By David F. Larcker, Brendan Sheehan, and Brian Tayan
September 1, 2016, Stanford Corporate Governance Initiative, and Stanford Rock Center for Corporate Governance
Mercer Capital's Portfolio Valuation: Private Equity and Venture Capital Mark...Mercer Capital
Mercer Capital's Portfolio Valuation: Private Equity Marks and Trends Newsletter provides a brief digest and commentary of some of the most relevant market trends influencing the fair value regarding private equity portfolio investments.
A superior new replacement to traditional discounted cash flow valuation models
In the aftermath of the financial meltdown, the models commonly used for discounted cash flow valuation have become outdated, practically overnight. To meet the demand for an authoritative guidebook to the new economy, internationally recognized expert Kenneth Hackel has written Security Valuation and Risk Analysis.
Ashford Capital Management Small Cap Criteria White PaperCliff Short III
This “Small Cap Effect” has been analyzed, deliberated, and dissected for decades, and subsequent studies have proven that, with some caveats, the out performance of small capitalization stocks on both a risk-adjusted and absolute basis is real.
Matthew Gaude • FSC Securities
- Gaining the peer-to-peer advantage: The 2015 NAAIM annual conference highlighted the importance of collaboration by Linda Ferentchak
- Debate over valuations heats up
- Fundamentalists vs. technical analysts by Martha Stokes, CMT
- Marketing the unrealized potential of 403(b) plans (Ryan Finnell, Retirement Tax Advisory Group)
By David F. Larcker, Brendan Sheehan, and Brian Tayan
September 1, 2016, Stanford Corporate Governance Initiative, and Stanford Rock Center for Corporate Governance
Mercer Capital's Portfolio Valuation: Private Equity and Venture Capital Mark...Mercer Capital
Mercer Capital's Portfolio Valuation: Private Equity Marks and Trends Newsletter provides a brief digest and commentary of some of the most relevant market trends influencing the fair value regarding private equity portfolio investments.
A superior new replacement to traditional discounted cash flow valuation models
In the aftermath of the financial meltdown, the models commonly used for discounted cash flow valuation have become outdated, practically overnight. To meet the demand for an authoritative guidebook to the new economy, internationally recognized expert Kenneth Hackel has written Security Valuation and Risk Analysis.
Ashford Capital Management Small Cap Criteria White PaperCliff Short III
This “Small Cap Effect” has been analyzed, deliberated, and dissected for decades, and subsequent studies have proven that, with some caveats, the out performance of small capitalization stocks on both a risk-adjusted and absolute basis is real.
Matthew Gaude • FSC Securities
- Gaining the peer-to-peer advantage: The 2015 NAAIM annual conference highlighted the importance of collaboration by Linda Ferentchak
- Debate over valuations heats up
- Fundamentalists vs. technical analysts by Martha Stokes, CMT
- Marketing the unrealized potential of 403(b) plans (Ryan Finnell, Retirement Tax Advisory Group)
DealMarket Digest Issue137 - 17 April 2014Urs Haeusler
SEE WHATS NOTEWORTHY IN PRIVATE EQUITY THIS WEEK /// ISSUE 137 - April 17th, 2014:
- Cravings for Direct Co-Investment Still Strong
- Narrow Niches and Big Returns
- Australian PE Backed IPOs Outperform
- The Traits of Family Wealth Managers That Make Money…. and Lose it
- CEOs Get M&A Fever Again
- Quote of the Week: Betting on Justice
HireLabs Perspective: Increasing Vc Returns In Talent Assessment FirmsHireLabs Inc.
The VCs must ask themselves if they have CEOs who are capable of driving companies
as the recession bottoms.
Looking at the current slowdown in non-farm employment and the subsequent rebound strategies, HireLabs can forecast a recovery in the international labor market - lead by the US - sometime around Feb 2010 (Q1 2010).
Very few CEOs of venture-backed companies have experience of riding a company
through a recession successfully.
The questions that investors should ask there CEOs is
whether they are able to monetize on market-indicators as the recovery approaches.
Investors who are looking to capitalize on the recovery should predominantly understand the teams that are running the companies, and assess the teams’ ability to analyze and perform the market indicators....
Small cap stocks are riskier than other investments because there is more market volatility. AAA Penny Stocks can help you make a smart decision. Small Cap Stocks are a good choice but only for those who understand and know about the ins and outs of stock market and working across companies with limited and small market capitalization.
Mercer Capital's Portfolio Valuation: Private Equity and Venture Capital Mark...Mercer Capital
Mercer Capital's Portfolio Valuation: Private Equity and Venture Capital Marks and Trends Newsletter provides a brief digest and commentary of some of the most relevant market trends influencing the fair value regarding private equity portfolio investments.
Today's crowded and ever-growing private equity market means that buyout multiples continue to rise, making the deployment of capital a persistent challenge.
The reality is now one of every 9.5 dollars we create through our employment is consigned to pension fund coffers, a 7.9% increase in 2 years. Every dollar lost in ineffective market myths requires we make another 9.5 more to replace it. Sispyhus is no myth, we live it every year. We keep-on having to roll that burden of losses from conventional market myths and their methods. All society must pick-up their slack from those losses. We must bend our knee as a society and push the rock, again and again. The financial industry managers, and politicians at their prompting, just keep telling us to push harder, "Sisyphus, shoulder your rock."
