Tuesday, 22 April 2014 - 20:00
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Seed Weekly - Value Investing the Buffett Way (Part 6 2003 ? 2007)
2003 marked the first positive year on the S&P500 following the Dotcom bubble. The US stock market experienced another bull market period leading up to the start of the financial crisis in 2007.
By this time Warren Buffett has been around for so long that he has a very good feeling for the market and also for big US companies. During 2003 he mentions of his purchase of McLane, a subsidiary of Wal-Mart: “We did no “due diligence.” We knew everything would be exactly as Wal-Mart said it would be – and it was.” For Buffett – it’s much more than just a company he purchases – it’s a belief in their management, integrity and product.
He wants to be able to make a character judgement on the company and its management and preferably management must own a stake in the business. “Charlie and I love such honest-to-God ownership. After all, whoever washes a rental car?” He praises the owner of one of Berkshire’s star companies, the Belarus-born “Mrs B” who died during 2003 at the age of 103 and had worked until her death. Her company motto was “sell cheap and tell the truth”. Being a low cost producer demands success, but if a business requires a superstar manager to produce great results, the business itself cannot be deemed great. “The company should be simple that it can be run by a monkey”. Unfortunately, finding these businesses is not that common and Mr Buffett admits “I’ve never gone to bed with an ugly woman, but I’ve sure woke up with a few.”
Interestingly, during 2003 Berkshire Hathaway sent the US Treasury $3.3 billion for tax on its 2003 income, a sum equalling 2½% of the total income tax paid by all US corporations. In contrast, Berkshire’s market valuation at that time was about 1% of the value of all US corporations. “Our payment will almost certainly place us among our country’s top ten taxpayers.”
Berkshire ended 2004 with $43 billion of cash equivalents, not a happy position. “Charlie and I will work to translate some of this hoard into more interesting assets during 2005, though we can’t promise success”
As always, Mr Buffett makes investing into stocks seem so simple. In his 2006 letter he tells the story of one of his long-time friends, Walter Schloss, who managed a remarkably successful investment partnership. He didn’t take a dime unless his investors made money. Walter did not go to business school, or for that matter, college. His office contained one file cabinet in 1956; the number mushroomed to four by 2002. Walter worked without a secretary, clerk or bookkeeper, his only associate being his son, Edwin, a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts. “We try to buy stocks cheap.” He built this record by investing in about 1,000 securities, mostly of a lacklustre type.
“So much for Modern Portfolio Theory, technical analysis, macroeconomic thoughts and complex algorithms. Walter produced results over his 47 years that dramatically surpassed the S&P 500. And what did members of the academic community do when they were exposed to this new and important evidence? Unfortunately, they reacted in all-too-human fashion: Rather than opening their minds, they closed their eyes. To my knowledge no business school teaching Efficient Market Hypothesis made any attempt to study Walter’s performance and what it meant for the school’s cherished theory. Walter meanwhile went on over performing, his job made easier by the misguided instructions that had been given to those young minds.” Buffett frequently made known his thoughts on investment academics and participants.
By the time that his 2007 letter was published the credit crisis had started. Just about all Americans came to believe that house prices would forever rise. That conviction made a borrower’s income and cash equity seem unimportant to lenders, who shovelled out money, confident that house price appreciation would cure all problems. Some major financial institutions experienced staggering problems because they engaged in “weakened lending practices”. “It is interesting that the industry has invented new ways to lose money when the old ways seemed to work just fine.” The next article will cover this crisis in more detail.
Kind regards
Lourens Rabé
www.seedinvestments.co.za
info@seedinvestments.co.za
021 914 4966
Tue, 22 Apr 2014
Top News
Gold prices dropped to
their lowest in more than two months on Tuesday, weighed down by
gains on Wall Street stocks and as outflows from physical gold
funds pointed to weak investment appetite. Full story
Mining companies helped lift South African shares higher on Tuesday, after mining union members and executives from the world's top platinum producers met to discuss a deal aimed at ending a crippling 13-week strike. Full story |
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U.S. Vice President Joe Biden told Russia on Tuesday that "time is short" for action on defusing the crisis in eastern Ukraine, but Moscow refused to be rushed, saying it could handle any tougher economic sanctions the West might impose. Full storyChlorine gas attacks in Syria
this month, if proven, expose a major loophole in an
international deal to remove chemical weapons from the war-torn
country and suggest chemical warfare could persist after the
removal operation has finished. Full storyA Japanese cabinet minister and
about 150 lawmakers visited Yasukuni Shrine, seen by critics as
a symbol of Japan's past militarism, on Tuesday, sparking anger
among Asian neighbors and U.S. frustration a day before U.S.
