Europe, Energy, ESG: Observations from the road | EP126
Some of the main challenges facing the continent, what we gleaned from visiting over 45 companies, and ESG considerations that are front of mind for major European investment firms.
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Beyond barriers to entry: The advantage of barriers to capacity expansion
There is arguably another, more robust means of competitive advantage: that of barriers to capacity expansion. And this factors into one of the two main reasons behind limiting our exposure to the utility space.
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(Not) boring finds for January 2018
How the laws of biology and financial ecosystems relate; digital tech takes way longer than we think to become mainstream; humans are creative at forecasting the future; and China is going cashless.
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China in focus
Many of the old stories surrounding China are becoming—or are—obsolete. New ones are emerging. China’s economy is very different than it used to be, and this shift, as well as some of the trends occurring there, are worthwhile to understand. We’d be wise to pay attention.
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(Not) boring finds for January 2018
To kick off the new year we’ve started with some duly needed market apprehension from Howard Marks; a searing look into big tech; a more nuanced understanding of what motivates Russia; and were reminded how in this new era of storytelling, narratives can, and do, shape the economy.
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(Not) boring finds for 2017
Below are some of our favourite links from the year—from the inescapability of bias, to cracking cryptocurrencies, pondering the man vs. machine debate, and learning the art of asset allocation—we think it's a good gamut to send off 2017.
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'Twas the week before Christmas...
‘Twas the week before Christmas
And we’re again filled with cheer
To provide our blog readers
A review of the year: -
India in flight: Finding the long investment runways
How many toilets do you have at home? Or rather—let me put it this way: do you have a toilet in your home? For most people reading this, the idea of not having one may sound crazy, but in India, over half of all households do not have the luxuries of a toilet and/or bathing facility.
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(Not) boring finds for December 2017
This month, we learned how Himalayan villagers may have more advanced lighting than New Yorkers; uncovered the surprisingly dark underbelly of online mattress wars; read a balanced bitcoin bulletin; and vicariously indulged in some dinners that made history.
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The skier’s guide to portfolio risk management
The ski season is officially open and the keeners have taken their first turns. I know our CIO, Jim Hall, is an avid skier so I sat down with him recently to discuss portfolio risk management and how it relates to skiing.
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Life at railway speed: Lessons from the technology hype cycle
In 1845, Scottish poet and author, William Aytoun, published his satire, How we got up the Glenmutchkin Railway, and how we got out of it. His story focused on the railway stock frenzy that gripped Great Britain, with the aim of bringing awareness to what he saw as madness, “if anyone ha[d] the sense to see it.”
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The end of oil?
With entrepreneurs like Elon Musk pushing for a solar energy future and electric cars on the horizon, many are seriously questioning oil’s dominance. Are we finally moving into a post-oil age?
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Bottleneck thinking
As an observational lens, bottleneck-thinking can quickly uncover specific pressure points people may have, such as a holding’s valuation or current management.
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Beyond barriers to entry: The advantage of barriers to capacity expansion
There is arguably another, more robust means of competitive advantage: that of barriers to capacity expansion. And this factors into one of the two main reasons behind limiting our exposure to the utility space.
January 31, 2018
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(Not) boring finds for January 2018
How the laws of biology and financial ecosystems relate; digital tech takes way longer than we think to become mainstream; humans are creative at forecasting the future; and China is going cashless.
January 24, 2018
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China in focus
Many of the old stories surrounding China are becoming—or are—obsolete. New ones are emerging. China’s economy is very different than it used to be, and this shift, as well as some of the trends occurring there, are worthwhile to understand. We’d be wise to pay attention.
January 11, 2018
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(Not) boring finds for January 2018
To kick off the new year we’ve started with some duly needed market apprehension from Howard Marks; a searing look into big tech; a more nuanced understanding of what motivates Russia; and were reminded how in this new era of storytelling, narratives can, and do, shape the economy.
January 3, 2018
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(Not) boring finds for 2017
Below are some of our favourite links from the year—from the inescapability of bias, to cracking cryptocurrencies, pondering the man vs. machine debate, and learning the art of asset allocation—we think it's a good gamut to send off 2017.
December 27, 2017
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'Twas the week before Christmas...
‘Twas the week before Christmas
And we’re again filled with cheer
To provide our blog readers
A review of the year:December 20, 2017
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India in flight: Finding the long investment runways
How many toilets do you have at home? Or rather—let me put it this way: do you have a toilet in your home? For most people reading this, the idea of not having one may sound crazy, but in India, over half of all households do not have the luxuries of a toilet and/or bathing facility.
December 15, 2017
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(Not) boring finds for December 2017
This month, we learned how Himalayan villagers may have more advanced lighting than New Yorkers; uncovered the surprisingly dark underbelly of online mattress wars; read a balanced bitcoin bulletin; and vicariously indulged in some dinners that made history.
December 6, 2017
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The skier’s guide to portfolio risk management
The ski season is officially open and the keeners have taken their first turns. I know our CIO, Jim Hall, is an avid skier so I sat down with him recently to discuss portfolio risk management and how it relates to skiing.
November 29, 2017
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Life at railway speed: Lessons from the technology hype cycle
In 1845, Scottish poet and author, William Aytoun, published his satire, How we got up the Glenmutchkin Railway, and how we got out of it. His story focused on the railway stock frenzy that gripped Great Britain, with the aim of bringing awareness to what he saw as madness, “if anyone ha[d] the sense to see it.”
November 28, 2017
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The end of oil?
With entrepreneurs like Elon Musk pushing for a solar energy future and electric cars on the horizon, many are seriously questioning oil’s dominance. Are we finally moving into a post-oil age?
November 15, 2017
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Bottleneck thinking
As an observational lens, bottleneck-thinking can quickly uncover specific pressure points people may have, such as a holding’s valuation or current management.
November 8, 2017
