Synopses & Reviews
Mao, Marx & the Market is a unique firsthand account of the precepts, pitfalls, and profits associated with investing in Russia and China as they leap perilously toward a free market economy. In a down-to-earth and engaging style, investment legend Dean LeBaron chronicles his experiences as one of the early institutional investors in Russia and China.
LeBarons ventures into two of the largest potential markets in the worldthrough his company Batterymarch Financial Managementcombine practical business advice with important political and cultural lessons. Step by step, youll follow LeBaron in his quest to privatize and modernize state-owned industrial plants in Russia and China. From analyzing companies in these markets to understanding the policies, practices, and attitudes of their governments, youll learn how to conduct business in Russia and Chinawhile using these examples as benchmarks for emerging markets around the world.
This practical guide details LeBarons struggle to create the Soviet Companies Fund in the early nineties when Gorbachev and glasnost ruled. It takes a painful look at what went wrong as the political environment changed and the Russian side reneged on its promises. LeBaron offers candid advice and encouraging warnings as to what to look for in Russia as economic obstacles fall by the wayside and the government becomes comfortable with Western investors.
Turning to China, LeBaron proveswith Batterymarchs Equity Fund of Chinathat investing in emerging markets can be just as profitable as it is risky. Explaining that "post-Mao China took small calculated risks that added up to nothing less than a genuine revolution," LeBaron provides an intriguing and successful case study for investing in China and other similar emerging markets.
Mao, Marx & the Market prepares you to invest in Russia, China, and beyond, by revealing the "variables" that can play into these markets. It also provides you with a foundation for investing in other emerging markets. Youll learn how to find and invest in emerging markets by studying a country and its economy, then setting specific criteria for each.
The economic futures of Russia and China may not be clear, but the firsthand advice in this book is. Take the knowledge and experience of Dean LeBaron and get a head start in locating and successfully investing in emerging markets. The greatest risk you can take when dealing with emerging markets is not reading Mao, Marx & the Market first.
Review
"...a fascinating account...will appeal to people in the financial field as well as those who are not" (M2 Best Books, 25 July 2002)
Synopsis
Praise for MAO, MARX & THE MARKET
"This is a gripping tale from start to finish, an extraordinary adventure told by a brilliant and idealistic businessman confronted by political disloyalty and chicanery on an epic scale. LeBaron tells his story with a punch, but his basic instincts of morality and decency shine throughout." —Peter L. Bernstein, President, Peter L. Bernstein, Inc., author of The Power of Gold: The History of an Obsession
"An insight-packed thriller summarizing a brilliant contrarian investor?s adventures in the two great dramas of our era?Russia and China; chock-full of pithy lessons relevant for investors and observers alike." —Graham Allison, Director, Robert and Renee Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
"Dean LeBaron?s book on his adventures in Russia and China is a fun read. I recommend it to anyone taking their first?or second or third?visit to either country for business or pleasure. LeBaron brings out the personal warmth of these countries in terms of their individuals, as well as the obvious complexities of dealing with them." —David Gill, Board Member of several companies involved with Russia, Retired International Finance Corporation Official
"This is the fascinating story of Dean LeBaron in his quest to participate right from the start in the opening of China and Russia following the demise of their socialist/ communist regimes. It is the best account of what happened in the emerging market world in the nineties." —Marc Faber, Editor, The Gloom Boom & Doom Report,Managing Director, Marc Faber Limited
"Adventure capitalist Dean LeBaron is the Indiana Jones of finance. Follow his escapades in emerging markets and get an insider?s view of the birth of capitalism in Russia and China. You?ll be amused, entertained, and instructed. Mao, Marx & the Market provides a fascinating insider?s view of the creation of market economies with all their attendant travails. A must read." —Bill Miller, CFA, Chief Executive Officer, Legg Mason Funds Management, Inc.
Synopsis
Praise for MAO, MARX & THE MARKET
"This is a gripping tale from start to finish, an extraordinary adventure told by a brilliant and idealistic businessman confronted by political disloyalty and chicanery on an epic scale. LeBaron tells his story with a punch, but his basic instincts of morality and decency shine throughout." --Peter L. Bernstein, President, Peter L. Bernstein, Inc., author of The Power of Gold: The History of an Obsession
"An insight-packed thriller summarizing a brilliant contrarian investor s adventures in the two great dramas of our era Russia and China; chock-full of pithy lessons relevant for investors and observers alike." --Graham Allison, Director, Robert and Renee Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
"Dean LeBaron s book on his adventures in Russia and China is a fun read. I recommend it to anyone taking their first or second or third visit to either country for business or pleasure. LeBaron brings out the personal warmth of these countries in terms of their individuals, as well as the obvious complexities of dealing with them." --David Gill, Board Member of several companies involved with Russia, Retired International Finance Corporation Official
"This is the fascinating story of Dean LeBaron in his quest to participate right from the start in the opening of China and Russia following the demise of their socialist/ communist regimes. It is the best account of what happened in the emerging market world in the nineties." --Marc Faber, Editor, The Gloom Boom & Doom Report,Managing Director, Marc Faber Limited
"Adventure capitalist Dean LeBaron is the Indiana Jones of finance. Follow his escapades in emerging markets and get an insider s view of the birth of capitalism in Russia and China. You ll be amused, entertained, and instructed. Mao, Marx & the Market provides a fascinating insider s view of the creation of market economies with all their attendant travails. A must read." --Bill Miller, CFA, Chief Executive Officer, Legg Mason Funds Management, Inc.
About the Author
DEAN LEBARON is an investment futurist. He founded Batterymarch Financial Management in 1969 and led the firm s pioneering advances in the mid-1970s in the application of computer technology and modeling techniques, first in the U.S. market and then in international and emerging markets. He is recognized as one of the first foreign entrants in the nascent securities markets of Brazil, India, Russia, and China.
DONNA CARPENTER is an accomplished and skilled business writer with several books to her name, including The Fall of the House of Hutton and Price Waterhouse Book of Personal Financial Planning.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.
PART ONE: Russia.
CHAPTER ONE: The Russians Are Coming.
CHAPTER TWO: From Marx to McDonald's.
CHAPTER THREE: Soviet-Style Fish Chowder.
CHAPTER FOUR: Swords into Plowshares, Inc.
CHAPTER FIVE: The Right Stuff.
CHAPTER SIX: Russia's Wrong Stuff.
CHAPTER SEVEN: Eureka!
CHAPTER EIGHT: Coups.
PART TWO: China.
CHAPTER NINE: The Fifth Dragon.
CHAPTER TEN: A New Leap Forward.
CHAPTER ELEVEN: The Cat Changes Color.
CHAPTER TWELVE: Flowers on an Iron Tree.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: The Best Doctor.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Year of the Monkey.
PART THREE: A New Order in the Making.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Lines on the Horizon.
INDEX.