Friday, July 28, 2017

Small Data

There's no shortage of corporations talking up the possibilities of big data, where statistics can be mined to gain promising insights. Martin Lindstrom takes the opposite approach, finding behavioural clues by studying how *individual* humans behave with products. He appears to lead a very interesting life, having consulted with a number of companies that have sought a better relationship with their customers. In Small Data: The Tiny Clues That Uncover Huge Trends he talks about his experiences.

Friday, July 21, 2017

Euronavigating the Treacherous Waters

Euronav (EURN) is the largest public company in the crude oil shipping business. The industry has taken a hit over the last two years amid overcapacity, but Euronav is a terrific operator that has remained profitable through this period. Nevertheless, it trades at a massive discount to book value and a P/E of just 6.

Thursday, July 20, 2017

The 100 Best Stocks to Buy In 2017

The 100 Best Stocks to Buy in 2017 is part of an annual series written by Peter Sander. The title is a tad on the promotional side, but I've read such incredible books with promotional titles (e.g. this gem) that I've learned not to judge.

Thursday, July 13, 2017

Clock Zero

We are all fighting against the distractions posed by our phones. Blinking lights and enticing notifications draw us into the time-sucking beast, and only those with the mental energy to fight the primary urges can remain productive. Clock Zero: I'm not my social feed is about a group of people tired of this way of life, and so they do something about it.

Ready...Aimia...Get Fired!

I believe the preferred shares of AIM (e.g. AIM-C) represent a very good opportunity, and so I have been buying them recently. Although they are preferred shares, the company recently cancelled the upcoming dividend payment because of a significant event, which caused the pref shares to tumble by 33% (from 12 to 8). These pref shares also fell 33% when the significant event was announced previously (from 18 to 12).

Friday, July 7, 2017

Cable Cowboy

John Malone is so popular among value investors, but I could never quite figure out what he was up to. I finally get it now, having read the fantastic Cable Cowboy: John Malone and the Rise of the Modern Cable Business.

Karsan Value Funds: 2017 Q2 Results

Karsan Value Funds (KVF) is a value-oriented fund, as described here. Due to securities regulations, the fund is not open to the public at this time. Should that change in the future, there will be an announcement on this site.

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

Good Strategy Bad Strategy

Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters is a really good book. It discusses the pitfalls of forming strategy and teaches the reader how to think better about strategy.