Business

AS a result of countless failures by central banks to normalize monetary policy over the past 7 years, the market - especially bonds and rates - has become openly cynical and outright skeptical regarding the possibility of a successful renormalization of policy by global central banks. After all, Japan has been trying to do that for over 30 years and has yet to succeed; the ECB hiked in 2011 resulting in near collapse of the Eurozone.

Ireland are expected to leave the European Union in revenge for its treatment by the EU elite during the financial crisis.  Co-founder of Hibernia Forum, Keith Redmond, claims that Irish people have had enough of [...]

In several major economies it's crunch time for the future of cash. Goldman Sachs notes that this is largely policy-driven: tangible steps are being taken to wean economies off cash (e.g. India, Europe); but adds that, at the same time consumer expectations around convenience are rising and enabling technologies have proliferated in the shape of contactless cards, mobile wallets, cryptocurrencies and more.

So, they ask, does the decline in cash payments imply the demise of cash?

Not necessarily.

Authored by Johnny Hopkins via The Aquirer's Multiple blog,

One of our favorite investors at The Acquirer’s Multiple – Stock Screener is Howard Marks.

Howard Marks is Chairman and Co-Founder of Oaktree Capital Management, the world’s biggest distressed-debt investor. He’s known in the investment community for his “Oaktree memos” to clients which detail investment strategies and insight into the economy, and in 2011 he published the book The Most Important Thing: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor.

Nearly a decade ago, Warren Buffett bet Protege Partners, a fund of hedge funds, that over the course of 10 years the S&P would outperform Protege's returns net of all fees, costs and expenses.  To make it real, the loser agreed to pay $1 million to the charity of the winner's choice.

At this past year's annual meeting, Warren Buffett provided an update on the now 8-year-old bet and, sure enough, the S&P has obliterated Protege's net returns by over 40%, on a cumulative basis.