US Dollar? Going Further Down?

[laserboy]

The fall of the dollar will be ugly not only for the United States but for the entire global economy. When you think about it, much of the global economy is built around selling crappy consumer goods to overleveraged American hyperconsumers. All the major currencies are flawed in one way or another, which is why guys like Buffett are holding like eight different currencies. That will make making money in this environment somewhat difficult.

It certainly sounds like we are on the same page though. Any good investment ideas or reading material suggestions? Right now I am holding a lot of mining, energy, and commodity stocks in addition to a number of value stocks that I have had for a long time. I have been building a position in FXI and am reading everything I can on China until I know enough to start picking individual Chinese stocks. I highly recommend both of Jim Rogers' books btw, "Investment Biker" and "Adventure Capitalist", and am really looking forward to his new book on commodities investing.

[Scuba Chuck]

Laser, it looks like you're on the right track already. Personally, I study the economy. I read articles, periodicals, subscriptions on the economy. It allows me to articulate my own investment ideas, and how I want to carry them out. Personally, I believe that WATER will become the best investment to own over the next 50 years. But I have been unsuccessful to locating a good investment idea in this area. Any ideas?

[Ray Zee]

buy yourself a vacation cabin on a river where you can get some senior water rights. you get to use it and have fun and become very rich someday, even if the water thing doesnt pan out. also you can just buy water rights.

[Benal]

Buy a few lakes up here in Canada. We have lots to go around LOL

[laserboy]

Interesting... Not sure I follow you on the water thing. How do you see that playing out?

Off the top of my head, I would have to agree with Ray and Benal. Real estate would be the most logical investment. Maybe investing in emerging frontier towns with ready access to waterways and governments that invest heavily in public works infrastructure? Farmland and agricultural companies in fertile undeveloped regions that will become the lost cost producers of fruit and vegetables (like tropical Africa)? If the world really does become one giant dust bowl, then areas with water will thrive while areas without will wither away. That's a long time off though, so hopefully I'll already be dead by then. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Scuba Chuck]

Very interesting insights. I'll buy into your ideas. But don't stop there. There has to be more...

For example, I would have been very interested in US Filter, but unfortunately GE gobbled it up. Do you think they see this very same trend?

Another idea is desalinization plants. Could this be a viable resource for drinking water?

Smith Barney has been writing about this since their first report in 1997. Unfortunately, depending on your age, you will experience this. Alas, it is no where in the near term, and for most of the MTV-attention deficit society, that is not close enough. (PS - I do not work for, or at Smith Barney - or Citigroup)

Some general themes to consider, research to be done on your own...

1) Unusual weather behavior of the Southwest United States. Recent reports reveal that for the last 60 years, region has been much more arid than the norm.

2) Pollution in China - discussed earlier

3) Public awareness in organic foods. A major trend. A slow, but most likely, a growing stock over the coming decade will be Whole Foods Market (Investment Idea - free, take it for what its worth). Many offshoots of ideas here - for example, preventative medicine vs. reactive medicine (read Western medicine here).

More to come, I'm tired from all the Turkey...

I invest to help me keep my money. To gamble, I play poker.