I like businesses more than stock prices.
A stock price is simply the market's current opinion. The business is the underlying reality. My interest lies in understanding that reality.
I look for situations where there is a meaningful difference between what the business is today and what the business could become. That naturally leads me toward questions around earnings power, growth, capital efficiency, competitive advantage, management quality, balance-sheet strength, valuation, optionality and re-rating potential.
But the most important question always remains the same:
What am I missing?
That question matters because conviction without skepticism becomes dangerous. I'd rather find the hole in my own thesis before the market does.
Questions behind every business I study
Earnings Power
How the business actually makes money, and how durable that is.
Growth & Capital Efficiency
How much capital growth requires, and what it returns.
Competitive Advantage
What gives it an edge, and how long that edge can hold.
Management Quality
How management thinks, allocates capital, and treats shareholders.
Balance-Sheet Strength
What happens to the business when assumptions go wrong.
Valuation & Optionality
What the market is pricing, and where the re-rating potential lies.
Understanding the business, not predicting the market
Investing is one of the areas I've become deeply interested in. I enjoy studying businesses, understanding their economics, evaluating management, thinking about valuation, and trying to identify situations where the market may be mispricing future earnings.
My approach is driven more by understanding the business than by predicting the market. You don't need to have an opinion on everything — you need to recognise a good opportunity when it appears, and have the patience to wait when it doesn't.