Slight change of pace from my usual postings today. Regular readers are well-aware of my investing focus: the smallest, least-analyzed companies, often churning out profits in unglamorous industries. Many times the stocks of these companies are difficult to buy in size, and sometimes even finding financial information is a challenge. My reasoning for targeting my efforts in this arena is pretty simple: why compete with more investors than I need to? The data on the results investing in tiny, illiquid stocks are compelling (a decent white paper can be found here), and I expect that to continue. This style of investing is not a panacea. There are issues with scalability, and the returns are anything but stable. But I believe most serious investors are well-served by dedicating a portion of the capital to micro-cap and thinly-traded securities strategies.

I’ve been richly rewarded by many of the opportunities I’ve managed to locate at the bottom end of the market’s size and liquidity spectrum, both in the US and abroad. (And punished by some others, but the balance remains quite positive.) Digging through the thousands of securities available for trading in the US alone is endlessly entertaining. But like most value investors, I’m always hungry for new opportunities. Sometimes that means expanding one’s reach to new markets.

A basic tenet of my investing philosophy is that structural barriers always create inefficiency. Basically, any market that some investors cannot access without great difficulty will have an unusual number of inefficiently-priced securities. That brings me to a topic that’s been on the forefront of my mind recently: finding investments in “exotic” markets, and/or on “exotic” exchanges. It’s only in the past few years that most major world markets have become relatively accessible to US investors. ADRs have been around for quite some time, but now I can purchase stocks directly in Western Europe, Australia, Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong and several other large economies with relative ease. It’s a very positive development and it has greatly expanded the opportunity set for value investors willing to cast a wide net. But even this expanded access still leaves a very large set of the world’s equities beyond the easy reach of Western investors.

In my searching, I’ve already come across several stock markets that are difficult for American investors to access, but not impossible. Fidelity or Interactive Brokers won’t get you in, but working with a local broker can. Sure it’s a hassle, but that’s what creates the opportunity. Some of these markets are hardly recognizable as a modern stock exchange. I recently found a national stock market where that particular day’s total trading volume was…..zero shares. Zero shares, with over 20 listed companies! I talk to some investors who can’t believe I buy stuff with under $100,000 in daily liquidity, so I’d like to see those same investors react to a market like that!

And some of the markets I’ve happened across offer incredible values. I recently checked out the stock market of a small yet well-known nation with 30-some listed companies, and was astounded by the valuations on offer. Median P/E ratio: 6.1. Median price/book value: 0.58. Average yield of dividend paying companies: 6.3%. Average ROE: a respectable 9.8%. This nation is not as stable or developed as most Western economies, but neither is it some warlord-run kleptocracy that would justify these absurd figures.

I’ve only just begun my search, but I strongly suspect there are many more stock markets like this one. And so for perhaps the first time (and sorely over-due) I’m asking my readers for advice. I’m asking you to relate your own experiences of purchasing stocks in obscure locations and exchanges. I’d prefer e-mails to comments, unless you don’t mind sharing your thoughts with the general public. In return, I’ll gladly tell you all about this particular cheap market I’ve found. Specifically, I want to know a few things.

• How did you discover your unusual market(s)?
• What kinds of hoops did you have to jump through to gain access? How did you choose a local broker? Were there any cross-cultural/regulatory challenges you had to navigate in the process?
• What was your investment approach? Did you buy a basket of cheap stocks, or concentrate your efforts?
• Stories of success or failure?

I’m also open to hearing about opportunities you’ve found in unconventional exchanges/brokerages in your own country of residence. Things such as FNC Ag Stock, LLC, which facilitates trading in agricultural partnerships.

I look forward to hearing from you. Perhaps I’ll relate a few of the more interesting anecdotes I receive (with permission, of course) in a future post.

OTCAdventures.com is an Alluvial Capital Management, LLC publication. Alluvial clients may hold positions in any stocks mentioned.