Catch the Wave in Chinese Micro-Caps

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- So I tried to catch the Chinese uplisting wave but the closest I got was Hawaii.

Although I only caught two seconds of wave and experienced over an hour of what might as well have been fighting for my life trying to surf Hawaii, I've come away with four key insights that I believe would help even the savviest of investors. I also have four Chinese companies that are selling at remarkable discounts to my calculated intrinsic value.

1. Understand the currents and don't get swept away.

The first thing I did upon entering the water was to get swept out to sea. Markets boom and bust in cycles much like waves come in sets. Right now China Armco (CNAM.OB Quote) is a great way to play inflation, liquidity and China. The company imports, distributes and refines metals into and around China, a natural hedge against inflation. The company just got backed by two lines of credit totaling $25 million, which is a little less than its current market capitalization, and has access to new liquidity for expansion.

A market cap of about $30 million is sinful given the conditions. A couple years back guidance put earnings around $15 million, not to mention the company just put down a huge second quarter with the assistance of a one-time transaction affecting revenue by $10.6 million. Not to mention that the metals market in China is turning up the heat faster than celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.

2. Don't start with the short board.

There are tons of fancy investing strategies that don't get you anywhere. Get a good undervalued company and go long and strong in a bull market as I said 2009 would be in January and I caught nothing but criticism. Skystar Bio-Pharmaceutical (SKBI Quote) is priced to shrink at $14 and is far from it. Fancy investment strategists might suggest you run a covered call strategy on Skystar. That's nonsense and is in fact riskier in my opinion as you limit your gains on a company that is ridiculously undervalued in the first place. The only way to play a gem like Skystar is to go long and strong and ride with it through the completion of its vaccine manufacturing facility in the fourth quarter. Skystar is so cheap you are nuts if you don't own it, just as I was nuts to start on a short board.