Some of the worst monthly market returns in history have occurred in the month of October, and I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you to learn that this year’s was one of them. The ASX200 fell -6.1% in October, its worst monthly performance in almost four years.... Show More
Platinum Asset Management’s Founder Kerr Neilson is a fund manager who needs no introduction. Kerr recently sat down with Platinum's Julian McCormack to discuss timeless investment principles, the big issues today, and what he’s excited about ahead. We have prepared the following transcript for you, with a link to the... Show More
We’ve heard a lot from investors around the world about late-cycle investing in recent times. The consensus tells us that the end of the bull market is not too far away, but not absolutely imminent. But what does the world’s greatest investor have to say on the matter? Show More
Long dubbed ‘Woodstock for Capitalists’, or the Stockmarket Superbowl as we prefer, the recently held Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting offered plenty of insights for investors big and small. Show More
Short selling scares people. Many advisors categorise long/short strategies as ‘risky’ and they have support from the likes of Warren Buffett who describes it as dangerous and irritating. Our observations show long/short strategies do in fact give skillful managers a competitive advantage. Show More
The latest Buffett letter was released over the weekend. At 17 pages, it was shorter than we’ve become used to, but there was no lack of wisdom flowing from the 87-year-old from Omaha. Notably absent from this year’s letter was any discussion of the Wells Fargo debacle. Buffett has a... Show More
In case reporting season kept you busy, we've summarised five top wires in February for you. Peter Quinton’s top ten picks for 2017, our fund manager earnings results review, and Buy Hold Sell with ‘Quality stocks on sale’ all deliver useful stock ideas. On big picture thinking, we bring you... Show More
Having just consumed Buffett’s most recent letter to Berkshire Hathaway investors, I thought I’d share some of the most interesting parts with Livewire readers. Buffett is clearly not familiar with the concept of ‘talking your own book’ (an industry term for unabashedly talking up one’s own investments), happily taking swipes... Show More
We’ve posted about the issue of sticking with your investment strategy before – see here: https://www.livewiremarkets.com/admin/wires/33581 and here: https://www.livewiremarkets.com/wires/33932 But it’s a topic that’s worth revisiting. AQR Capital, manager of over US$170B has released a research paper on exactly this subject. They look at Berkshire Hathaway, PIMCO’s Total Return Fund... Show More
For anyone who missed the live broadcast, here are ten of our favourite Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger quotes. Show More
Warren Buffett has released his 2015 annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, with points of interest including the operating results from the ‘Powerhouse Five’, succession planning, and the prospects for more big deals. As Buffett has invested in more capital-intensive businesses to help absorb Berkshire’s $18bn of annual free cash... Show More
While Warren Buffett’s recent investment in IAG Limited suggests that parts of the Australian equity market represent a growth opportunity, it also exposed how inefficient the Australian capital market has become. In this context, efficiency is not measured by price movement or price performance; rather it is measured by the... Show More
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) once again posted impressive results. The company's fourth quarter profits rose nearly 10% year-over-year to $5 billion. Moreover, annual profits set a new record, reaching $19.5 billion. Meanwhile, BRK's cash stockpile climbed to over $48 billion. The strong results were led primarily by insurance and... Show More
We all know Warren Buffett's remarks on burgers. A little burger I noticed this week was Fleetwood (FWD), down 74% over the past twelve months! The end of the mining boom has left a business with an earnings gap and poor returns on capital. While most people would not dare... Show More
Warren Buffett: The Fed is the greatest hedge fund in history. In a speech at Georgetown University, Warren Buffett had some interesting insights on the current role of the Federal. He only half-jokingly referred to the Fed as the greatest hedge fund in history because of the Fed's ability to... Show More