Insights
These concise papers provide a detailed look at the factors that contribute to the investment decisions we make at Sionna.
Waiting for Dawn
April 2020
Throughout human history, irrational investors have fluctuated between fear (value) and greed (growth speculation). Behavioural psychology of finance demonstrates we are more frequently and strongly collectively moved by fear of loss. This type of emotion has not been present in our markets for a long time; however, we firmly believe it will return and will benefit patient value investors who are focused on the long term.
Energy Stocks: Unloved, Under-Owned and Undervalued
January 2020
A situation currently exists that shares some similarities to the technology craze of the late 1990s to early 2000 period. During this time, everything but technology, telecom and media companies were labelled “old economy” and shunned by most investors as they chased the growth and promises of the new economy market darlings. Today, energy stocks feel like the “old economy” stocks of 20 years ago, many being left for dead with virtually no investor interest of any significance.
Value Investing: Art vs. Science
October 2019
Some say value investing is both an art and a science. It is an art because successful investing requires judgement honed from experience, an understanding of history to recognize patterns and the emotional fortitude to shield against psychological biases. Investing is also a science because cold hard analytics can be applied. However, when investors focus too narrowly on any single metric, there is a temptation to rush to judge the attractiveness of a security or portfolio.
What a Wicked (Investing) Game we Play
July 2019
Financial markets can certainly be characterized as wicked environments. In investing, the rules of the game are always changing: competitive forces evolve, supply and demand dynamics shift, governing bodies turn over and macroeconomic variables swing.
Decentralization: A Tug of War
April 2019
In assessing structures, Sionna has noticed that the decentralized business model stands out as an effective form of aligning incentives at the ground level while allowing an organization to grow efficiently. At its core, a decentralized business provides autonomy to several distinct units rather than centralizing all decisions at the top. However, while decentralization can be the start of a strong foundation, it doesn’t ensure success on its own.
Is Price-to-Book Value Still Relevant?
January 2019
Investors have historically used a variety of characteristics to measure the valuation of a stock. Price-to-book value is one such characteristic and has often been used as the line in the sand when distinguishing value investors from growth investors. As long-term value investors, we have leaned on this ratio (and others) as a measure of value for both individual stocks and the overall portfolio. More recently, however, there are suggestions that price-to-book value has evolved into a less robust metric.
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