Warren Buffett once said: “We look for three things when we hire people. We look for intelligence, we look for initiative and we look for integrity. And if they don’t have the latter, the first two will kill you.” Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Consumer discretionary.

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Here at Montgomery, we’ve always believed that partnerships are the backbone of wealth creation. It’s why, together with our key executives David Buckland, Chief Executive Officer and Scott Phillips, Head of Distribution, I have made it my job to identify and partner with those we believe can deliver exceptional outcomes for you. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Small Caps.

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Over 11,000 Australian companies entered administration in the 2023/ 24 financial year. The bad news continued with a further 3,300 insolvencies in the September 2024 quarter. This is around four times the quarterly average since the business insolvency data was collated (from 1999). However, when we consider the total number of companies registered with the ASIC, the data doesn’t look that bad. 

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by David Buckland Posted in Economics.

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In his latest newsletter entitled “Shall We Repeal the Laws of Economics”, Howard Marks posited “deficits encourage the economic growth that most people enjoy, and spending more than the government takes in permits officials to give away “free stuff”, thereby gaining votes. But doing this perpetually requires ignoring the laws of economics, running up debts in the apparent belief they’ll never have to be paid. Can it go on without end? We’ll see, but I would think not”. Continue…

by David Buckland Posted in Economics.

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The question, ‘my parents are cash-strapped, so why don’t they sell their house?’ is a familiar topic of discussion among us, Gen X’ers, aged between 43 and 59 in 2024.

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by Roger Montgomery Posted in Aura Group, Property.

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In this week’s video insight, I am joined by Gary Rollo and Dominic Rose, portfolio managers of the Montgomery Small Companies Fund, as they celebrate the fund’s five-year milestone. They discuss the fund’s impressive performance, having delivered a 9.3 per cent compound annual return and outperforming the S&P/ ASX Small Ordinaries Index by 33 per cent since its inception in 2019. Despite market volatility, including the COVID-19 pandemic and central banks’ rapid rate hikes, the fund has consistently identified growth opportunities. Gary and Dominic share their investment approach and outlook for small caps, highlighting their strategy to capitalise on emerging market conditions.

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by David Buckland Posted in Small Caps, Video Insights.

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In last week’s interview with Ausbiz, we discussed the recent accusations against Coles (ASX:COL) and Woolworths (ASX:WOW) for misleading shoppers about discounts. We explored how the new leadership at both companies, with female CEO’s, might bring a more nuanced and sensitive approach to crisis management. While Coles has taken a defensive stance, Woolworths’ more measured response could ultimately benefit their long-term brand value. Drawing from past examples like Qantas (ASX:QAN) and Exxon, I highlighted the importance of transparency and suggested that the supermarket that embraces change could gain a competitive edge in the market. 

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by Roger Montgomery Posted in TV Appearances.

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OpenAI has recently made waves with its launch of cutting-edge speech technology, and underscoring the company’s shift in focus. While this marks an impressive leap in artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, it also raises critical concerns that the race to release new products may be sidelining safety measures. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Companies.

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