MINT beats BRIC

For all those investors out there you probably already know but there are some new players on the global market who are beginning to throw their weight around. It is the year of the MINT not the BRIC. I am not going crazy (yet), BRIC actually stands for Brazil, Russia, India and China and for the past years they have been growing exponentially and dominating the markets. The term was invented by this guy…

Jim O'Neill, retiring chairman of Goldman Sachs

So what is with all this MINT? MINT resembles Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey and these are the new states tipped to go big by our trusted economist Jim.

China has always, in my relatively little understanding of the world, been a big player in the production world and pretty much everything is made by it. However, recently America has started to pull out of China as its currency strengthens and its one-child policy causes an increase in wages due to a limit pool of workers. What makes the MINT states important is that they stand between the trading routes of the world (minus Nigeria), have a large working population and are taking advantage of their raw resources.

You only have to look at this graph that the BBC posted to realise that though China still takes the top spot the MINT countries will have jumped up the rankings by 2050.

Moreover, it is positive for the environment in that it may cut down air/sea miles as trade becomes closer to its intended destination.

And plus these guys know how to party! To be accepted into the Mexican community you need to learn how to dance and the local language. Furthermore, when Jim O’Neil suggested he should move to Mexico they said they would get English beers brought over and plumbed in. You cannot say no.

Investors watch out!

If you want to listen to the full podcast click here. Also there will be podcasts on Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey throughout this week on Radio 4 or catch it on the BBC website.

Before investing millions on the expert opinion (I offer no professional advice so do not blame me if things turn sour) presented in this blog give this article by Chris Wright a read.