The craft of investing

Elevated volatility and uncertainty make macroeconomic forecasting difficult, once again lending credence to our investment style, which focuses on asset selection.

For this reason we try to isolate ourselves from such distortions that predict high returns in future, but which can cloud the investor’s vision.

The good news is that government bonds are no longer offering negative returns and are once again making sense as a safe-haven asset.

We maintain our strategy of concentrating our investments in these quality businesses that, though they may fluctuate in price, their value remains intact and they serve as a repository of growing value.

EDM reaffirms this conviction with the launch of our new fund, the objective of which is sustainable investment. The fund is consistent with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

With regard to energy, transitioning to an economy with a smaller CO2 footprint will take time and money, and will likely require a realistic revision to avoid supply problems.

Confidence has deteriorated somewhat, but both domestic spending and foreign trade continue to be strong.

The strength of the results presented in late April once again reassures us about long-term investment in an uncertain environment.

Our confidence in quality, through selecting the companies in our portfolio from a micro, bottom-up approach, is reaffirmed in crisis situations.

EDM’s investment style, which emphasises stock picking rather than predicting short-term market trends, does not require us to make changes in light of this new scenario.

Klarman ably describes what the art of valuation consists of, which—he notes—is always imperfect insofar as it relies on assumed sales growth and estimated profits in an uncertain environment.

Despite the fact that the crisis in Ukraine may signify downward revisions for economic growth in 2022, particularly with regard to profit growth in the industrial sector, its impact on the portfolios overall is minimal.