Archive for March, 2010

Mar
11

The Warren Buffett Approach

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Philosophy and Style
Investment in stocks based on their intrinsic value, where value is measured by the ability to generate earnings and dividends over the years. Buffett targets successful businesses-those with expanding intrinsic values, which he seeks to buy at a price that makes economic sense, defined as earning an annual rate of return of at least 15% for at least five or 10 years.

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Universe of Stocks
No limitation on stock size, but analysis requires that the company has been in existence for a considerable period of time.
Criteria for Initial Consideration
Consumer monopolies, selling products in which there is no effective competitor, either due to a patent or brand name or similar intangible that makes the product unique. In addition, he prefers companies that are in businesses that are relatively easy to understand and analyze, and that have the ability to adjust their prices for inflation.
Other Factors
• A strong upward trend in earnings
• Conservative financing
• A consistently high return on shareholder’s equity
• A high level of retained earnings
• Low level of spending needed to maintain current operations
• Profitable use of retained earnings
Valuing a Stock
Buffett uses several approaches, including:
• Determining firm’s initial rate of return and its value relative to government bonds: Earnings per share for the year divided by the long-term government bond interest rate. The resulting figure is the relative value-the price that would result in an initial return equal to the return paid on government bonds.
• Projecting an annual compounding rate of return based on historical earnings per share increases: Current earnings per share figure and the average growth in earnings per share over the past 10 years are used to determine the earnings per share in year 10; this figure is then multiplied by the average high and low price-earnings ratios for the stock over the past 10 years to provide an estimated price range in year 10. If dividends are paid, an estimate of the amount of dividends paid over the 10-year period should also be added to the year 10 prices.
Stock Monitoring and When to Sell
Does not favor diversification; prefers investment in a small number of companies that an investor can know and understand extensively.
Favors holding for the long term as long as the company remains “excellent”—it is consistently growing and has quality management that operates for the benefit of shareholders. Sell if those circumstances change, or if an alternative investment offers a better return.

MoneyAndTime edited 1Blue psd The Warren Buffett Approach

http://www.aaii.com/

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Mar
05

SAC

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I love to follow the lives of people that are doing the same things that I am an doing in a magnificent way.  You can learn alot from following successful people in your chosen industry.  I read an article  the other day on cnbc.com on Steven A. Cohen of SAC capital and I not only learned a bunch but he put haphazard information in perspective for me and I have made a few bucks trading like him.  Lesson, if you want to be at the top of your game study and learn from people at the top of theirs.  Read his story he is one of my favorite people today.  Thanks Steven for the knowledge.

Keathel H. Haynes III, Chief Investment Officer

http://www.blackswanmanagementllc.com/

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resize stevecohen2 SAC

Cohen grew up in Great Neck, New York, where his father was a dress manufacturer in Manhattan’s garment district, and his mother was a part-time piano teacher. He took a liking to poker as a high school student, often betting his own money in tournaments. Cohen credits the game to teaching him “how to take risks.” Cohen received a B.S. in economics from the Wharton School at theUniversity of Pennsylvania in 1978. While in school, a friend helped him open a brokerage account with $7,000 of his tuition money.

After Wharton, Cohen got a Wall Street job as a junior trader in the options arbitrage department at Gruntal & Co. in 1978, where he eventually managed a $75 million portfolio and six traders.

His first day on the job at Gruntal & Co., he made an $8,000 profit. He would eventually go on to make the company around $100,000 a day. Cohen was running his own trading group at Gruntal by 1984, and continued running it until he started his own company, SAC.

In 1992, Cohen started SAC Capital Partners with $20 million of his own money; today the firm manages $14 billion in equity.

Originally known as a rapid-fire trader who never held trading positions for extended periods of time, Cohen now holds an increasing number of equities for longer periods of time.

Wealth

Forbes Magazine estimates Cohen’s fortune at $11.4 billion in 2009, ranking him the 27th richest among the world’s billionaires..

In 1998, the Cohens purchased their 35,000 square feet (3,300 m2) home on 14 acres (57,000 m2) in Greenwich, Connecticut.

