Mark Mobius, investment guru on emerging markets, passes away

Veteran investor Mark Mobius, who brought emerging market economies – from Brazil and India to Vietnam -- into focus of investors over the past several decades, passed away in Singapore on April 15, aged 89. The news of his demise came through a post on his LinkedIn page, attributed to his spokeswoman, Kylie Wong.

Mobius had spent over three decades at Franklin Templeton, where he led the Templeton Emerging Markets Group, before retiring from there in 2018.

By the time Mobius retired from Franklin Templeton, the Emerging Markets Group had managed over $40 billion across 70 countries, growing from a $100 million start in 1987.

Mobius, who himself invested in emerging markets and crisis-hit economies, will be most remembered for his investment philosophy which involved a risk-taking ability, but obviously backed by data. This gave him the nickname of ‘Indiana Jones of Emerging Market’.

The investment mantra which worked

His popularity arose as he travelled to 112 countries and wrote 15 books to gather on-the-ground insights into economies, which helped fund managers and investors across the globe take more informed decisions.

Some famous quotes from his book Passport to Profits are: "Volatility is not an enemy to fear but a sign that opportunity is close at hand.” Another quote goes: “The main reason that we felt positive was because all of the trends were so negative. This was not just to be stubbornly or rigidly contrarian—because being a true contrarian means not to go slavishly against the grain, but to be always independent in your thinking.”

Mobius’s investment philosophies found him success, including investing into the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and building investments just after the global financial slowdown of 2007-08. He was a pioneer in launching the Templeton Africa Fund in 2012.

After retiring from Franklin Templeton in 2018, Mobius first started Mobius Capital Partners and later launched an investment venture, continuing his focus on emerging markets.

Wong, on LinkedIn has shared the news that John Ninia, Partner at Mobius Investments, and Eric Nguyen, Partner at Mobius Investments, will assume leadership responsibilities. “The firm will continue to operate without changes to its investment approach or day-to-day operations,” the post says.