His father fled from Lebanon in 1902 to escape the harsh military rule of the Ottoman Turks.
He himself — through a lifetime of savvy business dealings — would earn a place alongside Bill Gates and Warren Buffett in the global wealth Hall of Fame.
But this "American" success story didn’t happen in the USA. Carlos Slim — today the world’s 4th wealthiest man — got his start in Mexico.
Thanks to a growing and diverse empire that includes holdings in telecom, retail, banking and insurance, today Slim is the richest man in Latin America.
And a London Junto member who knows him personally tells me that Slim is not a man you want to bet against. So why is Slim having such a good 2005?
Partly because shares of his flagship wireless telecom outfit, América Movil — our Global Bull Market pick of the week — have soared 47% since January.
And here’s why América Movil’s stock price will continue its upward trajectory…
First, América Movil is on a growth path that just won’t stop. Sales have quadrupled since 2001, when it was spun off of Telefonos de Mexico, the Mexican telephone monopoly that Slim bought in 1991 at a privatization auction.
With assets in 14 different Latin American countries, América Movil expects to have 85 million subscribers by the end of 2005 — having added 20 million this year alone. This puts América Movil among the 10 top cellular operators in terms of clients worldwide.
Second, América Movil recently surprised analysts with better-than-expected EBITDA, revenue and client growth results in the third quarter. The strength showed up in almost every metric: higher service revenues, lower churn, resilient ARPUs (average revenue per user), and controlled costs.
Finally, after a shaky October, we are entering a traditionally strong period for Global Bull Markets. The fourth quarter is a terrific time to look for quick profits in growth stories like América Movil.
Investment bank UBS increased its target price on América Movil to $35. This gives the stock a 35% short-term upside based on its current price.
So let’s buy América Movil (AMX) at market, with a stop price of $22.50. If you want a shot at even greater profits on this Latin play, buy the February $30 calls (AMXBF.X).
Portfolio Update: Shares in Mitsubishi UFJ — the world’s largest bank — soared to record highs last week, with the stock up 15%, and the options up 64%. While you may be tempted to sell the options for a quick profit, remember these are May ’06 options, so hold on for plenty more upside on this one! And move the stop up to $11.50.
With our other Global Bull Market picks showing profits as well, move the stops on Norsk Hydro (NHR) to $92.50, and the Austrian i-shares (EWO) to $23.50.
