Mark Mobius, a pioneer in emerging markets investing, has warned potential investors about the difficulties of investing in China. The founder of Mobius Capital Partners has a personal account with HSBC in Shanghai and has found that the Chinese government is restricting capital outflows from the country.[0]
Mobius told Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria” that the Chinese government has put “all kinds of barriers” in place to prevent investors from getting their money out.[1] He has not been able to get an explanation as to why the restrictions have been put into place.[2]
“It’s just amazing. They don’t say, ‘No, you can’t get your money out,’ but they say, ‘Give us all the records from 20 years of how you’ve made this money,’ and so forth. It’s crazy,” Mobius said.[1]
Hong Kong appears to be far more open to capital outflows than China, Mobius noted. He has been able to get his money “in and out” of the financial center.[2]
The warning comes just days before Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to cement his third term at a key government meeting. China has been lifting COVID lockdowns and the economists expect a resurgence in services and manufacturing.[3]
In light of the restrictions, Mobius has recommended that investors consider putting their money into India or Brazil. “You’ve got a billion people, they can do the same thing that the Chinese do. They can do the same kind of manufacturing and so forth. I’m now in Brazil, and Brazil, you’ve got 250 million-plus people. Very good people, open society. Hey, why not come here? It’s another alternative,” Mobius said.[1]
0. “Billionaire Investor Warns to Be ‘Very Careful Investing in China’ Amid Capital Crackdown Fears” The Epoch Times, 3 Mar. 2023, https://www.theepochtimes.com/billionaire-investor-warns-to-be-very-careful-investing-in-china-amid-capital-crackdown-fears_5097816.html
1. “Billionaire investor issues warning over China’s ‘crazy’ business tactic: Be ‘very careful’” Fox Business, 2 Mar. 2023, https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/billionaire-investor-issues-warning-china-crazy-business-tactic
2. “Mark Mobius says he can’t get his money out of China investments” Markets Insider, 3 Mar. 2023, https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/mark-mobius-china-investing-capital-restricting-outflows-markets-strategy-jinping-2023-3
3. “‘I can’t get my money out’: Billionaire investor Mark Mobius says China is restricting flows of capital out of the country” Yahoo Finance, 3 Mar. 2023, https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cant-money-billionaire-investor-mark-164735085.html