The Looming Bank Collapse
One key difference between the current Covid crisis and the 2008 Lehman crisis, often cited by experts, is the fact that the crisis then emanated from the financial system and then hit the real economy whilst this is just a health crisis hurting the real economy through lockdowns temporarily and in fact that the financial […]
On Days of Disorder [Or why do Riots Happen?]
Over the past decade a long held tragic Indian custom, the communal riot, has made a comeback. In parallel, we have now seen protesters on the streets of Hong Kong for most of the past year and now we have the race riots in the US – another country with a tragic history of rioting […]
“The Decade of Design”: How the last 10 years transformed design’s role in tech
One of the most interesting aspects of professional life is that whatever skill is currently the rage – the skill that everybody and their parents want to learn – is highly likely to be a commoditised skill five years hence. Conversely, skills which are not just rare today but also are generally harder to acquire […]
Risk Minimisation is Central to Making Returns in Small Caps
An analysis of BSE Smallcap’s performance over CY10-19 indicates that sharper falls (drawdowns) during market downturns and higher frequency of such falls are key reasons for its relative underperformance vs Nifty and BSE500. Therefore, the need to protect capital in a downturn is equally, if not more, important than chasing returns. Put simply, compounding from […]
Zoom fatigue is real — here’s why video calls are so draining
Despite the lockdown, most people we speak to claim to have busier than normal schedules, thanks to Zoom or the ease of video conferencing in general. However, it turns out it isn’t that easy. People are complaining of ‘Zoom fatigue’. Whilst we no longer have to fight the commute fatigue, the back to back endless Zoom calls are […]
Remote Work Could Spark Housing Boom in Suburbs, Smaller Cities
A much needed economic boost could come from the unlikeliest of sources – a housing boom. As both employees and companies are realising the efficacy of working from home, it is likely to become the norm even beyond the lockdown. More and more companies are making it a permanent feature for a significant part of […]
People Who Have “Too Many Interests” Are More Likely To Be Successful According To Research
This is the third consecutive week we have featured a piece form Michael Simmons, this time a slightly dated 2018 blog on generalists or polymaths. In his book “Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialised World”, released last year, David Epstein, contested the “10,000 hrs of focussed effort” belief made famous by Malcolm Gladwell in the Outliers. […]
Charley Ellis: Why Active Investing Is Still A Loser’s Game
Few people can claim to understand the world of investment management as well as Charley Ellis does. Here’s why: Charley has been an investment consultant to large institutional investors for their manager selection for almost five decades; he has been a prolific writer on the subject including the biblical “Winning the loser’s game” and also a deep […]
Lavish Parties, Greedy Pols and Panic Rooms: How the ‘Apple of Pot’ Collapsed
If one thing scares us more than staring at the P/E multiples of low quality companies it is investing in companies with low/no barriers to entry. The inability to stay away from “hot sectors” is a common challenge for investors across the world. Two years ago setting up NBFCs was all the rage in India. […]
‘It’s bullshit’: Inside the weird, get-rich-quick world of dropshipping
There is plenty of talk in India these days regarding how India can try to pull business away from China in the wake of Covid. Whilst James Crabtree pours cold water on Indian hopes in his piece e in the Nikkei Asian Review, Sirin Kale comes at the issue from a different and arguably more instructive […]
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