In his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, CEO Warren Buffett tells pension funds and endowments to eliminate high-cost “helpers” that eat into returns, according to an article in Chief…
Bernstein Sees Buy Signals for Value Stocks
For the “quantitative whizzes” at Sanford Bernstein, the chasm that exists between the valuations of the cheapest and most expensive stocks around the world—which has now reached levels “rarely seen…
Five Questions: An Inside Look at ETFs with Chris Hempstead
By Jack Forehand (@practicalquant) — ETFs are both the present and the future of asset management. The combination of lower fees relative to mutual funds, tax efficiency, transparency, and intraday…
New Metric for Financial Performance: Return on Integrity
A recent CFA Institute article discusses what integrity means in the financial industry and the role it plays in performance results. The article quotes Rob Lake, founder of London-based consulting…
New ETFs Face Nasty, Brutish and Short Lives
An article from Bloomberg columnist Barry Ritholtz shares insights he gathered from industry professionals at the Inside ETFs conference held in February. “New exchange-traded funds must endure a brutal Darwinian…
Replicating Buffett's Wide Moat Investing Method
By Justin J. Carbonneau (@jjcarbonneau) — Warren Buffett and others have long advocated buying companies with moats around their businesses. Strong brand loyalty (Disney), economies of scale (Walmart), innovation (Google),…
An Energetic Defense of Stock Screening
A recent article in Forbes levels a lengthy rebuttal against what the author describes as an “attack” on stock picking as a viable investment strategy. Contributor Marc Gerstein wrote in…
Top Stockpicker Steps Off Hedge Fund Stage
An article in Barron’s reports that Steve Mandel–“the most successful fundamental stock picker of them all”—stepped down as portfolio manager of Lone Pine Capital in January. The article notes that…
Jim O'Shaughnessy on the Psychology of Investing
In a September interview on the Off the Chain podcast, legendary investor James O’Shaughnessy shared insights on human nature, psychology, and how they manifest in investing decisions. Here are some…
Vinik is Getting Back into Stock Picking
In an interview with CNBC earlier this year, former Fidelity Magellan fund manager Jeffrey Vinik said he’s resurrecting the hedge fund he closed in 2013, but not just to compete…