What the hell is going on?
Most of us would have observed and pondered over the effects of social media on various aspects of the society and economy alike. David Perell puts those observations in a framework that allows the reader to distinctly see these changes, especially focusing on the fields of commerce, education and politics and how the effects are […]
‘We spoke English to set ourselves apart’: how I rediscovered my mother tongue
Most of us in urban India often find it frustratingly amusing that how our kids can patiently respond in English to our endless questions intentionally thrown in the vernacular. In this beautiful piece in the Guardian, Adaobi narrates his experience of English versus the mother tongue in Nigeria, an experience that most Indians will be […]
Meet the safecracker of last resort
This story profiles Charlie Santore, a 48-year-old safecracker licensed in the city of Los Angeles. Charlie operates under the name Santore & Son and he goes about his business in a 1997 Mercedes so overloaded with safecracking equipment that its trunk nearly scrapes the ground. The author says: “I spent more than six months shadowing […]
Marcellus: Value Investing – The Indian Challenge
Published on: 22 March, 2019 Around the world, making money from stocks does involve a significant element of market timing. However, for a small minority of stocks in India, the classical value investing paradigm does not readily work. These companies are best understood using our ‘Consistent Compounders’ paradigm. “Given the way price multiples have expanded […]
China gains the upper hand over Germany
This perceptive piece from Wolfgang Munchau underscores just how powerful China has become relative to almost every other country in the world barring the United States. Chinese power is not so much about raw economic growth as it is about China’s growing technological prowess. Munchau writes that “Last week, a German business magazine reported that a […]
Do not fear flying on the Boeing 737 Max
This piece was written before Trump grounded the 737 Max’s in America but most other countries had. Still, John Gapper’s arguments in favour of automation in aviation or ‘fly-by-wire” as it is called, make a lot of sense. His key argument rests on the overwhelming data that most aerial accidents have been attributed to pilot […]
How Merrill Lynch is Planning for its Customers to Live to 100
As lifespans increase, there is good chance that many of us will live into our 90s. This is going to create new avenues for wealth managers to make money. Bank of America’s Merrill Lynch Wealth Management is seeking to latch on to these opportunities. “In 2014, the company convened multiple business lines for a strategic […]
People think that data is in the cloud, but it’s not. It’s in the ocean
With wireless internet becoming ubiquitous, most of us are oblivious to the fact that much of the data criss-crossing the internet travels through cables, mostly under-sea. And it isn’t just internet or telecom service providers, big tech including the likes of Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc are laying their own undersea cables to get proprietary infrastructure […]
Getting In – The social logic of Ivy League admissions
In the wake of last week’s American college admissions scandal (which ironically was brought to light thanks to a securities fraud accused), this 2005 New Yorker piece by Malcolm Gladwell highlights the farcical nature of elite school admissions that most parents get drawn into. Gladwell at his investigative best, shows how Harvard (and later Yale and […]
How Parents of Child Influencers Package Their Kids’ Lives for Instagram
Parents are now spending serious time and effort get their kids’ images online from the time they are toddlers. Even before they can start walking, these kids become infant “style hackers” – basically, paid models for clothing companies – as their parents post their photos on Instagram and other social media sites. Some parents have […]
Marcellus: The Courage to be Disliked
Published on: 15 March, 2019 The majority of us spend our lives seeking the approval of others. A few people however have the courage to do things which they know will invite criticism. This rare characteristic – which is often the hallmark of successful investors – seems to be dependent on how we structure our […]
Marcellus: The Heroes we Forget Hold a Mirror to Our Souls
Published on: 8 March, 2019 Our mind sees & remembers the world in stylised & stereotypical terms. If a story doesn’t fit our stereotype, we don’t remember it and hence don’t celebrate it. The lives of three forgotten heroes – Malik Ambar, Dara Shukoh and VO Chidambaram Pillai – exemplify this point. “A nation […]
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