President Barack Obama visits Japan. Full story |
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Markets | Global equity markets rose on
Tuesday, powered by solid U.S. corporate earnings and
deal-making activity among European drugmakers, while the euro
edged above break-even.. . . Full story | | European shares rose on
Tuesday, boosted by mergers and acquisitions activity in the
pharmaceuticals sector and by bullish euro zone consumer
confidence data.. . . Full story | | U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday,
with both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq on track for a sixth straight
day of gains as a. . . Full story | | Corporate activity in the
pharmaceutical sector on Tuesday pushed Britain's benchmark
stock index to a two-week high and to within sight of a. . . Full story |
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| Investors trimmed their
positions of U.S. dollars on Tuesday after a two-week run
higher, unmoved by a U.S. March existing home sales report. . . Full story | | U.S. stocks edged up on
Tuesday boosted by deals in the healthcare sector and upbeat
results, while Facebook and Netflix lifted the Nasdaq.. . . Full story | | Hong Kong shares edged lower
on Tuesday, dragged down by losses in China Resources Power
after Chinese authorities said they were probing. . . Full story | | China shares closed up 0.3
percent on Tuesday, as strong performances from free trade zone
firms helped the index turnaround from being in. . . Full story |
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SA Business | Chief executives of the world's top platinum producers were to again meet the leaders of the AMCU union on Tuesday for wage talks in a bid to find an agreement to end the longest and most costly strike on South Africa's. . . Full story | | South Africa's rand was largely flat against the dollar on Tuesday as trading resumed after the Easter holiday, with a local mine strike that has dragged on for months as well as political turmoil in Ukraine posing downward risks for the. . . Full story |
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| South Africa's treasury sold 2.35 billion rand ($224 million) worth of its 2023, 2037 and 2048 bonds on Tuesday.. . . Full story |
World Markets (Spot Prices)
Name | Time | RP | Move | % Move | JSE Overall | 17:00 | 48643.31 | 281.09 | 0.58% | JSE Top 40 | 17:00 | 43711.36 | 264.84 | 0.61% | JSE Gold | 17:00 | 1488.69 | -10.03 | -0.67% | JSE Financial | 17:00 | 35949.75 | 257.65 | 0.72% | JSE Industrial | 17:00 | 62604.91 | 390.24 | 0.63% | JSE Indust 25 | 17:00 | 55223.83 | 357.31 | 0.65% | JSE Resource | 17:00 | 57077.49 | 224.94 | 0.40% | DJ Futures | 19:18 | 16480.00 | 109.00 | 0.67% | DJ Ind | 19:58 | 16559.42 | 110.17 | 0.67% | SP 500 | 19:58 | 1884.57 | 12.68 | 0.68% | Nasdaq | 19:58 | 4168.47 | 46.92 | 1.14% | FTSE 100 | 17:35 | 6681.76 | 56.51 | 0.85% | DAX | 18:10 | 9600.09 | 190.38 | 2.02% | CAC40 | 18:10 | 4484.21 | 52.40 | 1.18% | Nikkei | 08:38 | 14388.77 | -123.61 | -0.85% | Shanghai | 09:28 | 2072.83 | 7.00 | 0.34% | Hang-Seng | 10:28 | 22730.68 | -29.56 | -0.13% | All Ords | 08:43 | 5467.10 | 22.30 | 0.41% | NZSE 50 | 07:48 | 5104.94 | 1.59 | 0.03% |
