The Giants Unite
Public policy problems have typically been the domain of governments, although the recent announcement of a healthcare alliance seeks to shake up this equilibrium. The news of three corporate behemoths forming an independent company to tackle the burden that healthcare places on America marks one of the most ambitious efforts yet by private firms to […]
Europe looking good in 2018
We were recently asked by a client what our outlook was for European equities in the 2018 calendar year. The short answer is that we are in the business of picking stocks, not aggregated regional indices. This answer, of course, is obviously not particularly helpful, so we also tried to draw some sensible conclusions from […]
The New Phase of Big Data Part II
Previously, I wrote about the new phase of big data, and how this data revolution has the potential to shape the fortunes of firms. Clive Humby, the co-founder of DunnHumby, a UK-based customer data science company, is widely credited as being the first to coin the phrase “data is the new oil”. Much like crude […]
Another year of surprises
As we round out 2017, it is timely to stop and reflect on the year that was. In particular, it is always interesting to identify the year’s surprises. One benefit of writing down your thoughts and expectations throughout the year is that it becomes very easy to identify what has been surprising. Starting with the […]
A key risk for 2018
We all know the global equity market has been on a straight-line incline over the last 12 months. Naturally, this makes us nervous. Therefore, we are spending considerable time pressure-testing our mental model of the world to identify potential scenarios that could mark the return of market volatility. One risk we are considering relates to […]
What does Lord King have to say?
This week, we had the privilege of listening to a Q&A session with Lord Mervyn King. Lord King is obviously a highly-intelligent and enormously experienced global economist – having governed the Bank of England for the ten-year period ending in July 2013. For readers who are interested, we share some of Lord King’s views below.
Isn’t this what Adam Smith intended?
Do you believe in economic policies that help consumers? Or what about policies that help business owners? Or policies that help employees? Why not help everyone? The problem is, no matter how good your intentions are, you simply cannot. In many cases, what is good for one group of people is bad for others. In […]
The new phase of big data – part I
“The world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data”, read the cover story of the Economist earlier this year. After recently hearing from a number of companies at a technology conference in New York, there was a strong recurring theme that seemed to fit that sentiment: data is becoming increasingly important and firms […]
How long will your pay rise last?
Since the beginning of the new year, Australians have received around a 10 percent pay rise. But this is not your typical pay rise. This pay rise does not result in more dollars in your bank account. Nor does it mean you can afford a bigger Australian home. So what kind of a pay rise […]
Demand for planes will keep Airbus flying for decades
In late June of this year Le Bourget Airport in north Paris played host to the 52nd Paris Air Show. The event is held every other year and provides manufacturers – primarily Airbus and Boeing – the opportunity to showcase their aircraft to potential customers and, more importantly, to negotiate deals for new planes. This […]
