News About Warren Buffett, Jim Rogers and the Presidential Elections are Money Morning Highlights; More to Come This Week

By William Patalon III
Executive Editor
Money Morning/The Money Map Report

Although the Money Morning staff was off enjoying the Labor Day holiday today (Monday) - meaning that we didn't publish a regular issue today - I thought it was a good time to call your attention to several important stories that we have run over the past few weeks, and to let you know about some others that are on the way this week.

Two key points are worth noting here:

  • First, please note that our regular publishing schedule will resume tomorrow (Tuesday).
  • And, second, if you'd like to check out any of the stories that we mention here, you'll find interactive links posted at the end of this story. Trust me, it will be well worth your time to do so. 

Global Investing Gurus Week 

For those of you who missed it, last week was almost like "Global Investing Gurus Week" here at Money Morning. And if you didn't have time to read the stories, several are really worth a look.

The Lowdown on Berkshire: Monday, in last week's installment of his new "Buy, Sell or Hold" series, Money Morning Contributing Editor Horacio Marquez analyzed Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A, BRK.B) - the investment vehicle operated so successfully by the "Oracle of Omaha," Warren Buffett. At a time when Berkshire's shares are down about 23% from their highs after some disappointing earnings, Marquez - a former Wall Streeter - cut through the uncertainty to deliver clear and concise analysis of the company's prospects.

"Buy, Sell or Hold?" has been a big hit with readers since we started the feature several months ago. But the installment on Berkshire Hathaway may have been the biggest hit to date.

And we didn't stop there. Last Wednesday, under the headline "Buffett Reignites Berkshire Hathaway with a $4 Billion Spending Spree," Money Morning Associate Editor Jason Simpkins chronicled the moves that Buffett has made over the past several months to restructure Berkshire's portfolio.

That same day, we ran a book review of the top Warren Buffet biography that's been written to date - and told readers about a new, "authorized" biography that's set to debut on Sept. 29.

Incidentally, we've made arrangements to review the new Buffett biography - "Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life." Look for my story on that book to appear in Money Morning in early October.

The Run on Rogers: When Money MorningInvestment Director Keith Fitz-Gerald flew all the way to Singapore to snag an exclusive interview with investing icon Jim Rogers back in the spring, the story made a huge splash when it ran as a two-parter that appeared on April 8 and April 15.

Little did we know then that this would be one of those rare cases where the sequel would be better than the original.

Rogers first made a name for himself with The Quantum Fund, a hedge fund that he and partner George Soros founded in 1970. Over the next decade, Quantum gained 4,200%, while the Standard & Poor's 500 Index climbed a "measly" 50%. Now an author and commentator, Rogers is highly sought after for his predictions and candid analyses of the many missteps that government agencies and wayward corporations are wont to make.

Rogers has quite often been right - he predicted the rise of China a decade or more ago and the current bull market in commodities not long after. Given such background, it's probably little surprise to anyone that the more uncertain the market outlook, the more Rogers views are sought.

So when Fitz-Gerald found that he and Rogers were both scheduled to speak at a late July investment conference in Vancouver, he immediately requested another interview, which Rogers gladly granted. The two stories - Jim Rogers Predicts Bigger Financial Shocks Loom, Fueling a Malaise That May Last for Years and Jim Rogers Continues to View China as the World's Best Long-Term Profit Play - appeared in Money Morning on Tuesday, Aug. 19, and Wednesday, Aug. 20.

Why am I including articles from two weeks ago in a list of Money Morning's activity form last week? Simple.

The response was huge.

Although those two articles appeared the week before last, the readership was so large that they were both continued to garner a lot of attention throughout last week. If you missed them, I urge you to check these stories out.

Here's something else: Not only were the two new interview pieces read by tens of thousands of people; thousands of readers went back and perused the stories about Fitz-Gerald's May conversations with Rogers, who is the author of such best-sellers as "Investment Biker" and the current hit, "A Bull in China." In the first of those conversations, Rogers talked extensively about the collapse of the U.S. dollar and the potential failure of the U.S. Federal Reserve and in the second about how China has become an unstoppable economic juggernaut.

Obamanomics: Contributing Editor Martin Hutchinson contributed another installment of our well-read series, "Election 2008," with the article, Election 2008: Dawning of Democratic Convention Illuminates a Few Bright Spots For Investors. The article, timed to appear during the Democratic National Committee, looks at the potential economic and stock-market impact of the Barack Obama presidential ticket. Hutchinson, a veteran international investment banker, personally interviewed the economic advisors for candidates John McCain, Obama and Edwards, and very early on concluded that Obama and McCain would be the best candidates for investors.

The Week Ahead: Here at Money Morning, we never rest on our laurels. And we have a lot planned for the weeks and months to come. The rest of this week is no exception. Here are the highlights:

  • Tomorrow, look for our usual "week ahead" column, as well as another installment of the "Buy, Sell or Hold?" column, with Marquez this time opting to analyze Chesapeake Energy Corp. (CHK). That follows analyses on such other companies as Chevron Corp. (CVX), Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO), and others. Indeed, click here for our "Buy, Sell or Hold?" archive.
  • On Wednesday, we'll have another installment of our "Election 2008" series, as our contributing editor, Hutchinson, uses the 2008 Republican National Convention as an opportunity to review the potential impact of the newly announced John McCain/Sarah Palin ticket. That same day, we'll have two other stories of note - the sixth and latest installment of Fitz-Gerald's "Pledge to Hedge" energy-conservation series, and an in-depth report on oil-sector investing. 

News and Related Story Links:

About the Author

Before he moved into the investment-research business in 2005, William (Bill) Patalon III spent 22 years as an award-winning financial reporter, columnist, and editor. Today he is the Executive Editor and Senior Research Analyst for Money Morning at Money Map Press.

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