Value investing as a philosophy of investing started its evolution at the beginning of the twentieth century when Benjamin Graham started teaching this investing strategy in Columbia Business School in 1927. Later, in 1934, one of his students, David Dodd, published Graham’s lectures as Security Analysis that is considered to be a bible for value investors. Today, any investor who is keeping to this strategy may be referred to as Graham-and-Dodd investor. This philosophy has one attractive advantage – one does not need to be a finance genius to become a successful value investor; all he needs is money to invest, patience and time and desire to read some books and do some accounting. It gained popularity because of success of one of its most famous followers, Warren Buffett, who once said about it: ” The investment shown by the discounted-flows-of-cash calculation to be the cheapest is the one that the investor Continue reading
Investment Analysis
Responsible Investment – Concept, Definition, Advantages, and Disadvantages
According to research, many corporations in the contemporary world have purposed to reorient their investment policies in line with the principle of the common good through responsible investment strategies. As a way of addressing the numerous challenges associated with globalization, responsible investment is one of the notable trends that corporations have taken up since the turn of the century. It refers to an investment approach that aims to integrate social, environmental, and governance elements into investment decisions with the sole purpose of improving risk management, as well as generating sustainable and long-term results. The social elements integrated into investment decisions include improving employee relations, diversity, health, safety, working conditions, as well as conflict management. Environmental elements include deforestation, resource depletion, waste management, pollution, and climate change. Governance elements include issues relating to tax strategy, executive pay, political lobbying, corruption, as well as board diversity and structure. The concept of responsible Continue reading
Corporate Investment Decisions – Meaning and Stages
In order to succeed in a competitive market, corporations need to pay much attention to their investment decisions to gain benefits and profits. The process of making effective decisions involves several steps, and it needs to be discussed in detail along with a list of options that are available to corporations for their investment. The purpose of this article is to provide an explanation of how the majority of corporations make specific investment decisions to add to their profitability and competitive advantage. The first step in the decision-making process related to investing in the analysis of a current situation with the help of certain tools, such as the cash flow analysis and the analysis of the cost of capital. These tools are important to indicate the current position of a corporation in the market, evaluate its attractiveness to potential investors, and influence its own investing decisions. The second step in Continue reading
Risks Associated with Derivatives
Although derivatives are legitimate and valuable tools for hedging risks, like all financial instruments they create risks that must be managed. Warren Buffett, one of the world’s most wise investors, states that “derivatives are financial weapons of mass destruction, carrying dangers that, while now latent, are potentially lethal.” On one hand derivatives neutralize risks while on the other hand they create risks. In fact there are certain risks inherent in derivatives. Derivatives can be dangerous if not managed properly. Numerous financial disasters such as Enron can be related to the mismanagement of derivatives. In the 1990s, Procter & Gamble lost $157 million in a currency speculation involving dollars and German Marks, Gibson Greetings lost $20 million and Long-Term Capital Management, a hedge fund, lost $4 billion with currency and interest-rate derivatives. It is key to consider that it has not been the use of derivatives as a tool which has Continue reading
Risk and Return in Investments
There are different motives for investment. The most prominent among all is to earn a return on investment. However, selecting investments on the basis of return in not enough. The fact is that most investors invest their funds in more than one security suggest that there are other factors, besides return, and they must be considered. The investors not only like return but also dislike risk. So, what is required is: Clear understanding of what risk and return are, What creates them, and How can they be measured? Return: The return is the basic motivating force and the principal reward in the investment process. The return may be defined in terms of (i) realized return, i.e., the return which has been earned, and (ii) expected return, i.e., the return which the investor anticipates to earn over some future investment period. The expected return is a predicted or estimated return and Continue reading
Role of Financial Statements Analysis in Making Investment Decisions
One of the most important long-term decisions for any business is investment with the aim of making gains in the future. Investment decisions are concerned with the use of funds including buying, holding or selling and each decision could be vital to a firm. A careless decision may result in a long-term loss or even worse, bankruptcy. Therefore, an in-depth understanding and analysis is necessary for a high quality investment decision process. This is also even more critical to investors who invest in stock of company or shareholders. Financial statement analysis is critical in making effective stock investment decisions. By study the balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement and statement of owners’ equity separately and combined, an analyst might have a good sense of a company’s overall financial picture; therefore, the investment decisions are likely to be reasonable and profitable. Financial Statements Analysis In order to understand the analysis Continue reading