How to Profit from the AT&T (NYSE: T) — DirecTV (Nasdaq: DTV) Deal

Michael A. Robinson

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) made big headlines with its agreement to buy DirecTV (Nasdaq: DTV) in a cash-and-stock deal worth $67.1 billion.

Takeovers can provide huge windfalls – if you own the stock beforehand.

But this deal offers you the rare chance to profit after the fact – if you know where to look.

Today we're going to tell you about a "backdoor" play on the AT&T/DirecTV merger.

And you won't believe where we're traveling to look.

South of the Border

If you pay too much attention to the pundits on CNN and talk radio, you might think of Mexico as a land of grinding poverty, drug-cartel wars, and people trying to sneak across the border to the United States. But if, like me, you know to look past all that Noise and gaze hard at the numbers, you know Mexico is a land of tech-investing opportunity.

To be sure, Mexico has its problems and still can't match the wealth and infrastructure of its neighbor to the north. But this is a nation on the rise, and – this is good news for us – it's increasingly tech focused.

In roughly the last decade, incomes in Mexico have increased some 60%, according to figures compiled by the World Bank. The agency says the country's gross national income (GNI) per capita was $16,140 in 2012, the last year for full data. That compares with $10,400 in 2003 – and is still well below the comparable figure of $52,340 for the United States.

But Mexico is moving in the right direction.

The nonprofit researcher Brookings Institution recently reported that the auto industry has added more than 100,000 new jobs in Mexico since 2010. That means the auto companies employ more people in Mexico than in the American Midwest, where Detroit once reigned supreme as the world's auto center.

And they're not done employing Mexicans and turning them into consumers who like to buy mobile plans, smartphones, and all the other trappings of middle-class life. Top global carmakers plan to expand production in Mexico over the next few years. It all adds up to about $10 billion in new investment, according to the Brookings report.

I see the auto industry's commitment as evidence of rising incomes in Mexico, where millions of young people are using higher education to enter the middle class.

The Mexican government sees this, too, and is taking steps to nurture the advance.

In July, for instance, the Mexican government announced an ambitious program to invest $300 billion in infrastructure projects through 2018. Of that, roughly $100 billion will go toward new highways, rail lines, and telecommunications facilities. The plan also calls for upgrading ports to spur the growth of Mexico's exports.

The Mexican government wants to increase economic growth to 6% a year compared with the 2.3% to 3.3% that Mexico's central bank is projecting for 2014.

As part of its growth agenda, Mexico wants to focus heavily on deregulating its telecom industry.

And that's where our "backdoor profit play" comes in …

Michael A. Robinson

About the Author

Browse Michael's articles | View Michael's research services

Michael A. Robinson is a 35-year Silicon Valley veteran and one of the top technology financial analysts working today. He regularly delivers winning trade recommendations to the Members of his monthly tech investing newsletter, Nova-X Report, and small-cap tech service, Radical Technology Profits. In the past two years alone, his subscribers have seen over 100 double- and triple-digit gains from his recommendations.

As a consultant, senior adviser, and board member for Silicon Valley venture capital firms, Michael enjoys privileged access to pioneering CEOs and high-profile industry insiders. In fact, he was one of five people involved in early meetings for the $160 billion "cloud" computing phenomenon. And he was there as Lee Iacocca and Roger Smith, the CEOs of Chrysler and GM, led the robotics revolution that saved the U.S. automotive industry.

In addition to being a regular guest and panelist on CNBC and Fox Business Network, Michael is also a Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer and reporter. His first book, "Overdrawn: The Bailout of American Savings" warned people about the coming financial collapse - years before "bailout" became a household word.

You can follow Michael's tech insight and product updates for free with his Strategic Tech Investor newsletter.

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