Category: General

This time last year, the big names in finance were practically shrugging at the Aussie market’s prospects for 2024. AMP predicted a modest 4% gain, with the RBA supposedly cutting rates from 4.35% to 3.6% to keep things afloat. UBS said the ASX200 would end the year right where it started. ANZ forecasted “mid-single-digit returns with risks skewed to the downside.” […]

With a little over a week before the end of the year, I think our little investment community can safely declare success for 2024. The Strawman Index, which tracks the most widely held stocks across member portfolios, smashed it out of the park with a 23.5% return for the 12 months through to December 19. Handily outpacing what was a very […]

Everyone loves to talk about being a “long-term investor.” It almost sounds noble, and certainly a far wiser pursuit than the degeneracies of trading. Not without good reason, either. When your focus is beyond the immediate future you allow time for compounding to do it’s thing, and you’re less likely to be shaken out by volatility. When you find a great […]

Two of the best books I’ve read in recent years are Sapiens, by Yuval Noah Harari, and The Beginning of Infinity, by David Deutsch. Neither is related to investing, but they’ve been incredibly valuable in shaping how I think about it. Specifically in regard to the importance of narrative and the nature of knowledge. Harari argues that much of human interaction — […]

Ian Cassel absolutely nails it with this tweet On the ASX alone there are over 2,000 individual stocks. There’s something like 10,000 across all US equity markets. It’s impossible to have a thorough understanding of every single one. The good news is, you don’t need to. In fact, you shouldn’t even try. Having a take on every company doesn’t make […]

George Soros once said, “It’s not whether you’re right or wrong that’s important, but how much money you make when you’re right and how much you lose when you’re wrong.” It’s the kind of thing that sounds obvious until you realize how few investors actually live by it. Most of us are obsessed with being “right” as often as possible […]

You might have heard the tale about the fund manager with a quirky hiring practice. Each time he needed a new analyst, he’d begin by taking half the resumes and — without even a glance — tossing them straight in the bin. His rationale? “I don’t hire unlucky people.” Now, while this story is almost certainly apocryphal, there’s a twisted […]

Last week, I highlighted a curious reality: despite incredible advances in tech and productivity, most people are still working as much as ever just to cover the basics. Real wages have gone flat, while the costs of essentials like housing, healthcare, and energy keep climbing. Once you see it, it’s tough to ignore. It cries out for an explanation. It’s […]

Why is it that, despite all the benefits of technology, we’re still working as much as ever to secure a decent life? I don’t have have any groundbreaking insights, but it’s fun to ponder. Plus, it’s somewhat relevant for anyone managing their own capital, particularly if you’re looking to account for any long-term, technology driven structural shifts. Here’s my take. […]

Even the most serious of investors can’t resist a bit of scandal, rumor, and gossip.  The Australian Financial Review’s coverage of Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN) and WiseTech Global (ASX:WTC) — specifically, the controversies relating to the (alleged) behavior of their founder-CEOs — is perhaps proof of that. It’s almost enough to make New Idea look like the Harvard Business Review in comparison. Still, […]