TL;DR - this is quite an interesting article on moats. Essentially tells startups to think about moats as early as possible. And cautions why founded must not rely on uncertainty of any sector before building moats because once a product is out there, there will be more folks ideating and thinking about how to better it - and it is always better to put as much distance as possible from competitors.
Discount rates are crucial for estimating fair market value and potential returns. For most investors, DCFs are a research tool rather than a precise valuation method, helping to assess the plausibility of returns based on fundamental assumptions. The key takeaway is that while DCFs are valuable for understanding potential returns and testing investment hypotheses, the precision of the valuation may not always be crucial, and the process of analysis is more important. Cue podcasts of Aswath Damodaran - https://podcasts.apple.com/se/podcast/aswath-damodaran-making-sense-of-the-market/id1154105909?i=1000564650213
@Bhuvan shared this last week and this was quite a nice listen. Speaks of how inequality manifests itself into conflicts and what can be some things that can help these situations, mostly in the context of US. But applies to any country.
[ChatGPT Summary]
The article reflects on past market sentiments and contrasts them with the current investor enthusiasm for stocks. It discusses the market sentiment in the late 1970s, where many believed that equities were dead due to a decade-long dismal stretch in the stock market and high inflation. Investors favored investments like gold, real estate, and diamonds, shunning stocks as mere “paper assets.” The article emphasizes the importance of considering historical data and estimating expected future returns when evaluating investment options. It cautions against being unduly influenced by recent short-term returns and highlights the difficulty of buying at market bottoms due to human empathy, uncertainty about the true bottom, and alarming narratives that accompany market declines. The author encourages long-term and disciplined investing, holding safe assets to provide courage during turbulent times. Ultimately, the article advises investors to adhere to the math of investing and manage emotions with patience, cash, and courage.
A nice read on why Hedge Funds don’t go public - basically states how loss of control over decision making becomes a burden that crushes these funds that go public.
A few other quick reads