Cocktail Investing Distilling Everyday Noise into Clear Investment Signals for Better Returns

Cocktail Investing takes a look at investing in a different, catalyst-driven light to form a more cohesive, globally relevant investing lens. With a focus on the intersection of economics, demographics, psychographics, technology, policy, and more, this book helps readers build a more profitable portfolio based on what they see everyday rather than following the herd on Wall Street. Industry experts expose the actionable, observable, and recognizable trends that surround us daily, and show readers how to recognize these trends for themselves and translate them into wiser investing decisions without getting sidetracked by media clutter and bad advice.

Given today's ever-increasing deluge of information, the average investor faces the challenge of sorting through the babble to decipher what it means, and learn how, where, and why they should be investing given the current economic environment and the uncertain future. This book provides an 'off' switch, helping readers apply an automatic mental filter to the incoming cacophony, to filter out only what they can use for smarter money moves.

• Read the economy like a professional investor
• Filter out useless and misleading data
• Recognize 'go' signals, and identify the beneficiaries
• Identify cyclical and structural changes that have reshaped business models

The economic climate has changed drastically, and traditional practices are no longer getting results. Modern investing requires a whole new approach, and Cocktail Investing is the clear, insightful guide for putting it into action.

CHRISTOPHER J. VERSACE, widely known as The Thematic Investor, is a founding partner of Tematica Research and editor of the Tematica Investing and Tematica Trading publications. He is also the co-manager of the Growth Seeker portfolio with Lenore Hawkins and fundamental detective for Trifecta Stocks, both at TheStreet. He is also a contributor to TheStreet and Forbes.com, and regularly shares his investing and thematic insights on national radio and television programs.

LENORE ELLE HAWKINS is a founding partner at Meritas Advisors, where she's the firm's chief investment strategist, and focuses on macroeconomic influences. She is co-portfolio manager of the Growth Seeker portfolio with Christopher Versace at TheStreet. She shares her unique insights as a frequent guest on a variety of national and international radio and television shows as well as at investing and economic conferences throughout the world.

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xv

Chapter 1: Money 1

Chapter 2: Getting Started 19

Chapter 3: The Economy versus the Markets 35

Chapter 4: Read the Economy Like a Pro 53

Chapter 5: The Impact of Politics and Regulation on Investing 97

Chapter 6: Enabling and Disruptive Technologies 119

Chapter 7: Profiting from Pain 143

Chapter 8: Cocktail Thematic Investing 179

Chapter 9: Designing Your Portfolio 197

Chapter 10: Choosing Your Investments 223

Chapter 11: Building the Portfolio 267

Appendix: Definitions, Metrics, and Resources 301

About the Authors 323

Index 327

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