International Investing

Cannabis Corner: Illinois is Open

Recreational cannabis investing is all about the regulatory map that determines how many people can buy your favorite company’s products. That map turned a lot greener this week.

Illinois just added 12 million people to the recreational map, or potentially 1.3 million cannabis consumers. And counting Canada, that brings the total “addressable market” of likely retail buyers to about 13 million.

The market just swelled by 10 percent. That’s a big deal for those of us who were concerned that the supply of dried plant matter had ramped up to the point where it overwhelmed demand.

The governor of Illinois thinks cannabis will generate $170 million in taxes this year alone. That’s huge. No wonder he’s happy to sign the deregulation bill into state law.

All we need now is for Wall Street to follow the money.

Hilary Kramer

Hilary Kramer is an investment analyst and portfolio manager with 30 years of experience on Wall Street. The Financial Times describes Ms. Kramer as “A one-woman financial investment powerhouse” and The Economist distinguishes her as “one of the best-known investors in America”. Ms. Kramer is often quoted in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Bloomberg, and Reuters. She is a frequent guest commentator on CNBC, CBS, Fox News and Bloomberg, providing investment insight and economic analysis. Ms. Kramer was an analyst and investment banker at Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers. Ms. Kramer founded and ran a long-short hedge fund and has been chief investment officer overseeing debt and equity portfolios. Since 2010, Ms. Kramer’s financial publications have provided stock analysis and investment advice to her subscribers. Her products include GameChangers, Value Authority, High Octane Trader, Triple-Digit Trader, 2-Day Trader, IPO Edge and Inner Circle. Ms. Kramer, a Certified Fraud Examiner, has also testified as an expert in investment suitability, risk management, compliance, executive compensation, and corporate governance. Ms. Kramer received her MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and her BA with honors from Wellesley College. Ms. Kramer has provided testimony regarding investment policy to the U.S. Senate and is a frequent speaker on the markets, portfolio management and securities fraud and compliance. Ms. Kramer is also the author of “Ahead of the Curve” (Simon & Schuster 2007) and “The Little Book of Big Profits from Small Stocks” (Wiley 2012).