The Last Straw

Let’s talk about gold. That shiny yellow metal that’s captivated humans for thousands of years. Traditionally seen as a ‘safe haven’ asset, its recent price action is more akin to that of a meme stock. Which is unusual in itself, but especially so when all other assets are likewise on their way to the moon. So, what gives? Maybe it’s […]

Terry Smith is a former UK analyst and banker who, in 2010, founded Fundsmith with a philosophy that is disarmingly simple: “Buy good companies. Don’t overpay. Avoid fiddling.” It’s a straightforward but powerful approach that has allowed him to quietly outperform most professional investors. He looks for companies with high returns on capital, strong competitive advantages and robust cash generation. He […]

There’s a growing sense of discontent today, and not unreasonably so for those who feel the system has let them down. And, let’s be real, it has let a great many people down. Unless you have outsized earning power, or have built up a decent portfolio of assets, life is getting increasingly difficult. And even if you do, life isn’t […]

One of the great things about equity investing is that you can be extremely fussy. You don’t need to buy hundreds of stocks. A dozen or so can give you solid diversification, provided they’re not all marching to the same beat. And you’ve got literally thousands of candidates to choose from. Tens of thousands, if you’re happy to look offshore. But […]

I recently watched a talk by Patrick Honohan, Ireland’s central bank governor through the depths of the GFC. He was reflecting on the country’s property and banking collapse of 2009, and no surprise, it got my inner perma-bear twitching. But this isn’t about to turn into some Chicken Little rant about the similarities with Australia’s housing market. Actually, there are […]

Company earnings drive share prices over the longer term. More specifically, earnings per share, or EPS, does. It’s the great attractor that ultimately pulls prices along. You won’t find a single example of a company, ever, that has compounded its stock price over decades without also compounding EPS. It just doesn’t happen. That’s why EPS should sit at the centre of […]

“It’s the mark of a charlatan to try and explain simple things in complex ways, and it’s the mark of a genius to explain complicated things in simple ways.”— Naval Ravikant I don’t think many of us would disagree with Naval’s sentiment. But if we’re honest with ourselves, most of us are still drawn to sophisticated-sounding speech. Big words, technical […]

There’s this internet slang term you may have heard of: NGMI. An acronym for “not gonna make it,” it’s used as a bit of a dig at those making poor life choices. Texting your ex at 2 am? NGMI.Buying a jet ski on Afterpay? NGMI. Turns out, it’s also the perfect slogan for the stock market. Every bull run, every […]

““We mostly just sit around reading, thinking and waiting.” — Stanley Druckenmiller Like all the best investing quotes, this one manages to cram a lot of wisdom into a single line. In some ways it feels obvious, but it’s also easy to overlook. Especially in an era where many seem to think success means having eight monitors hooked up to […]

Financial pundits tend to have a hot take on every stock and a strong view on every market turn. And the louder and more certain the opinion, the more credibility it seems to carry. If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullsh*t! Whatever you do, allow no room for uncertainty. The market’s full of folk who are […]