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Ken Skarbeck

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BULLS & BEARS: Beta as a measure of risk only one factor to consider

The field of investing is constantly generating massive amounts of data that is readily compiled, measured and analyzed. Historical stock price movements are spun into charts, figures from financial statements are manipulated into ratios, and computer software allows the calculation of all sorts of esoteric statistics. Perhaps to no one’s surprise, the ease with which numbers can be mathematically massaged can often produce misleading results. As a wise prophet once said, “To a man with a hammer, everything looks like…

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BULLS & BEARS: Rebalancing a portfolio requires careful thought

To finish the examination of asset allocation practices in the investment industry, consider the strategy called “portfolio rebalancing.” To refresh the understanding of asset allocation, think of an investment portfolio as being depicted by a pie chart. The various slices of the pie represent the percentage of the portfolio (money) an investor has allocated to each asset class. Examples of asset classes include largecompany stocks, small companies, international stocks, real estate investment trusts and fixed-income instruments. An adviser may recommend…

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BULLS & BEARS: How managing investments works from the top down

Another variation of the asset allocation and diversification theme that is common on Wall Street is what’s called a “topdown” investment strategy to manage a portfolio. Investors who practice this sort of money management are generally more concerned with the economic outlook and its effect on various “market sectors” than the business fundamentals of a particular company. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index is the most commonly used measuring stick for the investment performance of many mutual funds and money…

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BULLS & BEARS: Investors do well to avoid asset-allocation infatuation

Asset allocation is a term regularly used in the investment industry. A close cousin of diversification, it refers to the division of an investor’s dollars between a variety of different “asset classes,” and is generally considered to be a tool to control risk. The two most basic asset classes are simply stocks and bonds. There was a time when simple “models” were employed by institutional investors, such as pension funds, with the rule of thumb formula being a portfolio of…

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BULLS & BEARS: Passive investors need to consider diversification

We think the argument for diversification rests with a decision to choose “passive” investing over “active” investing. So-called active investment management is found in mutual funds where managers are actively making decisions to buy or sell stocks and bonds. It also describes the investor who builds and manages a portfolio of individual securities. Passive management describes index investing. It amounts to an investor’s deciding he wants exposure to the markets but does not want to be bothered with selecting and…

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BULLS & BEARS: Some New Year’s wisdom from uber-investor Buffett

With the new year and in a reflective mood, here is a collection of quotes I find convey useful investment wisdom. All the quotes, except the last by Peter Lynch, are extracted from the speeches or writings of Warren Buffett, some of which contain thoughts ascribed to his mentor Ben Graham. Enjoy. “I will tell you the secret of getting rich on Wall Street. You try to be greedy when others are fearful and you try to be very fearful…

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