Good reads from around the Web.
Occasionally a reader says they’d like to meet me for a beer1 [1], but I’m sure they’d be disappointed.
For one thing, I’m slightly nuts. (See this investing debate [2] with my co-blogger).
I’m also thin-skinned and awful to work with, apparently [3]. (But thanks for understanding edinburgher, if you’re listening…)
Most of all though, I’m not a hedge fund manager.
Over the years a few have speculated that while by day by night I’m a humble blogger, in my day job I’m a titan of the markets – perhaps even a famous investor you’ve heard of – bringing fear to corporate boardrooms and my own personal yoga guru to meetings.
Sadly, I’m not. (I’m more thin-skinned and awful to work with, to be honest).
However I do know a genuine former hedge fund manager, and so do you – Lars Kroijer, the author of many fine articles [4] on Monevator.
And now you can meet him, too!
Lars is giving a presentation [5] in London at 6.30pm on Thursday 3 March, and he’d love to see lots of Monevator readers in the audience.
The event is free. You can’t argue with free.
Here’s the agenda:
- What is investing edge? Do you have it? What should you do if – like most people – you don’t?
- The long term financial benefits of investing knowing that you can’t outperform markets.
- The hedge fund industry and hedge funds as an asset class. What may the future hold?
- Starting and scaling a hedge fund, critical success factors, and facing the unexpected.
Sounds right up our street, doesn’t it?
To reserve your place, please register for an Evening With Lars Kroijer [5] via that link to eventbrite [5].
See you there…
…maybe!
From the blogs
Making good use of the things that we find…
Passive investing
- Frustrated? This is how the markets work – The Irrelevant Investor [6]
- A case for active investing in retirement… – Blue Sky Asset Management [7]
- The self-serving nature of the fund industry – Evidence-based Investor [8]
Active investing
- Even God would get fired as an active investor – Alpha Architect [9]
- We’re climbing another wall of worry – Calafia Beach Pundit [10]
- Whither GlaxoSmithKline’s 6% dividend yield? – UK Value Investor [11]
- Academic exposure of alpha factors destroys alpha [Research] – Finance [12]
Other articles
- Portfolio in the red? Cut yourself some slack – Abnormal Returns [13]
- How different investors should be thinking now – The Reformed Broker [14]
- What happened after you bought in bear markets – A.W.O.C.S. [15]
- Defending consumerism – SexHealthMoneyDeath [16]
- Gary Veynerchuk’s candid Quora reply on entrepreneurship – Quora [17]
- Getting paid to ski – The Escape Artist [18]
Product of the week: You’ve been able to pay your mortgage with paper round money for years thanks to near-zero interest rates – but they’re about to get even cheaper. Market turmoil has pushed UK rate rise expectations out to 2019, and lenders are set to slash again. First Direct [19], for example, just launched a 10-year fee-free 2.89% fixed rate mortgage, says The Telegraph [20].
Mainstream media money
Some links are Google search results – in PC/desktop view these enable you to click through to read the piece without being a paid subscriber of that site.2 [21]
Passive investing
- Passive investors, the Loch Ness monster, & other myths [Search result, but beware it’s a silly article that conflates ETF outflows (which I think will mainly be sales by hedge funds and similar who use ETFs as trading chips to put exposure off and on) with passive investors supposedly bailing out. Oh, and it also points to MLPs, a niche US investment that nobody who we’d call a passive investor would have touched with a barge pole. But, you know, I just do the links, who am I to judge?] – FT [22]
- …and relax…
- How big ETFs trade and are traded [Nerds only] – ETF.com [23]
Active investing
- Morgan Housel: The agony of high returns – Motley Fool (US) [24]
- Understanding active fund benchmarks – This Is Money [25]
- The oil rout is a boon for global consumers – Telegraph [26]
- Gold prices can’t defy gravity forever – Bloomberg View [27]
- ‘Risk parity’ shows signs of strain [Search result] – FT [28]
A word from a broker
- 3 new funds for active investors to consider – Hargreaves Lansdown [29]
- The vibrancy of small cap stocks – TD Direct [30]
Other stuff worth reading
- Help to Buy? More like ‘Help to Cry’ in London [Search result] – FT [31]
- Hedge funds short luxury home builders [Search result] – FT [32]
- Simon Lambert: Why my sister should start a pension – This Is Money [33]
- Beware the new ‘smishing’ text message scam – This Is Money [34]
- Investing in Kanye West’s old shoes – Guardian [35]
- When and why CEO pay shot up [Podcast] – NPR [36]
- We’re addicted to technology [Via A.R. [37]] – N.Y. Books [38]
Book reader of the week: Amazon has knocked £10 off its 7″ Kindle Fire [39]
Like these links? Subscribe [40] to get them every week!
- Never romance, alas. I’m single again! Form a queue, and please bring a printout of your portfolio and your written investment strategy. [↩ [44]]
- Note some articles can only be accessed through the search results if you’re using PC/desktop view (from mobile/tablet view they bring up the firewall/subscription page). To circumvent, switch your mobile browser to use the desktop view. On Chrome for Android: press the menu button followed by “Request Desktop Site”. [↩ [45]]