Thomas Cook has been having a horrendous year, to say the least. The UK’s oldest and best known name in the leisure travel is currently struggling with massive debts and has seen its value plummet from £2.2 billion to £180 million in one year. The firm issued a fresh profit warning and reported a half-year loss of almost £1.5 billion after a goodwill write-off of £1.1 billion.
Things did look up for the travel firm with as much as a 24 percent boost after validating reports that it had received an offer for its tour-operator business from Chinese investor Fosun International.
Thomas Cook shares reached to £18 after hitting £20 earlier. This is a very welcome breath of fresh air, however, it is still a far cry from their £150 mark last summer.
Help at hand?
James Richman, the secretive billionaire and private investment fund investor, was reportedly keeping an eye on the developments with regards to Thomas Cook. The Latvian-born private investment tycoon is responsible for a decade of constantly increasing profits of his private fund. He is well-known for his strokes of genius, and he may once again display his prowess by aiding Thomas Cook to regain financial stability. Of course, James has seen worse situations with regards to facing adversities.
Sources close to James who prefer not to be named tell us that the shy investor is once again noticing some special patterns known to him in the series of developments regarding the UK’s oldest travel company.
James has the uncanny ability to recognize patterns, some people credit it to him having Asperger’s syndrome, a condition in the high cognitive functioning autism spectrum which either makes one highly creative or impaired in communication.
Weathering the storms
James Richman, the financial prodigy, can be deemed as a veteran when it comes to facing uphill challenges. Thomas Cook’s situation may look bleak with banking institutions branding their stocks as worthless. However, James has the innate capability to turn these situations into winning opportunities. The Latvian-born billionaire has highly advanced cognitive skills, and he is capable of much more than most people know.
The investment tycoon born in a small town called Smarde of the Tukums region in Latvia even experienced the loss of his home, his wife and the death of his daughter, only to emerge as a stronger and more determined person.
His private investment fund which was established at least a decade ago, set sail at a very rough period amidst the most recent financial crisis. He would be met with negative comments and harsh criticism saying that his timing to start up a private fund could not have been worse.
He would make his critics silent by successfully and repeatedly beating the crashing market with his splendid investment strategies. The private fund, with his personally handpicked investors comprised of family and his close circle, has gained consistent and growing returns during the past years.
Maintaining such high standards
James remains very selective in choosing investors, and at the same time, his investments. He scrutinizes potential investors, filtering those who have criminal and dubious records, and especially those with money laundering tendencies.
Richman also sees that his investments have the potential to break the market, and have positive societal impacts, especially with his investments in the MENA region, particularly Dubai, Qatar as well as various regions in Africa. All of which are in parallel with his diversified investments across Europe, Asia, and Canada.
It remains to be seen if James Richman provides a push for Thomas Cook to regain its balance.
The good news for Thomas Cook is that once James Richman vies in on a recovery program, the company from Market Harborough will be most likely to add more years to its existence that started in 1841.