Dear SIC Enthusiast,

The ongoing trade war with China is far from over despite a temporary tariff ceasefire.

That’s because this confrontation is about much more than tariffs and even trade. It’s a far broader struggle for global economic supremacy with a technology war thrown in for good measure.

What are China's most likely moves? What are we most likely to do about them?

And of course, how do we as investors capitalize on the lucrative opportunities that will surely arise?

I believe our China panel at the SIC 2020 will provide the best available answers to such crucial questions.

Panel #1: Why the China Trade War Isn’t Over Yet

This year’s SIC features four distinguished guests with deep knowledge of the Middle Kingdom through their “boots on the ground” experiences.

Each panelist has traveled to China, done business there, and invested there. They’re perfectly positioned to provide actionable insights into what’s really going on behind China’s inscrutable exterior.

Felix Zulauf is president of Zulauf Consulting and has been a member of the Barron’s Roundtable for over 20 years. As an international investment manager who’s avoided all the major financial market casualties since 1974, Felix is keenly focused on keeping that record intact while profiting from events in the world’s second-largest economy. That includes the dangers and opportunities from China’s banking system as the economy reels from the strains posed by recent livestock and flu epidemics.

Felix is joined by Louis Gave, the co-founder and CEO of Gavekal Research and a former Hong Kong resident. Louis specializes in uncovering game-changing policy shifts and massive social changes underway in China and the world. Louis manages China-themed portfolios to address the very best opportunities through Gavekal’s China office, and he’ll have a lot to say on Hong Kong and mainland China from a local perspective.

Mark Yusko is the founder, CEO, and chief investment officer of Morgan Creek Capital Management. As a recognized authority on China as well as an early stage investor in Alibaba and now in blockchain technology, digital currency, and digital assets, Mark is an ideal choice to discuss the country’s IT and cybersecurity capabilities. For example, most don’t realize China is investing at least as much in artificial intelligence, robotics, and Big Data as the West. Mark will highlight the threats and opportunities.

Lastly, China’s Vision of Victory author Dr. Jonathan Ward is on the panel. Jonathan is the founder of Atlas Organization, a US-China global competition-oriented consultancy. He’s briefed the US Defense Intelligence Agency (2–4-star generals and admirals), the US Navy Strategy Division, leading American, European, and Asian corporations, and the UK Ministry of Defence. He speaks Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and Arabic, and has back-packed through each of these regions, studying and getting to know the peoples and cultures. While a doctoral student at Oxford, he visited private Chinese libraries before they were closed to scholars. Jonathan has a lot to say about what the Middle Kingdom wants, how it will try to get it, and what America should be doing about it. My prediction is that Jonathan will soon be the go-to man on China policy, and you want to know what he thinks NOW.

It was a real coup to get these four brilliant individuals to come to the SIC. If you want expert insight into the rapid changes happening in China and what they mean for us and our portfolios, this is a “can’t-miss” event.

Meanwhile, there’s another big topic looming large in our minds: The upcoming US Presidential election. November 3 will be one of the most defining elections since Reagan.

To cut through the chatter, we’ve created a second featured panel to help you survive and thrive from what could be a highly chaotic course of events.

Panel #2: How to Ensure Your Portfolio Survives Election 2020

Whoever controls Congress or the White House is going to tax and spend. But the devil is in the details and perceptions matter. That’s why we’ll almost certainly see a lot of volatility as investors grapple with how the winners will manage those details.

So what will happen next and how can we prepare? The SIC 2020’s four-man “Investing in the Politics of the 2020s” panel will delve into the answers. We’ll hear from all sides of the political aisle.

David Bahnsen sits on the National Review board and is the author of Elizabeth Warren: How Her Presidency Would Destroy the Middle Class and the American Dream. David is against big government and thoughtfully pro-conservative. He’s also the founder, managing partner, and CIO of bi-coastal private wealth management firm The Bahnsen Group, and he is consistently named by Barron’s, Forbes, and the Financial Times as one of the top financial advisors in America.

Joining David will be Michael Barone of the Washington Examiner and known as the dean of pollsters. Well respected by both sides, Michael is known for being the principal author of The Almanac of American Politics, a highly detailed reference work on Congress and state politics. That makes Michael an ideal authority to update us on trends, insights, and extrapolations for the year ahead.

Michael will sit next to my old friend Barry Ritholtz of Ritholtz Wealth Management. As the host of the Bloomberg Podcast “Masters in Business” where he interviews influential figures on markets, investing, and business, Barry refers to himself as a Jacob Javits Republican (a position now equivalent to left-of-center Democrats) and is sure to bring out the best from his fellow panelists.

Bruce Mehlman, plugged in DC lobbyist and highly sought-after keynote speaker on policy and political trends, will be joining them. Bruce previously served as assistant secretary of commerce for technology policy under President George W. Bush and currently sits on the advisory boards of several start-up technologies companies as well as the boards of the Center for Democracy & Technology, the Washington Campus, and the State Science & Technology Institute. Bruce knows everybody and has an intimate understanding of what’s happening in DC and everywhere.

As with the China panel, I’m very pleased to have these experts come to the SIC and share their in-depth views on how best to prepare for the politico-economic trajectory to come.

There are more panels to come, including one on alternative investing in the 2020s, which dives deep into special opportunities independent of both stocks and bonds. You’ll want to know much more about them and how they can diversify your portfolio away from more traditional investments.

I’ll update you on those details soon, but allow me to remind you once more that seats are going fast.

If you want to enjoy the best “SIC experience” yet, you’ve got to act quickly to get one of the last 187 spots.

I urge you to reserve yours now because through midnight on Monday, February 24, you can still save $800 on your SIC 2020 ticket.

You won’t regret it.

Your really looking forward to 2020 and hoping to see you in Scottsdale analyst,

John Mauldin
Co-founder