Best Idea Show – Geoffrey Batt, Euphrates Advisors – You Get Used To The Terrorism Problem And You Just Start To Focus On The Companies | #300

In episode 300, we welcome our guest, Geoffrey Batt, managing partner and founder of the Euphrates Advisors, where he invests in Iraqi equities. In today's episode, we're covering Geoffrey's best idea: investing in the Iraqi stock market. Geoffrey begins by telling us how learning about Daniel Cloud’s post-Soviet Union Russia fund led him to look around the world to find somewhere he could earn huge returns, which led him to Iraq. He gives us an overview of the market and economy and how it’s rebounded since Saddam Hussein died. Then he walks us through everything he’s had to deal with since he first invested there in 2010 – political instability, a 20% currency devaluation, negative oil prices, and an Iraqi stock market that closed in response to COVID. We talk about the tailwinds for Iraq, including the growth of the banking sector and ESG, which Geoffrey believes is bullish for oil. Be sure you stick around until the end to hear about Geoffrey’s first trip to Iraq, when he was driving to visit with a company and was forced to turn around because of a car bomb. Please enjoy this special “Best Ideas” episode with Euphrates Advisors’ Geoffrey Batt.