Christopher Zook, founder and Chief Investment Officer of CAZ Investments, which oversees around $5 billion in assets under management, joins Julia La Roche on episode 72 for a wide-ranging macroeconomic discussion.
In this episode, Zook shares that a recession is coming, and it’s “going to be deeper and probably longer than people think.” He adds that we’ll have a “manufactured recession,” where inflation is running so hot that the Federal Reserve has to raise rates fast to slow down inflation, forcing the economy into a recession. Moreover, he points out that markets believe the Fed will start cutting rates by the end of the year, something Zook does not expect to happen.
In these types of environments, Zook is looking for opportunities in dislocated assets or persistent assets that perform well, even if his hypothesis is found to be true.
Zook has over 30 years of experience investing in traditional and alternative asset classes. He was recently honored with the Texas Alternative Investments Association’s (TAIA) Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contribution and sustained support of the industry in Texas. He regularly contributes to major media outlets, including CNBC, Fox Business, and Bloomberg. Before starting CAZ Investments in 2001, Zook served in senior leadership positions with Oppenheimer, Prudential Securities, Lehman Brothers, and Paine Webber.
0:00 Intro
2:12 Welcoming Christopher Zook to the show
2:50 Beginnings in investing
3:43 Trading commodities to pay for college
4:40 Reading about traders
5:55 Managing risk extremely carefully
7:20 Starting own firm
8:20 Managing money at age 22
8:50 Set goal to start firm in 10 years
9:50 Tony Robbins
10:40 The bigger the way, the bigger the try
14:00 Zook’s “why”
16:20 CAZ Investments structure and focus
18:36 Thematic approach
20:30 Betting against subprime housing
25:00 Macro outlook
25:12 Meme stock bubble
26:23 It takes longer than people think to reconcile dislocations
27:07 We haven’t seen true dislocation yet
27:40 Recession is coming and it will be deeper and longer than people think
28:08 A manufactured recession
29:00 I’ll be shocked if the Fed cuts rates this year
30:06 More of a 2-3 year recession
31:00 Disconnect between the Fed and the market
33:20 Be greedy when others are fearful
33:54 Stagflation
34:34 Worst economic regime for financial assets
38:13 Opportunities
40:20 Themes right now
41:09 Cord-cutting
41:40 Opportunity in sports teams, media rights
43:55 Themes that exist in real estate today
45:40 Stress from higher rates will force refinancing
46:45 Why we haven’t seen panic selling yet
47:45 Every sector of real estate will be stressed
50:40 U.S. Dollar outlook
53:39 U.S. debt levels are terrifying
56:29 Growth of private assets
57:04 Opportunity in GP stakes
#057 Milton Berg: How To Spot ‘Turning Points’ In The Markets
#056 Sam Burns On Being More Bullish On Equities In At Least A Year
#055 Jim Grant: Disinflation For The Short Run, Inflation For The Long Run
#054 Ted Oakley: A Long Way To A Normalized Investing Environment Post ‘Super Bubble’
#053 Michael Howell On How Liquidity Drives Markets And Where We're Likely Headed
#052 James Lavish: We're Walking A Very Thin Tightrope Over A Cliff
#051 Peter Boockvar On The 'Death By A Thousand Cuts' Economy
#050 Cullen Roche On Macro Outlook And Housing Risks
#049 You're Going To Be Working Until You're 85 Or 90 | Ric Edelman
#048 Carol Roth On How The Government And The Fed Created The Largest Wealth Transfer In History
#047 Joe Fahmy On Why Biotech Will Outperform The Broader Market In 2023
#046 Whitney Tilson On Avoiding The 5 Calamities That Can Ruin You
#045 Caleb Franzen: The Fed Is Being Challenged By Ongoing Labor Market Dynamics
#044 Standing Up to the Woke Mob and Walking Away From $1 Million: Jennifer Sey's Story
#043 Jon Hilsenrath On Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen And Navigating An Era Of Upheaval
#042 MEGATHREATS: 'Dr. Doom' Nouriel Roubini's Scariest Prediction
#041 Jim Bianco: Recession Has Become The New Bull Story On Wall Street
#040 Tom Thornton On Why We Might See True Capitulation In The Markets In 2023
#039 Stephanie Link On The Fed, Markets, And Working With Jim Cramer
#038 ‘Art & Equity’ With Blythe Masters, Brett Redfearn, Elizabeth Von Habsburg, and Carlos Domingo
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