Long read: In A Parched Summer, India’s Water Stewards Show The Way Out
Before the rains came this year, the urban elite wrung their hands in despair – like they do every year – about the ongoing water shortage. Thankfully, in the real world, less privileged Indians whose lives and livelihoods hinge on access to water are redesigning their lives around reduced use of water. Azera Parveen Rahman’s […]
Spotlighting Eureka Forbes
In this month’s newsletter, we delve deeper into Eureka Forbes Limited (EFL) one of the new additions to the portfolio. We see several earnings growth levers for EFL over the next 5 years: (a) Increase in the water purifiers (WP) category penetration backed by improved tap water supply, and initiatives taken by the WP companies […]
Short read: Good luck finding another Rahul Dravid
India’s cricket world cup win after more than a decade and a half has expectedly triggered plenty of tributes for the team and players. However, we chose to feature this piece on the man, we at Marcellus admire a lot for what he is both on and off the field – the coach and legend, […]
Short read: The continuing relevance of Franz Kafka, 100 years after his death
Last month, the world remembered Franz Kafka on his 100th death anniversary with almost every author and publication across the globe paying their tribute. Indian publications haven’t been behind either with several tributes showing how far and wide the man’s impact has been a century after his death. “Born in 1883 in Prague, then part […]
Short read: School children sang anthem too softly – Hong Kong
The latest indication of the desperate mindset of the Communist Party high command in Beijing is this article from the BBC which says: “Hong Kong officials have singled out at least two schools for singing the Chinese national anthem “too softly”. Teachers at a third school have been asked to help students “cultivate habit and […]
Long read: The House of Arnault
Following up on the pieces on Hermès we featured in the past two months is this long read on Bloomberg about the only other luxury goods company that comes close to Hermes – LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy). The piece is as much about the firm as its chairman and CEO, Bernard Arnault, who “…Over the […]
Long read: The Supreme Court just made a massive power grab it will come to regret
India is not the only free market democratic nation grappling with the delicate balance of power between the Parliament, the Executive and the Judiciary. When we discuss this subject with thinking Americans, we find them even more worried about this subject than we are. Last week, in a remarkable judgement, the American Supreme Court dramatically […]
Long read: How Buddhists lost out to Brahmins in Nalanda (even before the Turks came)
Most of us have grown up believing that: (a) Nalanda was the first organised university in the world; and (b) Turkic raiders burnt it to the ground in the 12th century. Historian Anirudh Kanisetti challenges both of these conventional notions in this punchy piece for The Print. Mr. Kanisetti does not dispute Nalanda’s 1500 year old […]
CCP’s Amplified Exposure to ‘Enterprising Compounders’
Businesses with strong competitive advantages (and hence high ROCEs), can be categorized into different types based on their capital allocation decisions. Amongst these, the most enterprising ones (the ‘enterprising compounders’) are those which reinvest capital not only to strengthen and evolve their core business, but also to scale up new businesses consistently. Shareholder returns from such businesses […]
Short read: Three-legged lion makes record-breaking swim across a crocodile-infested river – for sex
During our teenage years most of us understood that sex is a critically important aspect of human life. Then the stress of the workplace and the onset of family life made us want to climb up Maslow’s hierarchy of needs i.e. music, culture, philosophy, etc. Therefore it is good to be reminded by other (carnivorous) […]
Short read: Palmer Luckey and Anduril want to shake up armsmaking
Indian companies catering to the increasing indigenisation of defence spending by the Indian government have seen their stock prices soar over the past couple of years. A different trend is emerging in America which could likely spread to the rest of the world. The American defence industry largely controlled by a handful of behemoths is […]
Long read: The Crazy Economics of the World’s Most Coveted Handbag
Earlier this month, we carried a blog on the history of what is arguably the world’s ‘biggest’ luxury company – Hermès. This piece in the WSJ does a detailed take on the economics behind Hermès’ flagship handbag brand ‘Birkin’, which seems to make it an appreciating ‘asset’. “A basic black leather Birkin 25 costs $11,400 before tax […]
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