| | Name | Time | RP | Move | % Move | Gold $ | 19:59 | 1281.38 | -8.60 | -0.67% | Gold R | 19:58 | 13512.86 | -22.71 | -0.17% | Gold R/kg | 19:58 | 434631 | -2969 | -0.68% | Silver $ | 19:59 | 19.3840 | -.0300 | -0.15% | Platinum $ | 19:59 | 1397.70 | 1.05 | 0.08% | Palladium $ | 19:59 | 782.80 | 6.30 | 0.81% | R157 | 17:00 | 6.83 | .13 | 1.86% | R186 | 17:00 | 8.46 | .09 | 1.08% | R204 | 17:00 | 7.83 | .12 | 1.49% | R207 | 17:00 | 8.06 | .12 | 1.45% | Brent Crude | 19:48 | 108.97 | .17 | 0.16% | Rand / Dollar | 19:59 | 10.5466 | 0.0531 | 0.51% | Rand / Pound | 19:55 | 17.7149 | 0.1361 | 0.77% | Rand / Euro | 19:55 | 14.5525 | 0.0861 | 0.60% | Rand / NZD | 19:58 | 9.0705 | 0.0740 | 0.82% | Rand / AUD | 19:55 | 9.8789 | 0.0860 | 0.88% | Yen / Dollar | 19:59 | 102.6150 | -0.0140 | -0.01% | Euro / Dollar | 19:55 | 0.7243 | -0.0004 | -0.06% | Dollar / Euro | 19:59 | 1.3801 | 0.0008 | 0.06% | Pound / Dollar | 19:55 | 0.5939 | -0.0013 | -0.22% |
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Click here for the Sharenet Spot Price page
The JSE Today
Trading Statistics
Date | Adv. | Decl. | Unch. | Actives | Volume | Value | Trades | Orders |
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22/04/2014 | 201 | 160 | 58 | 419 | 171,993,721 | R11,123,944,688 | 130889 | 1125944 | 17/04/2014 | 218 | 140 | 76 | 434 | 178,691,319 | R11,185,842,839 | 127562 | 1348278 | 16/04/2014 | 224 | 116 | 60 | 400 | 218,132,362 | R16,010,088,471 | 171646 | 1454725 | 15/04/2014 | 140 | 227 | 66 | 433 | 216,682,648 | R15,643,874,356 | 175353 | 1168973 | 14/04/2014 | 174 | 163 | 73 | 410 | 209,028,035 | R15,452,866,143 | 180802 | 1503632 |
* Includes all listed instruments on the JSE
Index Summary Index Name | RP | Move | % Move | Top 40 | 43,711.36 | 264.84 | 0.61% | Industrial | 62,604.91 | 390.24 | 0.63% | Mid Cap | 62,365.61 | 292.36 | 0.47% | Small Cap | 52,604.49 | 127.78 | 0.24% | Resource 20 | 57,077.49 | 224.94 | 0.40% | Industrial 25 | 55,223.83 | 357.31 | 0.65% | Financial 15 | 13,762.31 | 111.99 | 0.82% | Financial & Ind. 30 | 59,060.88 | 409.64 | 0.70% | All Share | 48,643.31 | 281.09 | 0.58% | Oil & Gas | 44,379.35 | 162.70 | 0.37% | Mining | 34,138.13 | 134.21 | 0.39% | Gold Mining | 1,488.69 | -10.03 | -0.67% | Platinum Mining | 51.99 | .44 | 0.85% | GENERAL MINING | 9,858.12 | 45.86 | 0.47% | Oil & Gas Producers | 23,861.95 | 87.48 | 0.37% | Basic Materials | 30,035.15 | 151.03 | 0.51% | Chemicals | 23,967.73 | 195.32 | 0.82% | Forestry & Paper | 29,929.01 | 644.35 | 2.20% | Industrial Metals | 20,878.90 | -93.32 | -0.44% | Industrials | 44,664.92 | 86.75 | 0.19% | General Industrials | 141.13 | .23 | 0.16% | Consumer Goods | 58,796.27 | 615.37 | 1.06% | Automobiles & Parts | 9,623.95 | .00 | 0.00% | Household Goods | 364.66 | 10 | 2.90% | Health Care | 76,202.69 | -1201.20 | -1.55% | Beverages | 186.55 | 1.89 | 1.02% |
