A Look at George Soros’ International Investment Alchemy

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“The truth is, successful investing is a kind of alchemy,” George Soros wrote in his 1987 book The Alchemy of Finance. And for the billionaire, international assets are a significant part of the formula.

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Soros’ latest regulatory filing reveals that more than 15% of the stocks he’s invested in are headquartered outside the United States.

Canada and China have captured his attention, as have Israel and the United Kingdom. Also in the mix are some less obvious locales, including Luxembourg, Bermuda and Peru.

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Moreover, George Soros’ top three stock holdings are companies from outside the U.S. With a 9% allocation in his equity portfolio, they’re an indicator that the billionaire sees the big opportunities in some perhaps unexpected places.

Argentina-based oil company YPF SA (ADR) (NYSE:YPF) has been Soros’ number one stock holding across two consecutive quarters (his top two positions are index puts). The billionaire more than doubled his stake in the firm during Q2, and as of the end of Q3, he holds 13.33 million YPF shares.

Falling oil prices have taken a toll on the stock, which as of market close yesterday has declined -8.19% over the past month. But YPF has fared better than many other energy players, including Carl Icahn favorites Transocean LTD (NYSE:RIG) and Talisman Energy Inc. (NYSE:TLM).

George Soros

YPF isn’t the only thing in Argentina in which Soros has an interest.  In September, he met with President Cristina Fernandez to discuss the country’s economy and energy sector, among other topics.

During the third quarter of the year, Soros purchased 55,000 shares of Argentine financial services company Grupo Financiero Galicia S.A. (ADR) (NASDAQ:GGAL), and he has also become an increasingly active participant in the hedge fund battle over Argentine bonds. Soros is among a group of investors who in November filed suit in the U.K., asking for the release of $282 million in interest payments on Argentine bonds.

Among George Soros’ holdings are nine China-based companies, including market sensation – and new billionaire favoriteAlibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA). He picked up 1.22 million BABA shares off of the company’s IPO, giving it a 2.92% allocation in his portfolio.

Up +12.89% since going public in September, Alibaba has already paid off nicely for Soros. In fact, the billionaire has done well with a number of his Chinese bets this year. Two of his other China-based holdings – Vipshop Holdings Ltd – ADR (NYSE:VIPS) and Baidu Inc (ADR) (NASDAQ:BIDU) – are among his best-performing investments of 2014.

George Soros

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (ADR) (NYSE:TEVA) has been in George Soros’ holdings since the third quarter of 2013, and it’s been among his top three since Q4. The Israel-based pharmaceutical company has also proven a strong performer, its price climbing +39.13% over the past year.

Israel’s medical sector seems to have Soros’ attention, as he’s invested in biotech company Bio Blast Pharma Ltd (NASDAQ:ORPN) and medical robotics developer Mazor Robotics Ltd – ADR (NASDAQ:MZOR).

What’s not in the mix is Sodastream International Ltd (NASDAQ:SODA). The billionaire cashed out of his $23.4 million position in the beverage carbonation business in August.

See George Soros’ entire portfolio at iBillionaire.

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