economic oppression, a divide between East and West. It would have been unthinkable for American investors to put their money to work in Eastern Europe before that day in 1989. Today, however, Eastern Europe is one of the world's fastest-growing regions, and despite some headwinds, it's one that will continue to attract global investment.
Similarly, one of the most interesting parts of our recent visit to Vietnam was seeing the Cu Chi tunnels outside Saigon -- just 40 years after American and Viet Cong soldiers were engaged in violent fighting there. The tunnels are now a popular tourist attraction, and Americans are visiting Vietnam in record numbers.
Both of these things are a reminder of just how fast this world changes. So, my question to you is this: Where will we be investing in 20 years that seems unthinkable today? My own guess is Iran. It's a large market with a population of some 65 million. It's resource rich, which means the world wants in. Recent protests there show that the country will not let tyranny rule there for long. And the US has a relatively large and well-educated group of Iranian Americans who could spearhead a warming of business relations between the two countries (which is what has significantly helped the improvement in relations between the US and Vietnam).
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