Alpha In Podcasts? - [Business Breakdowns, EP.222]

This is Matt Reustle. Today’s episode looks a little different. We are exploring whether podcasts can be a source of investment alpha, sparked by a Wall Street Journal article about portfolio manager Steve Schurr's success mining podcast transcripts for Millennium Management. I analyze performance data from over 200 companies covered on Business Breakdowns since 2021, revealing that while the overall "podcast portfolio" has lagged the S&P 500, individual standouts like AppLovin (540% outperformance) and General Electric (300%+ gains) tell a more compelling story. I examine momentum patterns, discuss both winners and losers, and share insights on using podcasts for investment pattern recognition rather than direct stock picks. The episode concludes with practical thoughts on how podcast insights can serve as an educational starting point for business research and understanding.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page⁠⁠⁠ ⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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Business Breakdowns is a property of Colossus, LLC. For more episodes of Business Breakdowns, visit⁠⁠⁠⁠ joincolossus.com/episodes⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (⁠⁠⁠⁠https://thepodcastconsultant.com⁠⁠⁠⁠).

Show Notes

(00:00:00) Welcome to Business Breakdowns

(00:00:52) Special Episode on Alpha

(00:02:11) Exploring Investment Insights

(00:02:50) Performance Analysis of Featured Companies

(00:04:16) Top Performers and Key Takeaways

(00:06:56) Underperformers and Lessons Learned

(00:10:10) Future Episodes