An introduction to ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Investing from Artifex Financial Group, a leader in ESG portfolio research and management.
Why Emerging Managers Now? - Infusion Global Partners WhitepaperAndrei Filippov
Traditional asset classes appear to offer uninspiring beta returns at present, and recent years’ hedge fund returns have disappointed both in magnitude and diversification benefits, likely reflecting capacity pressures associated with the concentration of AUM and inflows with larger funds. We argue that, by contrast, Emerging hedge funds offer a rich opportunity set with far fewer capacity issues where skilled managers with concrete competitive advantages in less efficient, smaller capitalization market segments can generate better, more sustainable and less correlated excess returns. Emerging managers do involve more investment and operational risk than larger peers; to that challenge we offer some suggestions on a thoughtful and rigorous approach to constructing an Emerging Managers allocation and balancing effective due diligence with scalability.
Mercer Capital's Value Matters™ | Issue 4 2020Mercer Capital
Mercer Capital's Value Matters™, published 6 times per year, addresses gift & estate tax, ESOP, buy-sell agreement, and transaction advisory topics of interest to estate planners and other professional advisors to business.
Not only are many factors becoming really expensive due to their popularity, the realized historical returns were only half as good as they looked on paper. Since smart beta is all the rage RAFI is doing important work.
DealMarket Digest Issue137 - 17 April 2014Urs Haeusler
SEE WHATS NOTEWORTHY IN PRIVATE EQUITY THIS WEEK /// ISSUE 137 - April 17th, 2014:
- Cravings for Direct Co-Investment Still Strong
- Narrow Niches and Big Returns
- Australian PE Backed IPOs Outperform
- The Traits of Family Wealth Managers That Make Money…. and Lose it
- CEOs Get M&A Fever Again
- Quote of the Week: Betting on Justice
HireLabs Perspective: Increasing Vc Returns In Talent Assessment FirmsHireLabs Inc.
The VCs must ask themselves if they have CEOs who are capable of driving companies
as the recession bottoms.
Looking at the current slowdown in non-farm employment and the subsequent rebound strategies, HireLabs can forecast a recovery in the international labor market - lead by the US - sometime around Feb 2010 (Q1 2010).
Very few CEOs of venture-backed companies have experience of riding a company
through a recession successfully.
The questions that investors should ask there CEOs is
whether they are able to monetize on market-indicators as the recovery approaches.
Investors who are looking to capitalize on the recovery should predominantly understand the teams that are running the companies, and assess the teams’ ability to analyze and perform the market indicators....
Small cap stocks are riskier than other investments because there is more market volatility. AAA Penny Stocks can help you make a smart decision. Small Cap Stocks are a good choice but only for those who understand and know about the ins and outs of stock market and working across companies with limited and small market capitalization.
Mercer Capital's Portfolio Valuation: Private Equity and Venture Capital Mark...Mercer Capital
Mercer Capital's Portfolio Valuation: Private Equity and Venture Capital Marks and Trends Newsletter provides a brief digest and commentary of some of the most relevant market trends influencing the fair value regarding private equity portfolio investments.
Today's crowded and ever-growing private equity market means that buyout multiples continue to rise, making the deployment of capital a persistent challenge.
The reality is now one of every 9.5 dollars we create through our employment is consigned to pension fund coffers, a 7.9% increase in 2 years. Every dollar lost in ineffective market myths requires we make another 9.5 more to replace it. Sispyhus is no myth, we live it every year. We keep-on having to roll that burden of losses from conventional market myths and their methods. All society must pick-up their slack from those losses. We must bend our knee as a society and push the rock, again and again. The financial industry managers, and politicians at their prompting, just keep telling us to push harder, "Sisyphus, shoulder your rock."
An introduction to ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Investing from Artifex Financial Group, a leader in ESG portfolio research and management.
Why Emerging Managers Now? - Infusion Global Partners WhitepaperAndrei Filippov
Traditional asset classes appear to offer uninspiring beta returns at present, and recent years’ hedge fund returns have disappointed both in magnitude and diversification benefits, likely reflecting capacity pressures associated with the concentration of AUM and inflows with larger funds. We argue that, by contrast, Emerging hedge funds offer a rich opportunity set with far fewer capacity issues where skilled managers with concrete competitive advantages in less efficient, smaller capitalization market segments can generate better, more sustainable and less correlated excess returns. Emerging managers do involve more investment and operational risk than larger peers; to that challenge we offer some suggestions on a thoughtful and rigorous approach to constructing an Emerging Managers allocation and balancing effective due diligence with scalability.
Mercer Capital's Value Matters™ | Issue 4 2020Mercer Capital
Mercer Capital's Value Matters™, published 6 times per year, addresses gift & estate tax, ESOP, buy-sell agreement, and transaction advisory topics of interest to estate planners and other professional advisors to business.
Not only are many factors becoming really expensive due to their popularity, the realized historical returns were only half as good as they looked on paper. Since smart beta is all the rage RAFI is doing important work.
Can Small Cap Stocks Weather the Storm?Susan Langdon
With recession concerns intensifying in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, investors may be wondering whether small cap stocks are poised to struggle. Are small companies more vulnerable now than they have been during other periods of economic distress? And what are the implications for the size premium?
