Marcellus: The Marvel that is Munger: Learning from the Legend
Published on:27 June, 2019 Charlie Munger, as much as Warren Buffett, has lessons for those who invest in Indian stocks. The central tenet of our 12 stock portfolio from a 25 stock investment universe is inspired by Munger’s approach to developing deep knowledge, building mental models and staying within a tight circle of competence. [Marcellus […]
How people keep their cool during summer in Churu, India’s hottest place
For those who claim climate change is a myth, this summer’s global heatwave should have busted it without doubt. Last week, Kuwait recorded the world’s hottest temperatures with almost 63 degrees Celsius under direct sunlight. There are reports of cars melting in Saudi. In India too, 36 lives have been lost to the heat wave. […]
The promotion curse
The Peter principle states that workers get promoted until they reach their level of incompetence. This week’s Bartleby column in The Economist, revisits this principle to show why promotions (often leading up to a managerial role from being a functional specialist) may not necessarily be the best thing to happen to you from a career progression […]
How a janitor at Frito-Lay invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos
Whilst POTUS pursues his wall building ambitions, here is a heart-warming story about how a first generation Mexican immigrant who dropped out of fourth grade, went on from being a janitor at Frito Lay to Vice President. A story of self belief and the will to succeed through a pursuit of excellence best captured by […]
The Singular Pursuit of Comrade Bezos
In our Consistent Compounders portfolio, we try and identify companies with significant competitive advantages to the extent that some of them are quasi monopolies except that much of the competitive edge is built on supreme efficiencies which keeps their customers better off as opposed to monopolistic trade practices. In this Feb’ 18 piece in the […]
Scotland is on the front line in the fight against “cash deserts”
In order to meet clients, we often have to travel to smaller towns in India with population below 1mn. One of the most noticeable things about these small towns is how much harder it has become in the last couple of years to get cash from ATMs. Initially, we used to think this was because […]
How the Houston Astros Disrupted Player Development to Become the Model MLB Franchise
In this article, authors Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik, give a preview of their own book which describes the transformation of this baseball team from Houston from being one of the worst teams in the league to one the best. The book called “The MVP Machine: How Baseball’s New Nonconformists Are Using Data to Build […]
Germany’s profitable automakers are being hit quicker than expected by the adoption of electric vehicles, diesel bans and the US-China trade war
The car industry in Germany is being pounded on multiple fronts and its plight could well be a precursor of what might happen elsewhere in the world. The problems are coming from four directions: (a) In February, a federal court said that diesel car bans are an effective way of reducing air pollution. Next year, […]
Marcellus: Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World
Published on:21 June, 2019 In an insightful book written 40 years ago, French philosopher, Rene Girard, explains how in our desires, we are programmed to imitate each other. That in turn leads to conflict & grief which in turn creates the need for scapegoats who can act as a lightning rod for our grievances. Great […]
People are sick of drinking. Investors are betting on the ‘sober curious’
Last year, Coca-Cola launched its first alcoholic beverage in Japan partly to make up for the dwindling sales as the trend to stay away from sugary drinks gains strength. Turns out that people are now giving up drinking alcohol too. This piece in the CNN talks about how a combination of the need to take […]
Meet the Money Whisperer to the Super-Rich N.B.A. Elite
It is often said that likelier route to achieving financial independence is not so much in generating superlative returns as much in having a disciplined approach to saving. This applies even more so for sports superstars who often at a very young age tend to earn big bucks, quickly get on to a lavish lifestyle […]
The restaurant owner who asked for 1-star Yelp reviews
Steve Jobs is known to have trashed any market research as he staunchly believed that customers seldom know what they want. The online review systems have in some ways used this fact to influence customer choices and perhaps even, as this Hustle piece suggests, at the cost of extorting small businesses. David Cerretini, a restaurateur […]
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