Legendary value investor Rob Arnott joins The Express to discuss value investing and index misconceptions. The impact of technological innovation on industries and the influence of mentors in investing are explored. The chapter also explains financial ratios used to measure profitability and value creation in companies.
Value investing has proven to be successful over the long term, outperforming growth investing.
Return on invested capital (ROIC) and return on capital employed (ROCE) are important ratios when evaluating a company's profitability and value.
Deep dives
Sector rotation and market performance
The S&P energy sector outperformed other S&P super sectors with a 3.5% gain while the Nasdaq 100 fell for the second consecutive week. Oil prices rose for seven straight weeks due to production cuts by OPEC and OPEC plus, resulting in a seismic sector rotation within the S&P. Bonds have not been a reliable stabilizer for portfolios, leading investors to seek higher yields in cash and money market funds. Despite this, consumer confidence and sentiment have been trending higher.
Investor behavior and market activity
Investment Company Institute data revealed that mutual fund and exchange-traded fund investors have been selling out of the stock market since the rally began last fall, with retail investors selling $5.5 billion in stock market holdings in July alone. U.S. credit card debt reached a record high of $1.07 trillion in Q2 2023, with overall household debt surpassing $17 trillion. Defaults and delinquencies remain relatively low, but they are rising as stimulus money diminishes. Consumer confidence and sentiment, however, have been generally positive.
Value investing and fundamental index
Value investing, which favors objectively cheap stocks, has proven to be successful over the long term, outperforming growth investing. The Fundamental Index, or Raffi, developed by Rob Arnott, weights companies based on the size of their business rather than market capitalization. Fundamental Index incorporates rebalancing strategies that take advantage of market mispricing and have a dynamic value tilt. Arnott suggests that now is a good time to pivot towards value stocks, particularly non-U.S. value stocks, and emphasizes the role of curiosity in investing.
The importance of return on invested capital
Return on invested capital (ROIC) is a measure of how well a company allocates its capital to profitable projects. It calculates the amount of money a company makes above its average cost of debt and equity capital. Return on capital employed (ROCE) is a similar ratio that measures a company's profitability in terms of all of its capital. Return on capital (ROC) includes the value of ownership interest and debts owed by the company. These ratios are important when evaluating a company's profitability and value.
Legendary value investor and innovator Rob Arnott of Research Affiliates joins The Express to explain what Value investing really means today, and why the time is right for this style of portfolio allocation. Plus, credit card debt hits a record high as consumers dig deeper into their wallets, yet no one seems to be too worried about it. Should we be?