MintKit Growth Index: A Benchmark of the Stock Market for Sprightly Growth at...MintKit Institute
The ideal of investment lies in a robust strategy for high growth at low risk. Granted, a perfect solution could never emerge in an imperfect world such as ours. Even so, certain approaches toward the objective make more sense than others.
By received wisdom, the leading benchmarks of the stock market are cogent and meaningful portraits of the action on the bourse. Sadly, though, the reality differs greatly from the mirage.
For starters, the renowned indexes track the stocks in the prime of their lives rather than the entirety of their lifespans. In the process, the yardsticks gloss over the fact that death is the way of life for all companies along with their equities. The outcome is a grossly distorted picture of the payoff for the entire throng of shareholders over the long range.
Even in the near term, the traditional benchmarks have little or no bearing on the mass of participants. For instance, many an index monitors a group of stocks according to their market caps. While this approach may befit a profile of the bourse as a whole over the short run, the unbalanced scheme has scant relevance to the thoughtful investor who is most unlikely to load up their portfolios according to the market caps of the stocks at hand.
For these and other reasons, the traditional benchmarks are unsuitable as beacons for the investing public. Instead, a worthwhile index should address the true concerns of serious investors in areas ranging from pertinent metrics to workable strategies.
An example of a fruitful scheme involves the equal weighting of stocks within a benchmark. The benefits lie in conceptual elegance as well as practical relevance for the participants. Another drawcard is the tendency of uniform weighting to deliver higher returns compared to the labored scheme based on market caps.
In seeking a trusty path, a basic step is to canvass the timeworn benchmarks in multiplex areas ranging from conceptual soundness and logical rigor to common sense and pragmatic import. The wholesome assay then leads to guidelines for designing trenchant beacons suited to investors in tending their private portfolios. The enhanced framework is showcased by the MintKit Growth Index: a model benchmark geared toward promising stocks poised for zesty growth at modest risk.
WE BELIEVE that our Eighth Core Portfolio investment strategy provides the answers to the previously mentioned issues and offers a truly balanced approach to investing.
Equities, bonds, real estate and commodities are four asset classes that cover the core of any asset allocation process. The Eighth Core Portfolio is based on the idea that, during any given stage of a global investment cycle, money will flow across these assets, thereby affecting their performance. Rather than time the entry into the outperformer and the exit from the underperformer the Eighth Core Portfolio invests globally across all four in equal measure thereby ensuring that it participates in the best asset class in any environment. Over the investment period a constant exposure is maintained in order to avoid any outperforming asset class becoming a drag when the market turns.
This balanced approach is designed to produce medium to long term returns which exceed those of nominal cash returns. Historical evidence shows that this strategy has had proven outperformance in various timeframes and in all environments (see Tables 1 to 3) More importantly it minimizes volatility by taking advantage of the low correlations between the individual asset classes (see Table 4).
Financial Times - Finding five exceptional hedge fundsLisa Krow
FT - ANNUAL HEDGE FUND REVIEW
Progressively lower fees and smaller funds will help increase investor returns according to Jonathan Kanterman and Eric Uhlfelder
Damon Ridley • FSC Securities Corp.
- The efficient frontier fails the test of time by Linda Ferentchak
- Wage growth mixed amid “just right” employment report
- Market high? Pie in the sky by Ian Naismith
- Maintaining a high-profile practice (Marlow Felton, Chris Felton, Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc.)
Mercer Capital's Portfolio Valuation: Private Equity and Venture Capital Mark...Mercer Capital
Mercer Capital's Portfolio Valuation: Private Equity and Venture Capital Marks and Trends Newsletter provides a brief digest and commentary of some of the most relevant market trends influencing the fair value regarding private equity portfolio investments.
Captive Finance Firms in a Challenging EconomyKrueger, Cameron.docxtidwellveronique
Captive Finance Firms in a Challenging Economy
Krueger, Cameron; Byrnes, Steven
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; Williams, Christine. The Journal of Equipment Lease Financing (Online)
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28.1 (Winter 2010): 1C-5C.
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Abstract (summary)
Captive finance companies seem to be in the news more than either banks or independent financeorganizations - and the news has been dramatically negative. Some of the traditional views of captives are highly relevant; however, often they are benchmarked against the wrong index. Comparing common leverage or profitability ratios between a captive and its parent provides negative results in good economic times as well as bad! For instance, average return on assets for a sample of 10 organizations that own captives in a down year - 2008 - was 8.7%. The same measure for finance companies over the past five years has been 1.2%. It is imperative for organizations to work with their parents to develop a common understanding and measurement of the broader strategic value of the captive and to promote that understanding to the larger community of stakeholders. This enhanced system of measures, aligned with the captive's true objectives, is less about performance during any given economic cycle and more about strategic value.
Full Text
In the best of times, strengths and weaknesses of a business model are often overlooked. In the worst of times, as with the recent global recession, weaknesses often come to the forefront. For captive finance companies ("captives") this is the case. Even business models once proven to be effective are being questioned and modified. The changing market landscape is demonstrating a great degree of disparity in the value captives are delivering to their parent organizations.
Historically, parents have measured captive value in ways that promote a stand-alone business division view. Although some of these traditional views of captives are highly relevant, they are often benchmarked against irrelevant indexes. Parents need to pay attention to some key metrics affecting the overall organization; alternative approaches for evaluating success may be appropriate, given the evolution of captives. One of the key aspects of the study Capgemini did for the Foundation is measures of success. This article focuses on traditional measures of success and the relevance of those measures for captives.
