Thomas Chua Profile picture
Feb 18 20 tweets 7 min read
At 98, Munger is as sharp as ever.

His recent 2-hour sharing at $DJCO was 🔥

Talked about $BABA, $COST, $ATVI, crypto, interest rates, envy, antitrust, the great resignation, growth vs value investing and MORE.

Here are my notes:
1. Let's get the white elephant out of the room and talk:

$BABA

Why invest in China? And why Alibaba?
To find out more about $BABA without going through 10 years of annual report, check out my deep-dive here.

More than 20,000 people have viewed it in 7 days.

steadycompounding.com/investing/Alib…
2. It's no secret that Munger has a contempt for crypto

While there are legitimate use cases (IMO), Munger hates the negative spillover it brings.
3. On whether there'll be a major interest rate increase

Japan managed to maintain low interest rates and reduce their debt without compromising their living standards.

But we're not sure if the U.S. can pull off the same trick.

Here's why:
4. On diversification

Munger has mad concentration.

He feels that good companies are hard to come by and we're lucky if we can get 4 good assets.

IMO that extreme level of concentration isn't for most people.

Because we ain't sharp as Munger and the volatility isn't for most.
5. On $BRK stake in $ATVI

He has great admiration for the CEO.

The thesis wasn't based on the metaverse.

It was simply that the existing tailwind of the gaming industry is huge.
6. On antitrust against big tech

He would rather not weaken the top tech companies in the U.S.

And that we should be proud of these assets.
7. His thoughts on the Russell 2000 falling off 15% off it's all-time high

TLDR; he doesn't give a shit.

Expect sharp downswings when you are investing.
8. Thoughts on the great resignation

Working habits are changing & many prefer WFH arrangements.

And the government dished out too much welfare.

People work to avoid the agony that comes with unemployment.

When that is taken away, it becomes disruptive.
9. We rationalize our misbehaviors

On why misbehaviors are so rampant in the finance and wealth management industry.
10. On the newspaper industry

They were the fourth branch of the government and there used to be quality journalism.

Their demise was replaced by media outlets that focused on pumping out crazy headlines.

Unfortunate.. but inevitable.
11. On Costco

It is overvalued now. But if you have a long time horizon, your returns will equal the business' return on capital (ROC).

Hence, Munger is ok with buying $COST today if he had a 30 to 50 year time horizon.
12. On holding cash

If there weren't capital gains tax, would he go to cash today?

I presume the question was asked because of the uncertain interest rate environment, inflation fears and high asset valuation.

Here's what Munger have to say:
13. Dividend investing vs growth investing

Investing style is a personal thing.

IMO, it depends on your:
• temperament
• stage of life
•capital size

That said, always focus on total shareholder returns, not just returns from dividends.
14. Why are people unhappy?

Despite the quality of life improving significantly across the board, people are still unhappy.

Reason: Envy

"I have conquered envy in my own life. I don't envy anybody. I don't give a damn what somebody else has."

Mic drop 🎤
15. The secret to a happy life?

Low expectations.
16. Who does he admire the most?

1️⃣ Lee Kuan Yew
2️⃣ Otto Bismarck
That's the end of my notes!

I hope you enjoyed it.

If you like this, follow me here @steadycompound
If you would like to receive a copy of my notes, join more than 5,000 other readers and subscribe to my newsletter at Steady Compounding.

I write about business breakdowns, investing concepts and mental models!

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Feb 12
You asked, I delivered.

Many of you have asked me how to value a company.

To best address this topic, I went back to basics.

Valuation by Mckinsey, Aswath Damodaran's lectures, MM papers and more.

Check out: A Primer On Valuation 👇
In this post you'll find:

• primer on stock valuation
• FREE intrinsic value calculator
• complete list of resources on mastering valuation

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Highly recommend you read the primer on valuation first.

But if you want to jump straight to downloading the free intrinsic value calculator, download it here:

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Feb 11
Read $PTON new CEO Barry McCarthy's email to employees.

Tough decisions were made swiftly and decisively to ensure survival.

This saga reminded me of @bhorowitz chapter on "When Things Fall Apart".

Lessons on managing crises from The Hard Thing About Hard Things:
@bhorowitz 1. Get your head right

It's hard to focus on the future during a crisis because the past will overwhelm us—but that's precisely what CEOs must do—focus on what needs to be done for the future.
@bhorowitz 2. Don't delay

Once a decision has been made to lay-off, execution should be as swift as possible.

If word leaks (if you delay), more problems will ensue.

Employees will start questioning the managers and create further agitation.
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Feb 5
Evaluating management is a difficult task.

Elizabeth Holmes raised $900m & had support from billionaires, VCs, and government officials.

Her invention promised > 200 medical tests with just a drop of blood.

It was all a ruse.

My reflection & lessons on evaluating management:
1. Never stray too far from your competence

Be aware of your circle of competence.

It is easy to give in to FOMO when you see others making a ton of money, especially in complicated & rapidly growing sectors.

Develop a discipline to invest only when you understand the product.
2. Is management beating around the bush?

Assess if management can answer difficult questions without using a bunch of fluff words.

We want management to be candid and straightforward.
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Feb 2
$FB (now $META) Q4 results:

Revenue: 33.7B vs 33.4B (beat)
EBIT: 12.6B vs 13.1B (miss)
Net Income: 10.3B vs 11B (miss)
EPS: $3.72 vs $3.83 (miss)

DAP: 2.82B, up 8% yoy
MAP: 3.59B, up 9% yoy
DAUs: 1.93B, up 5% yoy
MAUs: 2.91B, up 4% yoy
Ad impressions: Up 13% yoy
Price per ad: Up 6% yoy

Headcount: 71,970 up 23%

Share repurchases: $19.18B in Q4 21

Total shares repurchased for full year 2021: $44.81B

$38.79B left in the tank for more share repurchases.
Similar to the shift from desktop feed to mobile feed and to stories, Mark is leading the next pivot into Reels.

It will further cannibalize its ad revenue from feed in the short-term but this move is key to capturing younger adults.
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Jan 29
Several people asked for book recommendations.

Books that made me a better investor.

Books that inspired me.

Here are my top 10 books that made my life significantly better:
1. The Joys of Compounding

@Gautam__Baid did a great job at distilling investment and life lessons into a comprehensive guide.

amzn.to/32H1Xf5
@Gautam__Baid 2. Capital Returns: Investing Through the Capital Cycle

Best for understanding commodity and investment cycles.

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Jan 29
Many analysts are reducing their price targets on growth stocks during this dip.

Yes, price action drives narrative.

But if we look at their models, the revenue growth & margins projection doesn't change.

They're still expecting the companies to execute.

So what changed?
The terminal multiple (based on earnings, sales, cash flow, EBITDA, etc) assigned to a company changed to a greater extent.

They're trying to figure out what the market is going to pay in the future.

To avoid looking silly, it won't be too far from the herd.
No matter how many certifications they have under their belt, they will guesstimate future multiples based on current market sentiments.

I still do look at analyst's reports from time to time.

To try and understand their thinking behind growth & margins.
Read 5 tweets

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