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Chris Mayer

Chris Mayer studied finance at the University of Maryland, graduating magna cum laude. He went on to earn his MBA while embarking on a decade-long career in corporate banking. Chris has been quoted over a dozen times by MarketWatch, and has spoken on Forbes on Fox. He has also spoken on CNN Radio, and has made multiple CNBC appearances. Chris is the editor of Capital and Crisis and Mayer's Special Situations, a monthly report that unearths unique and unconventional opportunities in smaller-cap stocks. In 2008, Chris authored Invest Like a Dealmaker: Secrets From a Former Banking Insider.

Cheap Houses Hedge Inflation Risk

Jan 5th, 2011 | By | Category: Featured, Housing, Investing Strategies
Investment ideas are cyclical. They come and go, like fashions or cicadas, obeying their own curious rhythms. In the last few years, rare was the investment thinker who said you should buy a house. Housing was in a bubble that was deflating. But the investment seasons turn. Today some smart investors ...read more


Inflation Is Already Here with Lots More to Come

Oct 29th, 2010 | By | Category: Featured, Macro Economics
If Paul Revere were around, maybe he’d get on his horse and start yelling, “Inflation is coming! Inflation is coming!” I think it is coming. In fact, in many ways, it’s already here, just not yet widely recognized. The deflationists still hold sway in the bond market, where investors happily accept ...read more


How to Profit When Big Oil Bets on Natural Gas

Sep 20th, 2010 | By | Category: Commodities, Energy, Featured
Royal Dutch Shell said that by 2012 it expects more than half of its output will be natural gas — not oil. That is as if Starbucks said it expects to sell more tea than coffee. Yet this is not unusual for Big Oil these days. In fact, most are making ...read more


Why Investors Need to Look at Africa Right Now

Aug 30th, 2010 | By | Category: Featured, Gold, International
Africa has had many false dawns. So there are good reasons to be skeptical of yet another rising sun, full of promise. But this dawn has been a long time in the making and has different foundations than before. Already, we’re seeing some amazing changes. These changes began as Africa opened ...read more


Why You Should Buy What Brazil Needs

Aug 11th, 2010 | By | Category: Commodities, Featured, International
Stefan Zweig pegged it right after all. In the late 1930s, the Austrian playwright and writer sought relief from war-torn Europe and settled in Brazil. He loved it. In 1941, he moved there and wrote his book Brazil: Land of the Future. Brazil, he thought, “was destined to become one ...read more


Successful Investing in China Despite the Risks

Aug 2nd, 2010 | By | Category: Featured, International, Investing Strategies
Investing always involves a kind of leap of faith. Investors have to believe that the numbers they are looking at are real. They have to believe that the financial statements reasonably reflect reality. Without that trust, there is no point in going further. The investor is like a cook unsure ...read more


Potential 101% Gains in Canola Farming

Jul 19th, 2010 | By | Category: Commodities, Featured, Personal Investing
In the course of my never-ending quest for investment ideas and insights, I come across all kinds of quirky opportunities. In particular, I’ve long searched for different ways to get involved in farming. I’d like to tell you about one such opportunity — in Saskatchewan canola production. But first, a brief ...read more


Taking Advantage of the Oil Refining Slump

Jul 14th, 2010 | By | Category: Featured, Oil, Personal Investing
Thomas O’Malley, a 68-year-old investor, has made billions for himself and his backers as an investor in oil refineries — those twinkling jungle gyms of pipes and tanks and columns that turn crude oil into useful products like gasoline. This is O’Malley’s playground. He has probably bought and sold more refineries ...read more


Getting the Backbone of Manufacturing at a Discount

Jul 12th, 2010 | By | Category: Featured, International
One of the most important — yet least widely known — sectors of the global economy is in the beginnings of a rebound. It’s called the machine tool industry. It’s the backbone of manufacturing. Machine tools cut, grind and shape metal to make components for machines. Machine tools include things like ...read more


How to Invest in China’s Future Today

Jun 30th, 2010 | By | Category: Featured, International, Personal Investing
Gary Gibson: Chris, you were just over in China along with Addison Wiggin looking for investment opportunities. Could you tell us what you found? Chris Mayer: Sure. As soon as we landed, we visited a giant Carrefour, which is a big French retailer in Beijing. There, we got a chance to ...read more