EXAMINING MEASURES OF SUCCESS
The past 12 months have provided a deluge of negative news for the financial services industry, and equipment finance providers ha ...
Measure What Matters - New Perspectives on Portfolio SelectionUMT
Stock market investors articulate their goals explicitly or implicitly by following the philosophy and methodology of a market expert that fits their investment objectives and appetite for risk. For example, for value and income stocks they may rely on the research conducted by Wharton finance professor Jeremy Siegel¹ or read up on market pros like War-ren Buffet. Much like the stock market investor, companies investing in change face similar challenges when considering where to allocate budget and resources to meet financial and strategic objectives.
how to sell pi coins on Bitmart crypto exchangeDOT TECH
Yes. Pi network coins can be exchanged but not on bitmart exchange. Because pi network is still in the enclosed mainnet. The only way pioneers are able to trade pi coins is by reselling the pi coins to pi verified merchants.
A verified merchant is someone who buys pi network coins and resell it to exchanges looking forward to hold till mainnet launch.
I will leave the telegram contact of my personal pi merchant to trade with.
@Pi_vendor_247
Poonawalla Fincorp and IndusInd Bank Introduce New Co-Branded Credit Cardnickysharmasucks
The unveiling of the IndusInd Bank Poonawalla Fincorp eLITE RuPay Platinum Credit Card marks a notable milestone in the Indian financial landscape, showcasing a successful partnership between two leading institutions, Poonawalla Fincorp and IndusInd Bank. This co-branded credit card not only offers users a plethora of benefits but also reflects a commitment to innovation and adaptation. With a focus on providing value-driven and customer-centric solutions, this launch represents more than just a new product—it signifies a step towards redefining the banking experience for millions. Promising convenience, rewards, and a touch of luxury in everyday financial transactions, this collaboration aims to cater to the evolving needs of customers and set new standards in the industry.
what is the future of Pi Network currency.DOT TECH
The future of the Pi cryptocurrency is uncertain, and its success will depend on several factors. Pi is a relatively new cryptocurrency that aims to be user-friendly and accessible to a wide audience. Here are a few key considerations for its future:
Message: @Pi_vendor_247 on telegram if u want to sell PI COINS.
1. Mainnet Launch: As of my last knowledge update in January 2022, Pi was still in the testnet phase. Its success will depend on a successful transition to a mainnet, where actual transactions can take place.
2. User Adoption: Pi's success will be closely tied to user adoption. The more users who join the network and actively participate, the stronger the ecosystem can become.
3. Utility and Use Cases: For a cryptocurrency to thrive, it must offer utility and practical use cases. The Pi team has talked about various applications, including peer-to-peer transactions, smart contracts, and more. The development and implementation of these features will be essential.
4. Regulatory Environment: The regulatory environment for cryptocurrencies is evolving globally. How Pi navigates and complies with regulations in various jurisdictions will significantly impact its future.
5. Technology Development: The Pi network must continue to develop and improve its technology, security, and scalability to compete with established cryptocurrencies.
6. Community Engagement: The Pi community plays a critical role in its future. Engaged users can help build trust and grow the network.
7. Monetization and Sustainability: The Pi team's monetization strategy, such as fees, partnerships, or other revenue sources, will affect its long-term sustainability.
It's essential to approach Pi or any new cryptocurrency with caution and conduct due diligence. Cryptocurrency investments involve risks, and potential rewards can be uncertain. The success and future of Pi will depend on the collective efforts of its team, community, and the broader cryptocurrency market dynamics. It's advisable to stay updated on Pi's development and follow any updates from the official Pi Network website or announcements from the team.
What price will pi network be listed on exchangesDOT TECH
The rate at which pi will be listed is practically unknown. But due to speculations surrounding it the predicted rate is tends to be from 30$ — 50$.
So if you are interested in selling your pi network coins at a high rate tho. Or you can't wait till the mainnet launch in 2026. You can easily trade your pi coins with a merchant.
A merchant is someone who buys pi coins from miners and resell them to Investors looking forward to hold massive quantities till mainnet launch.
I will leave the telegram contact of my personal pi vendor to trade with.
@Pi_vendor_247
The secret way to sell pi coins effortlessly.DOT TECH
Well as we all know pi isn't launched yet. But you can still sell your pi coins effortlessly because some whales in China are interested in holding massive pi coins. And they are willing to pay good money for it. If you are interested in selling I will leave a contact for you. Just telegram this number below. I sold about 3000 pi coins to him and he paid me immediately.
Telegram: @Pi_vendor_247
how to sell pi coins in South Korea profitably.DOT TECH
Yes. You can sell your pi network coins in South Korea or any other country, by finding a verified pi merchant
What is a verified pi merchant?
Since pi network is not launched yet on any exchange, the only way you can sell pi coins is by selling to a verified pi merchant, and this is because pi network is not launched yet on any exchange and no pre-sale or ico offerings Is done on pi.
Since there is no pre-sale, the only way exchanges can get pi is by buying from miners. So a pi merchant facilitates these transactions by acting as a bridge for both transactions.
How can i find a pi vendor/merchant?
Well for those who haven't traded with a pi merchant or who don't already have one. I will leave the telegram id of my personal pi merchant who i trade pi with.
