I& #39;m reading Anthony Bolton& #39;s "Investing Against The Tide" and liked this quote:
The $20b takeover by KKR of Alliance Boots probably marked the top of the cycle...I don& #39;t suppose we& #39;ll see another like that for a very long time.

$88b of SPACs in q1 2021: Hold my beer!
This quote from Bill Miller was unfortunately timed. It was used in & #39;09, within months of his fund blowing up.
Contrary to Buffett wisdom, Bolton considered turnarounds as his prime hunting ground:
"The heart of my approach has been buying recovery or turnaround stocks on attractive valuations".
Also against the value grain, Bolton was a big fan of technical analysis and would regularly consult chartists within and external to Fidelity.
Thought I would bookend this thread with Anthony Bolton& #39;s 12 attributes of a good portfolio manager.
I enjoyed the book and it reminded me a lot of John Neff& #39;s, spanning a similar time period:

1. "The Seeing Eye"- essentially second-level and lateral thinking.
2. Temperament- self explanatory and much more important than IQ.

3. Organisation- Bolton was fanatical about routine and note-taking.

4. Hunger for analysis (and knowledge).
5. A generalist- life would just be depressing as the railroad analyst at a big fund!

6. Desire to win- No shortage of competitiveness and ego in this game.

7. Flexible Conviction- similar to the phrase "strong opinions, loosely held".
8. Happy to go against the crowd.

9. Knows themselves and their approach.

10. Experienced- enough to know they don& #39;t know everything and have seen tough times.
11. Integrity- essential in Bolton& #39;s mind and fair enough.

12. Common sense- use of first principles.

Investing Against the Tide is a short read, with the foreword by Peter Lynch, so well worth the time imo.
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