Alternative Investing
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.160x105.jpg?v=1362158177 "Need Money? Score Big Cash for Fine Wine")
Bordeaux Cellars makes loans against the best wines in the world. The company hears from about ten potential borrowers a week, and so far, there have been no defaults.
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The art market is to experience a "10- year boom" according to an expert, as investors from China and the Middle East drive demand towards unprecedented levels.
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Amid wrangling over how much money the European Union spends at a time of grinding austerity across the Continent, Martin Ehrenhauser, an Austrian member of the European Parliament, lobbed a sobering question this summer at the union’s Brussels bureaucracy: How many bottles of booze does it have stocked in its wine cellars, the New York Times reports.
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Spain plans to offer residency permits to foreigners who buy houses priced at more than 160,000 euros ($203,845) as part of its efforts to revive a collapsed real estate market and divest itself of hundreds of thousands of unsold homes.
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Sotheby's held its first impressionist and modern art auction last night, but the season is getting a lousy start, reports CNBC's Bertha Coombs.
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The Hon. Harry Herbert, chairman of Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, told CNBC, that investing in race horses is "a numbers game, just to spend a fortune on one horse you are taking a gigantic risk."
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2012 is the best time to invest in fine wine since 2009, according to wine broker Vin-X’s Jeremy Peacock.
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Alternative investing may not be for everyone, but there's an entry point for almost anyone—and as popular cable TV programs illustrate every week, small fortunes can be found in attics, basements and, yes, storage rooms.
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Last year was a difficult year for the hedge fund industry, with returns down 6.4 percent, but the drop hasn’t stopped experienced professionals from moving away from big investment banks to set up their own firms.
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Stamps and comics can prove to be lucrative in terms of investment, CNBC's Steve Sedgwick went to find out more.
Alternative Investing: Real Estate
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A luxury pad in one of the world’s most exclusive neighborhoods might be seen as an indulgence for only the super rich. But international property developer Nick Candy told CNBC that for the shrewd investor, it can often be a long-term commitment worth making.
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As extreme weather events continue to decrease land availability, prices are going up, and investors are getting in.
Coins, Stamps & Books
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If you love edgy bets, the Bitcoin may be for you, but given its newness and volatility, the alternative currency used for Internet transactions has passionate fans and critics.
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With precious metals prices soaring in recent years, both bullion and rare coins have become a hot-ticket item among investors seeking to diversify their portfolio.
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Along with baseball cards, comic books represent an important component of the collectibles market, and can prove to be quite profitable for collectors holding highly sought-after and rare items.
Jewelry & Clothing
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You can’t go wrong with an Air Jordan. Lebron James is also a good bet, as are special models designed by Jeremy Scott or Kayne West.
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The growing demand for the clothing and jewelry of yesteryear has produced a surge of collectors, from Hollywood stars to wealthy fashionistas.
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Alfredo Paramico, fund manager at Precious Time, told CNBC, "here we have a once in the lifetime opportunity to have all together these three wrist watches who are the most important wrist watches in history ever."
Fine Art
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Steven Murphy, head of Christie's is convinced the key to future success lies with a much broader pool of art lovers.
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The co-founders of Artspace.com think an online fine arts marketplace can be a $10 billion to $15 billion business.
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Investment-grade art enjoys a low correlation with other asset classes, including stocks and bonds, strengthening its case as a candidate for portfolio diversification.
Wine
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For reliable investment-grade wine, look only to France, principally select wines from Bordeaux, and a few from Burgundy and the Rhone Valley.
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2012 is the best time to invest in fine wine since 2009, according to wine broker Vin-X’s Jeremy Peacock.
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Here are some examples of rare and specialty wines that have captured collectors' attention. Click to see if they capture yours, too!