Tele gram: @Pi_vendor_247
#pi #sell #nigeria #pinetwork #picoins #sellpi #Nigerian #tradepi #pinetworkcoins #sellmypi
Empowering the Unbanked: The Vital Role of NBFCs in Promoting Financial Inclu...Vighnesh Shashtri
In India, financial inclusion remains a critical challenge, with a significant portion of the population still unbanked. Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) have emerged as key players in bridging this gap by providing financial services to those often overlooked by traditional banking institutions. This article delves into how NBFCs are fostering financial inclusion and empowering the unbanked.
Falcon stands out as a top-tier P2P Invoice Discounting platform in India, bridging esteemed blue-chip companies and eager investors. Our goal is to transform the investment landscape in India by establishing a comprehensive destination for borrowers and investors with diverse profiles and needs, all while minimizing risk. What sets Falcon apart is the elimination of intermediaries such as commercial banks and depository institutions, allowing investors to enjoy higher yields.
If you are looking for a pi coin investor. Then look no further because I have the right one he is a pi vendor (he buy and resell to whales in China). I met him on a crypto conference and ever since I and my friends have sold more than 10k pi coins to him And he bought all and still want more. I will drop his telegram handle below just send him a message.
@Pi_vendor_247
The European Unemployment Puzzle: implications from population agingGRAPE
We study the link between the evolving age structure of the working population and unemployment. We build a large new Keynesian OLG model with a realistic age structure, labor market frictions, sticky prices, and aggregate shocks. Once calibrated to the European economy, we quantify the extent to which demographic changes over the last three decades have contributed to the decline of the unemployment rate. Our findings yield important implications for the future evolution of unemployment given the anticipated further aging of the working population in Europe. We also quantify the implications for optimal monetary policy: lowering inflation volatility becomes less costly in terms of GDP and unemployment volatility, which hints that optimal monetary policy may be more hawkish in an aging society. Finally, our results also propose a partial reversal of the European-US unemployment puzzle due to the fact that the share of young workers is expected to remain robust in the US.
what is the best method to sell pi coins in 2024DOT TECH
The best way to sell your pi coins safely is trading with an exchange..but since pi is not launched in any exchange, and second option is through a VERIFIED pi merchant.
Who is a pi merchant?
A pi merchant is someone who buys pi coins from miners and pioneers and resell them to Investors looking forward to hold massive amounts before mainnet launch in 2026.
I will leave the telegram contact of my personal pi merchant to trade pi coins with.
@Pi_vendor_247
2. Equitable InvestorsDragon y Fund willtypically be focused onmicrotomid
caps. Itsinvestmentuniverse isnotde ned by company size, however.
Equitable Investors' investmentphilosophy and processseeksoutattractive
investmentcharacteristicsand marketinef cienciesthattend tobe more
prominentamong smaller rms.
In this paper we firstly set out the case for investing in smaller companies, including micro
caps, once you filter out low quality companies.
But rather than accepting market cap size as a factor unto itself, we consider this Small Cap
Effect as a proxy for several underlying factors that are highly correlated with size. We then
consider market inefficiencies that are likely contributors to the Small Cap Effect and are key
considerations in Equitable Investors’ search for attractive investments.
We will discuss:
➔ The Small Cap Effect - excess returns can be found in small stocks
➔ The Neglected Firm Effect - less researched firms have higher risk-adjusted
returns
➔ Information Assimilation - it can take time for information to be priced in
➔ Alignment of Interest - managerial ownership leads to improved performance
➔ Constructive & Activist Investment - influential investors can enhance
value
➔ Liquidity - excess returns in smaller companies may compensate for illiquidity
➔ Valuation - Price Matters - cheapest small caps outperform glamour stocks
➔ Correlation - micro caps offer diversification benefits
The Small Cap Effect - “Control Your Junk”
The tendency for the ordinary shares of smaller companies to outperform larger companies,
given the same level of risk, was first measured in 1978 by University of Chicago academic
Rolf Banz. It was challenged on several fronts over the years but further research has shown
that it holds, once you control for the quality of smaller companies.
If you “control your junk”, a research paper drafted in 2015 by leading US quantitative
investment firm AQR found (Asness et al), “a significant size premium emerges, which is
stable through time, robust to the specification, more consistent across seasons and
markets, not concentrated in microcaps, robust to non-price based measures of size, and not
captured by an illiquidity premium.”
Equitable Investors | Seeking Advantage August 2017 Page 2 of 14
3. “Quality”, for this study, was measured by the Gordon Growth Model, which says value is
determined by profitability, the dividend payout ratio, risk and growth. Figure 1, below, shows
average excess returns over the period from July 1957 to December 2012, with the highest
quality, smallest stocks delivering the greatest returns and the lowest quality “big” stocks
producing the lowest returns.
Figure 1: Excess Returns of Portfolios sorted by market cap (size) and quality (US equities)
Source: Asness et al, “ Size Matters, If You Control Your Junk”
Importantly from Equitable Investors’ Australian-based perspective, Asness et al reviewed
international markets and found a boost to excess returns in Australian small companies,
in-line with the global experience, as set out in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Change in Small Company Excess Returns from Controlling for Quality (using four
size measures)
Source: Asness et al, “ Size Matters, If You Control Your Junk”
Equitable Investors | Seeking Advantage August 2017 Page 3 of 14
4. The Neglected Firm Effect
Only ~8% of stocks listed on the ASX have a market capitalisation greater than $1 billion,
based on August 2017 data. Just on 70% of ASX listings have market caps of less than
$100m. But most of the total aggregate market capitalisation is captured by that 8% minority.
