Category: General

Property Shenanigans

We’ve been a bit distracted at Strawman HQ this week due to an office relocation. More accurately, I got evicted and have been moving house. So apologies for the radio silence on Strawman. Having now relocated 7 times in nearly 11 years I’m pretty much a black belt in the art of the move. And believe you me, it really […]

What to look for this reporting season

Reporting season is always a great opportunity to help separate the signal (business fundamentals) from the noise (share prices). As companies start to drop their half-year results, it’s worth framing up what it is you’re looking for. How you do that will depend on the particular investment strategy you employ but, if you have a longer-term focus, here are a […]

2023 Market Outlook

As we gear up for another year of thrills and spills on the share market, it’s hard to avoid the blitz of market forecasts that are so reliably issued at this time of year. While it’s often interesting to hear what some people expect, you’d be wise to not take them too seriously. To put it bluntly, if your investment […]

Can companies cut their way to greatness?

We’ve seen a solid start to 2023, with the market as a whole already up by more than 6%. Some of the gains in the small-cap space have been far more impressive. Those that have enjoyed the biggest recoveries have tended to be ones that have reported: Strong balance sheets Positive (or at least improving) operating cash flows Sustained sales momentum […]

The ‘Risk’ Of Small-Cap Investing

Here at Strawman, we like to poke around the lesser known corners of the market. And why not? There are lots of hidden gems to be found. In fact, there’s plenty of things to like about so-call ‘small cap’ stocks. More growth potential Less competition from other investors Less rational pricing (more opportunity to find significant mis-pricings) Better access to […]

Houses & Holes: the shape of the Aussie share market

Consisting of over 2100 individual companies, the Australian share market has a few interesting features. One of the first things a curious investor might notice is the significance of the major banks. There are only 21 businesses on the ASX classified (loosely) as banks, but the ‘Big 4’ — CBA, NAB, ANZ and Westpac — are the clear standouts. Combined, […]

Baby Giants Podcast

Join us as we chat about the wild, weird, and whacky of small cap investing, all while searching for those precious few fast-growing businesses that have a shot of becoming industry giants. You can find the full catalogue on the Baby Giants website, on Spotify, or anywhere good podcasts are found. Also, be sure to follow us on twitter. © […]

Tech Stocks Enter Bear Market

The Aussie market, as measured by the S&P All Ordinaries Index, entered a ‘technical correction’ this week, having fallen more than 10% from the record high it hit at the start of the year. Small cap stocks have fared worse, down about 14% over the same period of time according the ASX Small Ords. The situation for tech investors is […]

How to prepare for the next crash

It wasn’t a great week for the market, with the All Ordinaries dropping a further 3% from its August all-time high. And there’s plenty of reasons to be nervous.  The US Federal Reserve is winding back stimulus and signalling higher lending costs. China — our largest trading partner — is facing a potential credit squeeze and property market slump, while trade […]