Yesterday marks the 3rd anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. I was one of the few to publicly warn about the impending invasion weeks earlier on February 11, while military generals and pundits wrongly stated that Putin was bluffing.
I pitched an op-ed to the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal - but their editorial boards wrote that my piece was interesting and well-written but they didn't agree with my view.
I got on calls with hedge fund traders to position my clients ahead of the invasion, anticipating US sanctions and buying US based energy and fertilizer. When Putin invaded Georgia in 2008, I worked in London for the top emerging markets bank Renaissance Capital, advising
$B Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan funds on the investments in Russia, Ukraine, and Nigeria.
Yet the guys on the trading calls dismissed my warnings and market calls saying "no serious investor believed that Putin was going to invade the Ukraine."
Yes, too often "serious US investors" have little international experience - I was in Russia in college while these guys were making copies in US banks.
I've spent years in Russia and months in China, India, and South America and speak Russian, French, Spanish and English. This is why I often see Global Inflection Points which most investors and analysts miss.
Luckily, my Russian relative Margarita listened to my warnings and we were able to evacuate her from St. Petersburg, Russia to Haifa, Israel.
Read my in-depth analysis and warnings at