There won't be a recession this year – but 2012 will be brutal

The global economy could see a temporary reprieve in the latter half of this year, says Simon Caufield. But in 2012 there will be carnage. And that will lead to plenty of opportunities for investors.

The world economy looks in a bad way.

It had already weakened in the second quarter, thanks to higher oil prices and the Fukushima accident in Japan. Then political infighting over raising the US debt ceiling battered confidence. Now increasing numbers of investors expect a recession imminently.

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Simon Caufield started out as an engineer and has an MA in engineering from Cambridge. This was followed by an MBA from the London Business School.

 

After graduating, Simon worked his way up to become a Management Consultant for banks and insurance companies. This gave him the chance to see the city from the inside.

 

In 2001, Simon started his own company to develop software designed to price banking services, such as loans and deposits. After growing the company to 100 employees, he went on to sell this in 2007, looking for his next challenge. 

 

Also during 2007, Simon ‘sacked’ his fund managers and took complete control over his investments.  Now he devotes all his time to investing and is an angel investor to help start-up companies. He has built up a reputable 20 years in the industry.

 

Simon writes his own investment newsletter – True Value. This follows the strategy he established in 2007 and is based on assets that are priced way below their true value.  He scours the worldwide markets for equities, bonds and alternative investments to find opportunities that fit his conservative and contrarian approach.