Episode 8: Macro outlook, Microcap investing & Scorecard review

We love our small caps here at Strawman. And not without good reason. The trouble is, at least according to conventional wisdom, that things are far riskier in that space. Perhaps that’s true, to some extent, if by risk you mean volatility. And it’s not an unfair characterisation if you assume, as many do, that “small cap” must mean pre-revenue, […]

Following the completion of a hugely successful institutional capital raise — for which the business tapped the market for an extra $317.2 million — shares in payments disruptor AfterPay (ASX:APT) have surged back towards their recent record high. That takes gains for the past 12-months to a whopping 208%. There’s no doubt that things are going well for the business […]

Discussion, analysis and investment ideas from three investing tragics

Over the long run, the main driver of share price is earnings per share (EPS). If, for example, EPS has grown at 10% annually over a decade, you can be reasonably confident that the share price will show a similar appreciation. Consider REA Group (ASX:REA), whose per share earnings compounded at an average annual rate of 27% between 2004 and 2023 (yes, it’s […]

It’s remarkable how many sacred cows there are in economics. Concepts that are, for some reason, beyond scrutiny. But dig beneath the surface, and you start to see how absurd many ‘fundamental’ concepts are. Which is a worry when you consider many form the basis of a lot of important policy decisions. Take GDP for example, which measures the total […]

“We need education in the obvious more than investigation of the obscure.” — Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes A great irony of economics is that the simplest, most fundamental of principles are often the hardest to accept. Probably because they can rub against our intuitions or, more often, our ideologies. Such impediments are common in many domains, but at least in […]

There is no one ‘right’ way to invest. Even if there were, somehow, a way to prove the superiority of a particular approach, it’s not worth much if you lack the wherewithal to execute it. And it’s not necessarily a question of ability; temperament, time, experience, resources, personal interest, and many other things besides, are also important. The best investing […]

Andrew takes a bearish stance towards property, Matt walks us through his decision to sell Class (ASX:CL1) and Claude pitches the bull case for Webjet (ASX:WEB)