The Worst Advice Wall Street Ever Gave

Michael A. Robinson

On Oct. 15, I told you that the best time to cash out of the market is... never.

And just four days later, The Wall Street Journal ran an investing column that came to the same basic conclusion.

Citing an "enormous body of academic research," the Journal concluded investors should always have some money in stocks.

There's just one problem. A Wall Street money manager quoted in the column said that investors should likewise make sure they have exposure to emerging markets.

When I read that statement, I was floored. This may be the worst investment advice Wall Street ever gave.

Here's why...

Two Reasons Why Wall Street Couldn't Be More Wrong

First, the one sector you should always be in on is high tech. Second, emerging markets have largely been a money trap for investors over the past two years.

So today I want to talk to you about a much better way to not only crush emerging market returns - that's easy - but also blow away the overall market.

Don't get me wrong. Of course, tech investors can make money overseas - if they are very selective and work long hours to find high-quality firms.

But to seek broad exposure to emerging markets is a horrible idea. No, the Journal didn't say this explicitly, but it implied that average investors ought to consider offshore exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

To test that "theory," I looked up a few ETFs focused on emerging markets. And what I found disturbed me.

Just look at iShares MSCI Emerging Markets (NYSE Arca: EEM). It's a diversified ETF that gives investors broad overseas exposure. On paper, it sounds promising, because emerging markets often have faster-growing economies than here in the United States.

Straight up, EEM is a flat-out loser. Over the past two years, it's lost 1.5% of its value. Compare that to a 36.5% gain for the Standard & Poor's 500 Index over the same period.

Then there's the Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (NYSE Arca: VWO), which is down more than 1% over the last two years. And the Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF (NYSE Arca: SCHE) is at breakeven.

Let me see if I got this right. These fund managers managed to lose money during an historic bull market?

Don't let Wall Street steer you wrong - here's where you should invest your money instead...

Michael A. Robinson

About the Author

Browse Michael's articles |

Michael A. Robinson is a 36-year Silicon Valley veteran and one of the top tech and biotech financial analysts working today. That's because, as a consultant, senior adviser, and board member for Silicon Valley venture capital firms, Michael enjoys privileged access to pioneering CEOs, scientists, and high-profile players. And he brings this entire world of Silicon Valley "insiders" right to you...

• He was one of five people involved in early meetings for the $160 billion "cloud" computing phenomenon.
• 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.
• As cyber-security was becoming a focus of national security, Michael was with Dave DeWalt, the CEO of McAfee, right before Intel acquired his company for $7.8 billion.

This all means the entire world is constantly seeking Michael's insight.

In addition to being a regular guest and panelist on CNBC and Fox Business, he 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 the word "bailout" became a household word.

Silicon Valley defense publications vie for his analysis. He's worked for Defense Media Network and Signal Magazine, as well as The New York Times, American Enterprise, and The Wall Street Journal.

And even with decades of experience, Michael believes there has never been a moment in time quite like this.

Right now, medical breakthroughs that once took years to develop are moving at a record speed. And that means we are going to see highly lucrative biotech investment opportunities come in fast and furious.

To help you navigate the historic opportunity in biotech, Michael launched the Bio-Tech Profit Alliance.

His other publications include: Strategic Tech Investor, The Nova-X Report, Bio-Technology Profit Alliance and Nexus-9 Network.

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