1. The DCF Model: Question Your Assumptions
The recent public debuts of companies that have shown great revenue growth but little to no earnings, such as Groupon and LinkedIn, were reminiscent of the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s, and there is a natural temptation to get caught up in the hype. For this reason, it is as important as ever for analysts to rely on the fundamental principles of investing and valuation. And the discounted cash flow (DCF) model is a great place to start.
2. Felix Zulauf Revisits His Predictions, Sees More Trouble Ahead
Last May, at the 64th CFA Institute Annual Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, veteran investor Felix Zulauf laid out a number of bearish predictions that have largely proved to be on the money. Now that six months have passed — and with so much happening in the world — we thought it was a good time to review his predictions and get a fresh update on his outlook for the economy and financial markets.
3. The Hildebrand Case: Ethics and the Power of Perception
The recent scandal that led Swiss National Bank chairman Philipp Hildebrand to resign highlights the difference between what is legal and what is ethical. The law tells us what we “can and cannot do,” whereas ethics tells us what we “should and should not do.”
4. Derivatives: The Anti-Money
Researchers at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, in Geneva, Switzerland, made a splash recently with the “discovery” of the Higgs boson — a subatomic particle that creates a vital link between matter and anti-matter. For researchers at CFA Institute, the Higgs boson discovery is interesting because it parallels a great challenge facing the world of finance: derivatives. You see, in finance, derivatives contracts are kind of like the Higgs boson as they contain the vital link between money and anti-money.
5. Trust is in the Details: Why Advisers Need to Close the Knowledge Gap on Alternative Strategies
A recent survey suggests that some investment advisers may be recommending alternative investment strategies that neither they nor their clients fully understand. In order to regain the confidence and trust of clients and the public at large, investment professionals must commit to doing a better job of understanding — and communicating — the features, characteristics, and risks of these complex strategies.
