A few weeks back, I noted how the stock market had become unusually top-heavy, with just five companies—Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Microsoft—accounting for 20% of the overall value of the S&P 500. But a chart that appeared online this week illustrates the impact of that imbalance. What [...]
One feather at a time
In her most recent book, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright quotes Mussolini: “If you pluck a chicken one feather at a time,” he said, “no one will notice.” Don’t worry—I‘m not veering into political commentary. But when I heard this quote, it brought to mind what we’ve been seeing in [...]
Lottery Tickets
Tesla founder Elon Musk is, to me, the ultimate investment Rorschach test. To his supporters, Musk is a genius without equal. As one Wall Street analyst put it, “If Thomas Edison and Henry Ford made a baby, that baby would be called Elon Musk.” But to his detractors, Musk is an erratic individual, [...]
The Gladwell approach to investing
Acclaimed author Malcolm Gladwell talks about the importance of adding “candy” to his writing. By this, he is referring to the side-notes, trivia and factoids that he uses to hold readers’ interest. Gladwell is quick to note, however, that writing can’t be all candy, with no “main course,” just as [...]