His 2005 compensation was reportedly $1 billion, considerably higher than his 2004 compensation ($450 million). ]2001 compensation ($428 million) and 2003 compensation ($350 million).

In addition, Cohen owns 7% of search engine Baidu.

Cohen lives in Greenwich, Connecticut, with his wife, Alexandra, and seven children — two being from a previous marriage.

Cohen serves on the Board of Trustees of Brown University and the New York-based Robin Hood Foundation.

In 1999, the publicity-shy. trader granted one of his first on-the record interviews to Daniel Strachman for his book Getting Started In Hedge Funds (Wiley 2000).

In December 2009, Steven A Cohen and his brother Donald T Cohen were sued by Steven’s ex-wife Patricia Cohen for racketeering and Insider Trading Charges.

SAC shark 001 SAC

Art collector

Cohen began collecting art in 2000, and over the past several years has become a prominent collector, appearing on Art News magazine’s “Top 10″ list of biggest-spending art collectors around the world each year since 2002, and Forbes magazine’s “Top Billionaire Art Collectors” list in 2005. To date, Cohen has bought around $700 million worth of artwork; in 2003, the New York Times reported that in a 5 year period, Cohen spent 20% of his income at art auctions. He is reportedly building a private museum for some of his artwork on his Greenwich property. In the winter of 2005 it became known that in 1999 Cohen had bought Edvard Munch‘s “Madonna”. Reportedly this was for $11.5 million, a record price for any Munch painting to this date.

His tastes in collecting changed “quickly” from Impressionist painters to contemporary art. He also collects ‘trophy’ art—signature works by famous artist.—including a Pollock “drip” painting fromDavid Geffen for $52 million and Damien Hirst‘s The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, a piece that the artist had bought back from Charles Saatchi for $8 million. In the last two years, he reportedly paid $25 million each for a Warhol and a Picasso. He is a top patron of the Marianne Boesky art gallery.

In 2006, Cohen remarked that repairing his suspended shark artwork, a cost estimated to be a minimum of $100,000, was an “inconsequential” expense. Since the shark itself is over 10 years old, it has begun to rot and requires replacement. The replacement shark has already been caught. once the exhibit is fixed, Cohen will have it moved into his SAC office Cohen has also placed Marc Quinn’sSelf,a head sculpture made of frozen blood, in the SAC lobby.

In addition, in 2006 Cohen bought a landscape entitled “Police Gazette” by artist Willem de Kooning for $63.5 million from David Geffen. Also in 2006, Cohen attempted to make the most expensive art purchase in history when he offered to purchase Picasso‘s Le Reve from casino mogul Steve Wynn for $139 million. Just days before the painting was to be transported to Mr. Cohen, Mr. Wynn, who suffers from poor vision, accidentally thrust his elbow through the painting while showing it to a group of acquaintances inside of his office at Wynn Las Vegas. The purchase was cancelled, and Mr. Wynn still holds the painting. In November 2006, Cohen purchased another Willem de Kooning painting, Woman III, from David Geffen for $137.5 million.

le reve 1932 SAC

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_A._Cohen

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Mar
01

Words From Warren…

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To the Shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.:

Our gain in net worth during 2009 was $21.8 billion, which increased the per-share book value of both our Class A and Class B stock by 19.8%. Over the last 45 years (that is, since present management took over)book value has grown from $19 to $84,487, a rate of 20.3% compounded annually.*

Berkshire’s recent acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) has added at least 65,000shareholders to the 500,000 or so already on our books. It’s important to Charlie Munger, my long-time partner,and me that all of our owners understand Berkshire’s operations, goals, limitations and culture. In each annual report, consequently, we restate the economic principles that guide us. This year these principles appear on pages89-94 and I urge all of you – but particularly our new shareholders – to read them. Berkshire has adhered to these principles for decades and will continue to do so long after I’m gone.In this letter we will also review some of the basics of our business, hoping to provide both a freshman orientation session for our BNSF newcomers and a refresher course for Berkshire veterans.

To download and read the entire annual report please click the link below:

Berkshire Hathaway Annual Report & letter from Mr. Buffett

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