Maroun Hakim - investing in art.

We already spoke about investing in Real Estate, Gold, and now - Art! Well before you scoff and what not, how about telling you that some of the banks invest heavily in art - on a local level the Audi Bank collection is legendary, and outside Lebanon the Deutsche Bank is one of the world's most renowned (do read this link for further elaboration). 

Which brings us to Maroun Hakim and his newly downloadable catalog. The email specifically states: "As a first milestone of "50 Years in Art", we are launching a special catalog that presents a selection of 50 paintings available through a direct sale for a limited period of 50 days spanning from today till May 20, 2021. Its main purpose is to encourage art lovers to invest in unique and affordable artworks by M. Hakim." (if interested the link to the catalog is here), now the catalog lists the artworks as to be paid in banker's checks, which are a neat way to smuggle your money out of the bank - whereas the catalog does not specify this, the Maroun Hakim media team did say this clearly to me upon contact). The prices are listed depending on the size of the works rather than their artistic merit (500-750-1000-1125-1250-1375-1650-3000-3500 Dollars respectively) and are all acrylics on cardboard. 

There is no precision as to the terms of payment, but one assumes it is not a way to smuggle money out of the bank by cheques even if I cannot be quoted on that. Still, some people do think investing in art in times of crisis is a good way to salvage money and keep - or rather increase - its value in the long run.  

Sakr Real Estate plays a tune people want to hear.

"Instead of freezing them at the bank, release them in a real estate".

Sakr Real Estate is selling what everyone is buying. Namely investing in real estate as a way to smuggle one's Lollars out of the bank. The problem? Ask any analyst worth his salt and he'd tell you this is not the way to go - prices are in freefall (the cash price of the penthouse in a luxury building in Beirut was offered at 85% less than its original asking as long as it is paid in cash Dollars), actually Jihad El Hokayem has long advised that prices will go further and further at a point when one can snatch three properties for what was being paid for one (actually he predicted accurately the bust of 2019 when it comes to banks).

Still, Lebanese do think it is a good investment - and Sakr is riffing on that tune and people are finding it music to their ears. 

Antoine Saliba and the diamond investment.

Real Estate? Check (here and here) Home appliances? Check (here) and now diamonds as per Antoine Saliba. All these are pretexts to release your lollars from the bank, to protect your investment and to baically find a way out of the current banking-financial mess. Well, whereas these ideas seemed outrageous in the past, these days if they involve taking the money out of the bank and investing it anyhere else (no matter the depreciation!) suddenly they look logical. Appealing even. The problem with a diamond ring is that usually it brings a wife with it, then a family, so that sort of increases spending.