This is evident from free-float adjusted market capitalisation data for MSCI indices:
● MSCI Australia Large Cap Index has 30 constituents representing 70% of the market
● MSCI Australia Small Cap Index has 151 constituents representing 14% of the market
● MSCI Australian Micro Cap Index has 440 constituents representing 1% of the market
If treated as a single stock, the MSCI Australian Micro Cap Index would rank about 9th in the
Australian market by capitalisation (at the time of writing).
This means investors with scale, such as large institutions, find it difficult to deploy capital
with smaller stocks and, therefore, may not focus on this part of the market or may be absent
from the market. It is argued that this could distort the cost of equity capital for small caps.
It also means sell-side analysts are less likely to research small firms: their largest clients
aren’t interested; lower volumes of share trading for small firms reduces the opportunity for
their broker colleagues to generate trading revenue; and the typically size-based fees earned
by their corporate advisory colleagues are less attractive.
Figure 3: % of ASX-listings with no research coverage (in Thomson Reuters database)
No research
coverage for:
84% of micro-caps
OR
61% of all stocks
>$10m market cap
Source: Thomson Reuters,
Equitable Investors
Studies have shown that stocks that are less researched deliver greater risk-adjusted returns
than stocks receiving greater focus from analysts.
A 2008 paper by Australian academics Bertin, Michayluk and Prather, “Liquidity issues
surrounding neglected firms”, considered neglect as either low analyst coverage or narrow
dissemination of earnings announcements, and concluded based on data for 1,544 US firms
that “neglected firms, by whatever neglect construct, are much less liquid than their
counterparts, and thus the observed return premium is a logical result.”
Equitable Investors | Seeking Advantage August 2017 Page 4 of 14
5. Information Assimilation
In the main we accept that markets price in known information relatively efficiently. However,
information in the public domain is not always widely digested or assimilated and understood.
While the information may exist, it may not have been widely disseminated; or it may be
widely disseminated but a broad base of investors may not have the additional knowledge to
understand the materiality of one piece of information among many.
The smaller a company is, the less likely it is able to broadly disseminate new information;
and the less likely that a broad base of investors understand the context of that information.
A European study measuring excess returns following earnings surprises compared the
outcome before and after the adoption of wire services (or news agencies) to disseminate
news. As set out in Figure 4, it showed the new information was more rapidly priced in after
the adoption of wire services with stronger initial reactions and lower post-earnings price
“drift”. Figure 4 also demonstrates that even with broader dissemination, it still takes time for
markets to fully react to material new information.
Figure 4: Excess returns from top & bottom surprises before & after adoption of wire service
Source: News Dissemination and Investor Attention (Boulland, Degeorge & Ginglinger, May 2016)
Even at the macro level, a 2017 study by Columbia University academics Calomiris &
Mamaysky studied news flow and pricing in 51 stock markets and concluded that “Economic
and statistical significance are high and larger for year-ahead than monthly predictions” - ie
rather than immediately re-pricing, markets take time to adjust to new information.
Equitable Investors | Seeking Advantage August 2017 Page 5 of 14
6. Alignment of Interest
Logic says that the managers and directors most aligned to maximising shareholder value will
be those with a considerable portion of their wealth tied up in equity in the business they are
involved in.
A recently-published research paper reconfirmed historical studies that also showed
managerial ownership leads to an improved performance. This January 2017 paper, Managerial
Ownership, Board of Directors, Equity-based Compensation and Firm Performance: A
Comparative Study Between France and the United States, by Bouras & Gallali, found that
performance reached a maximum level at a managerial ownership level of 21.4% in the US.
The flip-side, however, is that the report found that as managerial ownership continues past
this point, entrenchment appears to become an issue.
A study this author undertook in October 2012, for Investorfirst Securities, identified 38
ASX-listed companies with a CEO entitled to a larger annual dividend than their reported
remuneration. Those 38 companies had achieved an average total return of 72% over the
previous three years (and a median of 40%), compared to a 5.2% return for the S&P/ASX All
Ordinaries Index. Only eight of the 38 had suffered negative returns in that time. Figure 5 sets
out the ten CEOs identified in that study with the highest dividend entitlement as a
percentage of their executive remuneration.
Figure 5: Top 10 CEOs whose annual dividend entitlement most exceeded FY12 remuneration
Source: Capital IQ, Investorfirst
For CEOs to hold enough equity to earn strong dividend yields, there is a strong likelihood
that they were involved in the establishment or earlier growth stages of the business.
And for that reason, small and mid caps are the companies where such CEOs are most likely
to be found. The average market capitalisation of the 38 companies identified was $865m at
the time and the median was $222m.
Equitable Investors | Seeking Advantage August 2017 Page 6 of 14
7. Nearly five years later we have checked how the stocks in Figure 6 have performed. The
results, set out in Figure 6, are consistent with our “Alignment of Interest” thesis:
● Only one of the ten stocks has declined in value (ASL, a mining services contractor)
● The average total return over the period of the ten (not factoring in any reinvestment of
dividends) was 70% and the median was 77%
● This compares with a 58% total return from the S&P/ASX 100 Accumulation Index;
and a 22% total return from the S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries Accumulation Index
● The Accumulation indices assume dividends are reinvested so this comparison
understates the amount by which the 10 companies have outperformed.
