The Art of Boring™ was created for curious and passionate investors. We share strategies, frameworks, and insights to help readers and listeners make better investment decisions. Our aim? To provide some bottom-up, long-term investing signal to cut through the short-term noise.
A few weeks ago, I was introduced to Google’s Toothbrush Test. Contrary to the images that the name inspires, this test does not involve sticking a web-enabled toothbrush into your mouth to collect data on your molars. Instead, it relates to how Google allocates capital.
This past week, one of my colleagues shared a learning at our weekly research meeting. Christian and his wife, Siggi, were on vacation when Siggi unfortunately dropped her iPhone into the bath.
Imagine you spent 4% of your life waiting in line. Given that there are 8,765 hours in a year, this would imply that you spent 350 hours each year staring at the backs of people’s heads.
The restaurant industry is tough. Virtually anyone with decent cooking skills and a modest amount of capital can open one; the barriers to entry are quite low. Restaurateurs must also face an unpredictable customer base, as well as significant competition and substitutes.
History is ripe with hucksters. Investors were reminded of this again this month when stock market darling Gowex declared bankruptcy.
A few weeks ago, I was introduced to Google’s Toothbrush Test. Contrary to the images that the name inspires, this test does not involve sticking a web-enabled toothbrush into your mouth to collect data on your molars. Instead, it relates to how Google allocates capital.
This past week, one of my colleagues shared a learning at our weekly research meeting. Christian and his wife, Siggi, were on vacation when Siggi unfortunately dropped her iPhone into the bath.
Imagine you spent 4% of your life waiting in line. Given that there are 8,765 hours in a year, this would imply that you spent 350 hours each year staring at the backs of people’s heads.
The restaurant industry is tough. Virtually anyone with decent cooking skills and a modest amount of capital can open one; the barriers to entry are quite low. Restaurateurs must also face an unpredictable customer base, as well as significant competition and substitutes.
History is ripe with hucksters. Investors were reminded of this again this month when stock market darling Gowex declared bankruptcy.
We need to understand where we are in the debt super cycle to inform our investment decision making.
Recent AI breakthroughs are underscoring the power of the centaur model—humans + machines—creating something more potent than either model operating independently.
In our view, market participants systematically underestimate the importance of vulnerabilities while correspondingly overestimating the importance of triggers. Why?
It’s inflation’s second punch that can deliver a blow that investors may not be expecting.
'Twas the week before Christmas, thus time to review—the economic story of 2022.
We tend to think of our world in linear terms, where the output of a system is proportional and directly correlated to its inputs.
The conundrum for investors these days is the trade-off between the value of quality and price to pay for it.
History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.
~Mark Twain
‘Twas the week before Christmas, so let's have some fun. Mawer recaps the main themes of 2021.
How an engineering principle can improve investment risk management.
We explore the evolution of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) and the notable economic ideas on which it is based. We highlight some notable criticisms and discuss implications of MMT for economic policy and financial markets. Our purpose is less focused on opining whether MMT is fundamentally sound, but rather aimed at understanding its development and how the ground may shift if indeed MMT-based policies are more widely embraced.
I’ve been revisiting Philip Fisher’s Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits recently. Scanning the opportunity set in emerging markets, I’ve been trying to imagine what Fisher would have made of the current investment landscape.
‘Twas the week before Christmas, (and you know it’s true), COVID looms large in our annual review.
We need to understand where we are in the debt super cycle to inform our investment decision making.
Recent AI breakthroughs are underscoring the power of the centaur model—humans + machines—creating something more potent than either model operating independently.
In our view, market participants systematically underestimate the importance of vulnerabilities while correspondingly overestimating the importance of triggers. Why?
It’s inflation’s second punch that can deliver a blow that investors may not be expecting.
'Twas the week before Christmas, thus time to review—the economic story of 2022.
We tend to think of our world in linear terms, where the output of a system is proportional and directly correlated to its inputs.
The conundrum for investors these days is the trade-off between the value of quality and price to pay for it.
‘Twas the week before Christmas, so let's have some fun. Mawer recaps the main themes of 2021.
How an engineering principle can improve investment risk management.
We explore the evolution of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) and the notable economic ideas on which it is based. We highlight some notable criticisms and discuss implications of MMT for economic policy and financial markets. Our purpose is less focused on opining whether MMT is fundamentally sound, but rather aimed at understanding its development and how the ground may shift if indeed MMT-based policies are more widely embraced.
I’ve been revisiting Philip Fisher’s Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits recently. Scanning the opportunity set in emerging markets, I’ve been trying to imagine what Fisher would have made of the current investment landscape.
‘Twas the week before Christmas, (and you know it’s true), COVID looms large in our annual review.
A look at the strategy a year on and why we think valuation should be more top of mind for investors.
How we approach finding new ideas in the widest investment universe.
Unpacking one of our key mental models around investing and managing risk.
Market drivers that stood out this quarter, where inflation is at, and an asset mix update.
Top highlights from the team’s recent research trips and a few business models we’re excited about.
A deep dive into key themes we’ve been focusing on, recent additions to the portfolio, and a few changes.
Why management teams matter, energy companies rarely meet our investment criteria, and JPMorgan and State Street differ from many regional banks.
Why genuine knowledge building and the ability to learn effectively in investing is difficult, and how we try to work around those challenges.
The major themes of the quarter, where we are in the interest rate hike cycle, and our thoughts on the recent banking crisis.
This episode, we discuss our seven-point management assessment framework (with examples), our risk management approach, and overall thoughts on energy.
Digging into last year’s performance drivers, the current opportunity set, and benefits of resuming boots-on-the-ground research.
The nuanced impacts of inflation to companies’ balance sheets that investors might be missing.
Chief Investment Officer Paul Moroz shares takeaways from the Research team's annual post-mortem discussions.
A look at the strategy a year on and why we think valuation should be more top of mind for investors.
How we approach finding new ideas in the widest investment universe.
Unpacking one of our key mental models around investing and managing risk.
Market drivers that stood out this quarter, where inflation is at, and an asset mix update.
Top highlights from the team’s recent research trips and a few business models we’re excited about.
A deep dive into key themes we’ve been focusing on, recent additions to the portfolio, and a few changes.
Why management teams matter, energy companies rarely meet our investment criteria, and JPMorgan and State Street differ from many regional banks.
Why genuine knowledge building and the ability to learn effectively in investing is difficult, and how we try to work around those challenges.
The major themes of the quarter, where we are in the interest rate hike cycle, and our thoughts on the recent banking crisis.
This episode, we discuss our seven-point management assessment framework (with examples), our risk management approach, and overall thoughts on energy.
Digging into last year’s performance drivers, the current opportunity set, and benefits of resuming boots-on-the-ground research.
The nuanced impacts of inflation to companies’ balance sheets that investors might be missing.
Chief Investment Officer Paul Moroz shares takeaways from the Research team's annual post-mortem discussions.
