Dive into the intriguing world of fair investment assumptions! Explore various perspectives from financial pros urging a balanced approach. Discover how uncertainty from Claude Shannon's theory shapes investment strategies. Learn the art of a strong investment thesis and how personal biases can cloud judgment. Investigate the 'turkey problem' to avoid historical misinterpretations. Finally, gain insights into crafting clear and simple investment theses for smarter decisions.
A fair investment assumption varies by role, emphasizing adaptable theses for independent investors focused on long-term gains and risk minimization.
Claude Shannon's information theory illustrates that reducing uncertainty in investment theses can create broader opportunities for success compared to overly detailed predictions.
Deep dives
Understanding Fair Investment Assumptions
Defining a fair investment assumption can vary based on the investor's role; for investment bankers, it is about closing deals, while for analysts, it is about aligning with quarterly earnings. However, for independent investors focused on long-term gains and risk minimization, the emphasis shifts towards developing a solid investment thesis. A thesis encompasses understanding how a company generates and captures value, maintaining success, and ensuring that investor partnership leads to profit. It is crucial that this thesis remains adaptable to new information as circumstances change, yet many investors fall into the trap of modifying their thesis to fit new evidence instead of abandoning flawed assumptions.
The Role of Information in Investment
Claude Shannon's information theory highlights that information is about reducing uncertainty rather than simply conveying clear meaning, which is vital in forming investment theses. Interestingly, having more uncertainty in a thesis often provides more opportunities for success, as demonstrated by the comparison between a hedge fund analyst's specific predictions and a long-only investor's broader expectations. An investor’s ability to accept uncertainty allows for a range of correct outcomes, whereas overly detailed predictions can restrict the likelihood of being right. Therefore, for the best chances of success, investors should strive to create theses with minimal informational content while still being relevant to their investment strategy.
The Advantage of Independent Investors
Independent investors have a unique advantage over those tied to institutional mandates as they can craft broader, less information-dependent investment theses. This flexibility allows them to consider the stability of established businesses without getting bogged down by the volatile specifics, benefiting from the higher probability of being right. Detailed research enables independent investors to distill their assumptions confidently, thus creating a low-information content thesis while maintaining high conviction. Ultimately, simpler and more general assumptions, like those practiced by Warren Buffett, foster better investment outcomes by optimizing the balance between risk and reward.
In this episode of The Synopsis we read our latest Speedwell Research memo. If you prefer to read instead of listen to the memo, you can find access to the article below.
This weeks memo is "What is a Fair Investment Assumption? "
Nothing in this podcast is investment advice nor should be construed as such. Contributors to the podcast may own securities discusessed. Furthermore, accounts contributors advise on may also have positions in companies discussed. Please see our full disclaimers here: https://speedwellresearch.com/disclaimer/
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