Insights

It is rare for an individual to succeed with a new retailing format let alone two different models. However, Sol Price changed the way people shop and the way retailers operate by creating the discount retail model with FedMart, in the 1950s, and the warehouse club model with Price Club, in the 1970s. His ideas influenced many of the most successful retailers in history including Sam Walton (Walmart), Bernard Marcus (Home Depot), and Jim Sinegal (Costco). At the core of his success was the notion that his companies maintained a professional fiduciary relationship with their customers. He felt that he was representing the customers and that he had a duty to be very honest and fair with them. This idea along with many other Sol Price ideas can be most directly observed at Costco today, which acquired Price Club in 1993.

The authors provide a comprehensive review of the history, motivations, and academic support for ESG investing and its many iterations (e.g. impact, sustainable, socially responsible, and mission-related investing). Despite a lack of universally accepted standards, the industry has grown to account for more than a quarter of professionally managed assets around the world. The growth seems likely to continue as an increasing number of corporations disclose ESG information, active managers and independent third-party providers like Sustainalytics incorporate the new information, and both active and passive investment providers offer an increasing number of ESG investment options. Active asset managers have a unique opportunity to customize their investment process through optimization and/or other qualitative/quantitative methods to accommodate the growing demand.

Brian Scudamore, the author and founder of 1-800-Got-Junk, tells an inspiring story of growing his $1 MM per year junk-hauling business in 1996 to a $1 MM per day juggernaut today. Throughout this quick and easy read, Scudamore stresses the importance of passion and enthusiasm, embracing failure (he once fired his entire staff and started over), and promoting company culture to create lasting success. He turned down an offer to sell out for up to $100 MM in 2007 and instead continues to grow his empire to include one-day house painting, moving services, and house detailing. As investors, we are always on the lookout to partner with owner-operators like Scudamore that clearly, as Buffett remarks, like to “tap dance to work.”

The author has beaten the market by ~400 basis points per annum over the past three decades running the Fidelity Low-Priced Stock Fund. The book is directed toward investment practitioners with a focus on investment versus speculation. The author’s patient and common-sense approach to investing zeroes in on “what a stock is worth” rather than “what happens next.” The book highlights the benefits of sticking within your circle of competence and investing alongside capable management teams with appropriate levels of financial leverage. He sprinkles in enjoyable and humorous anecdotes to stress the importance of avoiding accounting shenanigans, bypassing commoditized industries or undemocratic countries (e.g. Russia) and the “garbage-in, garbage-out” realities of discounted cash flow valuations. A must-read for serious value investors.

This very readable and well-researched book suggests that U.S. industry has become increasingly concentrated over the past several decades. Since the Chicago School convincingly argued in the 1970s that oppressive antitrust regulation prevented economies of scale for corporations and lower prices for consumers, the U.S. government has consistently allowed historic industry consolidation. The authors cite convincing academic evidence and clear examples (e.g. two companies control 90% of the U.S. beer market and four airlines dominate air traffic) of growing monopolistic behavior weighing on the U.S. economy and income inequality. The authors’ solution is a return to authentic capitalism. As an increasing percentage of profits flow to the most dominant companies, the takeaway for investors is clear. Find and invest in those companies that are insulated from extreme competition.

The authors profile eight diverse investors with concentrated styles and amazing track records. These Hall-of-Fame investors range from professional money managers to math geniuses and industrial executives. The group shares one compelling attribute: an ability to think independently and focus on their 10 to 15 best ideas at any given time.

Famed short seller Jim Chanos remarked that China’s economy was on a “treadmill to hell” back in 2010. Celebrated hedge fund investor George Soros warned that “a hard landing is practically unavoidable” two years later. China has kicked the can down the road since then and added $12 trillion worth of debt to its economy since 2008 (roughly the same size as the U.S. banking system), but the day of reckoning has not yet come. The author explains how one-party rule has led to insolvent banks, zombie companies, and ghost cities. Foreign investors in China should proceed with caution as the Chinese economic miracle must eventually contend with its mountain of debt.

Human judgment and big data combine to transform the Houston Astros from the worst baseball team in a half century to World Series champs in just three years. There are lessons for the investment industry. The combination of statistical analysis AND human judgment can deliver superior performance versus relying solely on big data (quants) or human judgment alone. Commitment to an evidence-based process in the face of adversity is required to achieve the long-term objectives of an investment management firm or a Major League Baseball team.