Recently, I was lamenting the lack of female representation in investment management. Then in conversation, a friend reminded me of this insightful interview with Lisa Rapuano, who worked with Bill Miller for many years, and currently runs Lane Five Capital Management. The interview touches upon a number of relevant portfolio management topics. Rapuano has obviously […]
The following portfolio management related excerpts are extracted from Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville, an article based on a speech Warren Buffett gave at Columbia Business School on May 17, 1984 Risk, Expected Return. Volatility “Sometimes risk and reward are correlated in a positive fashion. If someone were to say to me, ‘I have here a […]
The following excerpt from Howard Marks’ book, The Most Important Thing: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor, Chapter 5 “The Most Important Thing Is…Understanding Risk,” is one of the best clarifications on the relationship between risk and return that I have ever read. Risk, Expected Return “…when you’re considering an investment, your decision should be a […]
Continuation of portfolio management highlights from Howard Marks’ book, The Most Important Thing: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor, Chapter 5 “The Most Important Thing Is…Understanding Risk” This is the first of three chapters to which Howard Marks dedicates to the topic of Risk. For those interested in Marks’ thoughts on risk, these chapters are […]
The following excerpts (of Q&A) were extracted from the Ruane Cunniff Goldfarb Investor Day Transcript. For those with a little free time, I highly recommend the reading of the entire transcript. These guys are masters at dissecting businesses and identifying the heart of any topic. Psychology, Creativity Question: About 36 years ago, shortly before Benjamin […]
Continuation in a series on portfolio management and the Buffett Partnership Letters, please see our previous articles for more details. Compounding, Capital Preservation “Since the whole subject of compounding has such as crass ring to it, I will attempt to introduce a little class into this discussion by turning to the art world. Francis I […]
A friend sent me a fund letter a few months ago, and I ruminated over whether to post the following excerpt. Ultimately, I felt compelled to share it with our Readers given its beautifully written and reflective thoughts. It indirectly illustrates the competitive nature of this business. The author of this article (and many more […]
In this piece, Ted Lucas of Lattice Strategies discusses the relationship between correlation and diversification, as well as the intricate task of building investment portfolios that remain resilient during market drawdowns, yet retain upside participation during bull markets. To explore some of his other writings, they are all archived on Lattice Strategies’ website. Risk, Capital Preservation, […]
Continuation of content extracted from an interview with Steve Romick of First Pacific Advisors (Newsletter Fall 2010) published by Columbia Business School. Please see Part 1 for more details on this series. Creativity, Team Management “G&D: We also noticed that you recently hired Elizabeth Douglass, a former business journalist with the LA Times, which we found interesting […]
Continuation in a series on portfolio management and the Buffett Partnership Letters, please see our previous articles for more details. Topics covered include: When To Buy, When To Sell, Activism, Catalyst, AUM When To Buy, Activism, Catalyst, Control “…controls develop from the general category. They results from situations where a cheap security does nothing price-wise […]
Ted Lucas of Lattice Strategies produces many worthwhile reads (conveniently, they’re all archived on Lattice’s website). The man is so well-read I wonder when he finds time to sleep. In this article, he references Antti Ilmanen’s new book Expected Returns, producing a wonderfully succinct piece highlighting the dangers of “conventional price history-based risk measures,” such […]
Continuation of content extracted from an interview with Steve Romick of First Pacific Advisors (Newsletter Fall 2010) published by Columbia Business School. Please see Part 1 for more details on this series. Capital Preservation, Conservatism “Most of our financial exposure is on the debt side. We were able to buy loans with very strong collateral, […]
Continuation of portfolio management highlights from Howard Marks’ book, The Most Important Thing: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor, Chapter 4 “The Most Important Thing Is…The Relationship Between Price and Value.” Topics covered: Volatility, Leverage, When To Buy, When To Sell Volatility “…most of the time a security’s price will be affected at least as […]
Continuation in a series on portfolio management and the Buffett Partnership Letters, please see our previous articles for more details. Topics covered include: Benchmark, Hurdle Rate, Expected Return, Volatility, & Team Management. Benchmark, Hurdle Rate “At plus 14% versus plus 10% for the Dow, this six months has been a less satisfactory period than […]
The content below is extracted from an interview with Steve Romick of First Pacific Advisors (Newsletter Fall 2010) published by Columbia Business School. Be sure to browse the other quarterly newsletters containing interviews with well-known investors. Many thanks to my friend Janice Davies of Karlin Asset Management for tipping PM Jar on this useful link. For more information on Steve […]
Continuation in a series on portfolio management and the Buffett Partnership Letters, please see our previous articles for more details. Clients, Leverage, Subscriptions, Redemptions “We accept advance payments from partners and prospective partners at 6% interest from date of receipt until the end of the year…Similarly, we allow partners to withdraw up to 20% of […]
Here is the first installment of a series on portfolio management and Seth Klarman, with ideas extracted from old Baupost Group letters. Our Readers know that we generally provide excerpts along with commentary for each topic. However, at the request of Baupost, we will not be providing any excerpts for this series. When To […]
Investing is full of paradoxes. For example, in this zero-sum game, everyday we walk a fine line between arrogance (conviction that we are right) and humility (possibility that we may be wrong). We’ve written in the past about the importance of self-awareness. Self-aware of our mental weakness(es). Self-aware of our (perceived) strengths. Self-aware of how […]
Below is a continuation of portfolio management highlights from Howard Marks’ recent book, The Most Important Thing: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor, Chapter 3 “The Most Important Thing Is…Value”: For anyone who has purchased a security too soon while the price continued to decline, I would highly recommend reading the last few pages of […]
This is a continuation in a series on portfolio management and the Buffett Partnership Letters. Please see our previous articles for more details. A slightly off tangent and random fact, in 1962, Buffett into new office space stocked with – hold on to your knickers – “an ample supply of Pepsi on hand.” Team […]