| | Index Name | RP | Move | % Move | Food Producers | 69,856.60 | 44.46 | 0.06% | Personal Goods | 1,053.10 | 7.59 | 0.73% | Consumer Services | 10,935.56 | 22.67 | 0.21% | General Retailers | 59,443.74 | -33.67 | -0.06% | Travel & Leisure | 5,648.31 | 59.17 | 1.06% | Media | 238.05 | .00 | 0.00% | Support Services | 2,564.38 | 3.98 | 0.16% | Telecommunications | 10,420.04 | 99.84 | 0.97% | Financials | 35,949.75 | 257.65 | 0.72% | Banks | 62,289.76 | 299.71 | 0.48% | Non-life Insurance | 49,964.83 | 451.75 | 0.91% | Life Insurance | 34,169.43 | 407.96 | 1.21% | General Financial | 3,671.90 | 31.25 | 0.86% | Technology | 42,089.08 | 261.49 | 0.63% | SHARIAH TOP40 | 4,206.66 | 23 | 0.55% | FTSE/JSE SHARIAH ALL | 4,307.26 | 20 | 0.47% | COAL MINING | 17,948.77 | -3 | -0.01% | FTSE JSE Fledgling | 6,606.78 | -13 | -0.20% | FTSE/JSE Alt X | 1,197.37 | -7 | -0.57% | SA LISTED PROPERTY | 508.54 | | 0.14% | CAPPED PROPERTY | 441.00 | | 0.63% | RESOURCE | 31,220.95 | 121 | 0.39% | DIVIDEND PLUS | 220.92 | 1 | 0.24% | FTSE/JSE RAFI 40 | 9,782.95 | 59 | 0.61% | Capped Top 40 | 23,129.36 | 138 | 0.60% | Capped All Share | 24,625.47 | 141 | 0.58% | JSE TABACO | 7,791.28 | 125 | 1.63% |
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Click here for the Sharenet Index Summary page
Latest Consensus Changes** Code | Company Name | Status | Updated | NED | NEDBANK GROUP LTD | BUY | 17/04/2014 | ABL | AFRICAN BANK INVESTMENTS ... | BUY | 17/04/2014 | MMI | MMI HOLDINGS LTD | HOLD | 17/04/2014 | LBH | LIBERTY HOLDINGS LTD ORD | HOLD | 17/04/2014 | BIL | BHP BILLITON PLC | BUY | 16/04/2014 |
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Results Expected** Expected | Company Name | Fin. Date | 23/04/2014 | LABAT | February 2014 (Final) | 23/04/2014 | RIPLC | February 2014 (Interim) | 24/04/2014 | ALTECH | February 2014 (Final) | 24/04/2014 | CLICKS | February 2014 (Interim) | 24/04/2014 | OCTODEC | February 2014 (Interim) |
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Recent Dividends** Share Name | Dec-Date | LDT | Pay-Date | Amount | BLACKSTAR | 16/04/14 | 30/04/14 | 30/05/14 | GBP 0.0080 | PSG | 16/04/14 | 09/05/14 | 19/05/14 | ZAR 0.9000 | PIKWIK | 15/04/14 | 06/06/14 | 17/06/14 | ZAR 0.3710 | PICKNPAY | 15/04/14 | 06/06/14 | 17/06/14 | ZAR 0.7750 | DCENTRIX | 15/04/14 | 09/05/14 | 19/05/14 | ZAR 0.0817 |
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Ex Div** Share Name | Dec-Date | LDT | Pay-Date | Amount | ILRPREF1 | 31/03/14 | 16/04/14 | 29/04/14 | ZAR 12.2033 | BRIMST-N | 04/03/14 | 16/04/14 | 29/04/14 | ZAR 0.3000 | BRIMSTON | 04/03/14 | 16/04/14 | 29/04/14 | ZAR 0.3000 | MONDILTD | 28/02/14 | 16/04/14 | 22/05/14 | EUR 0.2645 | MONDIPLC | 28/02/14 | 16/04/14 | 22/05/14 | EUR 0.2645 |
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Upcoming AGMs** Code | Company Name | Date | Status | HLM | Hulamin Ltd. | 24/04/2014 | Confirmed | HULA | Hulamin Ltd. | 24/04/2014 | Confirmed | HULB | Hulamin Ltd. | 24/04/2014 | Confirmed |
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