http://www.ft.com/yourmoney/adventurousinvestorhttp://www.ft.com/rss/yourmoney/adventurousinvestorFT.com - Adventurous investoren© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2008. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times.support@ft.comFri, 27 Jun 2008 17:40 BSTMon, 07 Jul 2008 03:45:49 BSTNewspapers15http://news.ft.com/cms/d1f3ce1a-6bbe-11da-bb53-0000779e2340.gifhttp://www.ft.com/yourmoney/adventurousinvestor(PICS-1.1 "http://www.classify.org/safesurf/" L gen true for "http://www.ft.com/" r (SS~~000 1))http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8fbd3188-4467-11dd-b151-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8fbd3188-4467-11dd-b151-0000779fd2ac.htmlEven though I'm a "green" cynic, I still buy into the commercial logic of wind power. As I private investor, though, I find it a difficult market to get into. All of the big infrastructure funds and private equity players have been bidding up prices to laughable levels. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:40 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8d4af676-396b-11dd-90d7-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8d4af676-396b-11dd-90d7-0000779fd2ac.htmlIt's time to hit the nuclear alert! But don't panic, I'm not referring to former German foreign minister Joschka Fischer's fears of an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. I'm far more concerned about the return of nuclear energy as an "investment idea"Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:33 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/04410af6-33ed-11dd-869b-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/04410af6-33ed-11dd-869b-0000779fd2ac.htmlReaders of this column will know that I think frontier markets are the place to be if you're a truly adventurous investor. They offer a unique combination of high-growth potential, market inefficiency that can lead to above-average returns, and a relatively low correlation to developed world equity markets. Apparently Michael Spencer, chief executive of ICAP, agrees: according to Investors Chronicle, he's just committed "tens of millions into a new hedge fund investing in Africa and the Middle East".Fri, 6 Jun 2008 18:36 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/41b74596-28ec-11dd-96ce-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/41b74596-28ec-11dd-96ce-000077b07658.htmlHere's a test. Pop out to your local pub and quiz the punters on key exchange rates, such as £/$ or £/€. Then ask them the current level of the FTSE All-Share index. I'd be willing to wager that an awful lot of people will know the exchange rates. But knowledge of the FTSE All-Share level will be patchy at best.Fri, 23 May 2008 18:26 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8a11a268-236b-11dd-b214-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8a11a268-236b-11dd-b214-000077b07658.htmlOver the next decade, there's going to be an almighty scramble by global investors to spot the next Bric countries. Along the way, dozens of candidates will suggest themselves, but I'd wager that one country will stand tall against the competition.Fri, 16 May 2008 18:21 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/24124ed6-1dee-11dd-983a-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/24124ed6-1dee-11dd-983a-000077b07658.htmlOne of the great problems of modern investing is choice. Don't get me wrong, I'm an enormous fan of financial innovation, but I suspect that the net effect is to leave most investors confused.Fri, 9 May 2008 18:46 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cc72b06c-07b3-11dd-a922-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cc72b06c-07b3-11dd-a922-0000779fd2ac.htmlAdventurous investors are by their very nature ebullient, curious, even optimistic types willing to take a punt on something new. But that doesn't mean they need to be daft. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:43 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e02b5a06-0235-11dd-9388-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e02b5a06-0235-11dd-9388-000077b07658.htmlThe US investor's weekly Barron's isn't renowned for its sense of humour but I couldn't help but wonder if its editors were joking when they ran an article asking "Are You Ready for Dow 20,000?" Yes, that's four zeros on the end, not three! Fri, 4 Apr 2008 14:52 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a76a0c8a-fcdb-11dc-961e-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a76a0c8a-fcdb-11dc-961e-000077b07658.htmlSherritt International looks more interesting. It is another Canadian outfit, but boasts a successful mining operation in Cuba and owns a third of Cuban electric utility Energas. It is an impressive outfit but it is not a pure Cuba play as it also boasts big assets in Canada, Madagascar and Spain. Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:04 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e52355d2-f6ae-11dc-bda1-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e52355d2-f6ae-11dc-bda1-000077b07658.htmlApologies for the lack of Easter cheer but, last week, I finally decided to throw the towel in. I sold a large chunk of shares and retreated to the safety of a portfolio comprised of 30 per cent cash and "market neutral" hedge funds and 20 per cent fixed income securities.Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:02 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8f6645b8-f1be-11dc-9b45-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8f6645b8-f1be-11dc-9b45-0000779fd2ac.htmlAs the owner of some bombed-out property funds – Capital & Regional, Primary Health Property and TR Property – I can't say I'm surprised by the emergence of shareholder activists in the sector.Fri, 14 Mar 2008 12:49 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/22f7db20-ec56-11dc-86be-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/22f7db20-ec56-11dc-86be-0000779fd2ac.htmlOne of the more surprising investment statistics of last year was that the Zimbab- wean stock market was the best performing in the world: up 12,000 per cent over 12 months. Surprising that is, until you remember that these returns reflect hyper-inflation. In real terms, the local market has been flat for the past three years – although that, in itself, is a minor miracle given the country's economic disasters. Wed, 5 Mar 2008 19:15 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1c6fb232-e6c0-11dc-b5c3-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1c6fb232-e6c0-11dc-b5c3-0000779fd2ac.htmlMy search for the ultimate alternative asset class – that mythical beast that can be used as a counterbalance to equity investments – leads me down some weird and wonderful roads.Fri, 29 Feb 2008 12:43 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/af924f40-e164-11dc-a302-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/af924f40-e164-11dc-a302-0000779fd2ac.htmlMany aeons ago, I came up with an idea for a TV series. I knew a leading prime-time executive who I thought might be interested in programmes about foreign property as an investment.Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:05 GMThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/12d82bb0-d66b-11dc-b9f4-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/12d82bb0-d66b-11dc-b9f4-0000779fd2ac.htmlInvestors who subscribe to the efficient markets theory will also believe that "active" fund management is a waste of time. Fri, 8 Feb 2008 18:33 GMT