● Six of the 10 outperformed the S&P/ASX 100.
● Nine of the 10 outperformed the S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries Index.
Figure 6: Revisiting those Top 10 in 2017 (returns from October 2012 to July 2017)
Source: Iress, Equitable Investors
Equitable Investors | Seeking Advantage August 2017 Page 7 of 14
8. Constructive & Activist Investment
The 2017 Top 100 Hedge Funds as ranked by Barron’s Penta was of note to Equitable
Investors because of the characteristics of the top ranking fund. Based on annualised
three-year returns, Alantra Asset Management's EQMC Europe Development Capital Fund
was the top performer. This fund has averaged more than 20% a year, net of fees, since its
inception in 2010. On an annualized three-year basis to the end of 2016, it gained over 26%.
Alantra’s EQMC Europe Development Capital Fund relied on good stock-picking but also
“friendly active investing” to nudge core holdings to improve corporate governance, operations,
capital allocation, and strategic decisions. When the dialogue was not welcomed, the
manager kept its position small or moved on.
While that is just an anecdote, we know from academic studies that shareholders with
enough influence to hold company’s to account can enhance value.
Research from Harvard, published in June 2015, concluded that an initial spike in a share
price following activist intervention was “reflecting correctly the intervention’s long-term
consequences”. Similarly, a research report in 2009 compared targets of activism with control
groups matched for size and industry and found, as set out in Figure 7, that even after the first
30 days of an initial 13D Filing (the US equivalent of a substantial shareholding notice in
Australia), the excess returns for the rest of the 12 month period were significant.
Figure 7: Abnormal stock return from Activist Target Firms between 30 days & 12 months
after initial 13D filing
Source: Entrepreneurial Shareholder Activism: Hedge Funds and Other Private Investors (Klein & Zur)
Given the greater ease with which an investor can purchase an influential interest in a smaller
company, this is yet another potential source of excess returns that would be biased to
smaller companies (but by no means excludes opportunity among larger listings).
Equitable Investors | Seeking Advantage August 2017 Page 8 of 14
9. Liquidity Premium
Small firms, particularly micro caps, are in general going to be less liquid than their larger
peers. This is perhaps most visible when one reviews the bid/ask spreads of shares spread
across the market capitalisation spectrum.
Figure 8: Arbitrary Bid/Ask spread examples for ASX listings (sourced in August 2017)
Market Cap
($m)
Last price
($)
Bid ($) Ask ($) Mid-point
($)
Spread ($) Spread /
Mid-point
144,550 84.54 84.48 84.59 84.535 0.11 0.13%
2,250 8.64 8.62 8.64 8.63 0.02 0.23%
498 1.04 1.025 1.04 1.0325 0.015 1.45%
78 0.53 0.53 0.55 0.54 0.02 3.7%
12 0.016 0.015 0.017 0.016 0.002 12.5%
Source: Thomson Reuters, Equitable Investors
The implication of this liquidity issue is that excess returns in smaller companies may be
considered to be, at least in part, compensation for the liquidity risk. Patient investors can
benefit from illiquidity.
Valuation - Price Matters
Logic dictates that the return you make on an investment is dictated by the price you paid.
Numerous research papers have confirmed the importance of price, typically focusing on low
price-to-book or price-to-earnings multiples relative to high multiples. There is also evidence
that “value” (lower multiples) performs more strongly as a factor for smaller companies.
Our analysis of Australian value-based factor returns, based on academic Kenneth French’s
widely-used data, shows that between 1975 and 2016, stocks ranked in the lowest 30% of
the market on their price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios exceeded returns of the most expensive
30% of the market in 53.4% of all months. This doesn’t sound like much but:
● In months where low P/E stocks outperformed, they did so by an average of 3.8%.
● In months where expensive P/E stocks outperformed, they did so by the lesser
average amount of 3.5%.
The compounding impact of the outperformance of value both in regularity and size has proven
to be huge. Even over a more recent time span - since 1990 as demonstrated in Figure 8 -
lower P/E stocks have outperformed in six out of 10 years and on average their annual excess
return over higher P/E stocks has been just over 5% a year.
Equitable Investors | Seeking Advantage August 2017 Page 9 of 14
10. Figure 9: Relative performance of Low PE and High PE Australian stocks since 1990
Source: Kenneth French, Equitable Investors
Internationally, investment researcher Brandes Institute found the cheapest 10% of small caps
globally delivered an annualised return nearly 7% higher than the most expensive 10% of
small caps, examining the period from June 1980 to June 2012. This compares to a 5.3%
margin between the cheapest and most expensive deciles of large caps. Stocks were
classified into value or glamour deciles based on their multiples of book value, earnings and
cash flow. Brandes found that Australia was one of nine markets where a value premium was
evident (along with Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, UK and USA).
Figure 10: Annualised five year returns and standard deviations by value decile (global study)
Source: Brandes Institute
Equitable Investors | Seeking Advantage August 2017 Page 10 of 14
11. Correlation
An important characteristic of micro caps in particular is that they are less inclined to move
with the broader market (as measured by free-float weighted indices like the S&P/ASX 200).
