Who would invest a dime in Venezuela?

Question

Chavez has destroyed that country.

J.S. - The whole idea is that you make the country attractive to invest in - that attracts capital, people live better, etc. When Chavez is gone and they have a stable democracy (not likely in the foreseeable future), I'd be willing to invest. Not till then.

Bag - Based on that theory, you should have your entire portfolio in Somalian beach-front property.

You note some very successful plays, but I doubt that they're successful on a risk-adjusted basis. Anyone who bought stock in Yukos knows that you sometime get burned when you play with fire.

Answer 1

Not now.
The country is in economic upheaval due to a flourishing dictatorship.
If the US pulls out any support, they will be very unstable.
Chavez is taking preemptive steps to avoid this by making the country self sufficient, however, without all that American money for oil, they would fall into poverty.
Unfortunately with the lack of education and general ignorance, the people there think that things are getting better.
This is largely due to oil revenues from Citgo.
Take that away and you may have an economic disaster on your hands.
There is also speculation that if Chavez decides to close the borders, they may confiscate outside investment and property.
Don't invest.

Answer 2

Perhaps, if investing a dime could help the people of Venezuela, why not? If "Chavez has destroyed the country" as you claim, what are you willing to invest to rebuild it? Non-Governmental Organisations do a lot to improve people's lives - why not make an investment in an NGO?

Answer 3

Everyone, the key to investing is buy low sell, high. Prices are incredibly low right now and Chavez is losing favor. Once oil prices tank (if they do) he is out on his butt, you own cheap asstes, new government reverses policy, US gets involved and your assets appreciate.

No one ever got rich from doing what everyone else does.

where would have been the best places to invest in the past 10 years?

Indonesia/Thailand in 1997
Russia in 1998
Brazil in 1999
Turkey in 2000
Argentina in 2002
Brazil in 2002

Every country in Crisis, everyone would have told you it was insane at the time and you would have doubled your money in 1-3 years in every case.

Answer 4

Not me. I was in south America in the mid 80's in the millitary.I've never seen a more corrupt, inept , backwards bunch of stone age misfits in all my days. We gave the farmers seed crops to kick start the farming down there and the dumb buggers ate them and poisened themselves and blamed us for it.They would sell you there mothers for a five dollar bill.