Figure 11, below, shows the correlation of indices proxying for broad market capitalisation
classes. Correlation of one means they move perfectly in sync and the lower the number is
the less commonality in their movements.
Figure 11: Correlation between Australian market cap segments (monthly)
Micro Small Mid Large
Indices used:
MSCI Aus Micro Cap
S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries
S&P/ASX Mid-Cap
S&P/ASX 100
Micro 1.000 0.653 0.398 0.407
Small 0.653 1.000 0.868 0.824
Mid 0.398 0.868 1.000 0.888
Large 0.407 0.824 0.888 1.000
Source: Thomson Reuters, Equitable Investors
The correlation characteristics of micro-cap stocks suggest that adding these stocks to a
typical balanced portfolio may improve risk-adjusted returns.
As an example of applying this lower-correlation benefit, Equitable Investors has considered
the impact of blending the MSCI Australian Micro Cap Index with large and mid-cap indices,
like the S&P/ASX 100 and the S&P/ASX Mid Cap Index. Using daily data running back to
May 2014, it can be seen that:
● Both Micro Caps and Large Cap indices generated low annual growth: 2.6% & 1.2%
● Mid Caps outperformed in this period, returning just under 10% pa
● Annualised standard deviation was 15% for Micro, 14% for Mid & 12% for Large
● So the ratio of return per unit of risk was: 0.2 for Micro, 0.7 for Mid & 0.1 for Large
Using this data and recalculating the portfolio standard deviation and returns at varying
weightings, we built a sensitivity graph allowing us to identify what would have been the
optimal blend of Micro and Large indices, the results of which are depicted in Figure 12.
There was a clear benefit from blending these size-based classifications, with the maximum
return per unit of risk achieved at an approximate 60/40 blend of Micro / Large.
Even if we focused instead on Micro blended with Mid for this period, in which Mid excelled,
the highest return / risk ratio would have been achieved using 15% Micro, as Figure 13
illustrates.
Equitable Investors | Seeking Advantage August 2017 Page 11 of 14
12. Figure 12: Impact on Return/Risk ratio if varying Micro Cap weightings blended with Large Cap
(using annualised data from May 2014 to August 2017)
Source: Thomson Reuters, Equitable Investors
Figure 13: Impact on Return/Risk ratio if varying Micro Cap weightings blended with Micro Cap
(using annualised data from May 2014 to August 2017)
Source: Thomson Reuters, Equitable Investors
Of course, very different results may have occurred using different historical periods.
But this analysis highlights that a portfolio allocation to smaller stocks can be beneficial for
investors who favour larger stocks, supporting an investment strategy such as “Core and
Satellite”, whereby an investor might complement a core holding that tracks a major large cap
index with a satellite investment in smaller stocks.
Equitable Investors | Seeking Advantage August 2017 Page 12 of 14
13. Conclusion
While investment success will ultimately rely on good judgement and good fortune, Equitable
Investors believe there is clear evidence that judgement can be informed by logically deduced
and quantitatively demonstrated factors and characteristics. Rather than focus on specific,
rigid classifications (such as “micro cap” or “value”) to define our investment universe,
Equitable Investors leverages this knowledge to inform the investment process and maximise
the likelihood of investment success.
We believe investors will benefit from this knowledge when applying it to their own investment
portfolios, as Equitable Investors does in its own process.
Figure 14: Equitable Investors Investment Process
Our process for the Equitable Investors Dragonfly Fund, as set out in Figure 14, capitalises on
the knowledge shared in this document in the following ways:
➔ Current Investment Universe | The Small Cap Effect - Our default position is to screen
for companies with market caps less than $5 billion.
➔ Negative Screens | “Control Your Junk”, Valuation - We screen out companies that
don’t meet basic quality criteria or have valuations stretched to extremes.
Equitable Investors | Seeking Advantage August 2017 Page 13 of 14
14. ➔ Positive Screening | Valuation - Price Matters - We rank the remaining stocks based
on valuation metrics in order to determine which to prioritise in our research
➔ Active Research | The Neglected Firm Effect, Alignment of Interest, Constructive
Investment & Activism - Our active research, which also yields additional investment
candidates for screening, ultimately informs our views on valuation and risk and takes
into account these factors; active research also forms part of our constructive
engagement with key people driving existing investments in our portfolio
➔ Valuation | Valuation - Price Matters - We set our informed view on value and risk as
the outcomes of our Active Research
➔ Portfolio Construction | Information Assimilation, Liquidity, Valuation - Price Matters,
Constructive & Activist Investment - Having assessed value and risk, the remaining
information for decision making is price; we consider whether we may have a better
understanding of new information than is expressed in the market price; we consider
opportunities presented by illiquidity or liquidity; we consider management willingness
to pursue value-maximising strategies.
➔ Portfolio Optimisation | Correlation - We are conscious of minimising correlation, a
task made easier by the natural bias of the process to smaller stocks and our
bottom-up-approach, which means our process isn’t overly biased to specific
industries.
Obtain your own advice
This document does not take into account the particular investment objectives, financial
situation and needs of potential investors and the contents of this document are not to be
construed as investment, accounting, financial, legal or tax advice. Before making a decision
to invest in the Fund the recipient should obtain professional advice.
Equitable Investors | Seeking Advantage August 2017 Page 14 of 14