Blog: Cutting Through the Noise
Globe and Mail Articles
Forget Boring: It's Time to be Wary
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on March 4, 2011
In addition to my day job, I sit on investment committees for two institutional funds, so every quarter there is a pile of manager reports to read and many different perspectives to assimilate. Unfortunately, if I try to do too much in a short time, as I did this week...Read More
Risk-free? Be Careful What You Wish For
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on February 18, 2011
“Risk-free investing. Yes, it does exist.” These words are featured prominently in a financial institution’s ads we’re seeing this season. And every time I see them, it sets me off. Why? Because investing is all about taking risk. Without it, we get risk-free...Read More
How Bay Street Can Bridge its Credibility Gap
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on February 4, 2011
Bay Street, we have a problem. A PR problem. Our clients think we can do more than we’re capable of. Some think we know which stocks are going up and when to get in and out of the market. We’re setting them up for disappointment and as a...Read More
Star Fund Managers a Bet Well Worth Taking
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on January 21, 2011
On the buy side, we have a love/hate relationship with our stars. We’re happy when they put big return numbers up on the board, bring recognition to our firms and attract new assets. We don’t like it, however, when we become too dependent on them. Then...Read More
Investing Questions That Need to be Asked
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on January 7, 2011
“Finding the right answers is easy. Asking the right questions is the hard part.” As we open our calendars on 2011, this old adage has never been more apt. We’re being buffeted with crosswinds and it’s not obvious which ones will affect investment...Read More
Who Knew? Things Investors Wish They Saw Coming
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on December 24, 2010
Hindsight bias: The inclination to see events that have occurred as being more predictable than they were before they took place. That’s Wikipedia’s definition of a behavioural weakness we all have. We take credit for having seen something...Read More
Watch for the Rise of the Independent Money Manager
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on December 10, 2010
We’re going through another wave of consolidation in the asset management industry. Last summer, Sceptre Investment Counsel merged into Fiera Capital. More recently, CI Financial bought Hartford’s mutual funds, Bank of Nova Scotia made an offer for DundeeWealth...Read More
Much-maligned Greenback is Looking Increasingly Cheap
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on November 26, 2010
In investing, it’s easy to mistake a transient trend for an eternal verity. Right now, for instance, many investors are tacitly assuming that China will grow at 10 per cent forever. Same goes for the notion that we’re running out of oil, that gold is the best store of...Read More
A Simple Risk Management Tool to Avoid the Next Bubble
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on November 12, 2010
It’s only been 18 months since the nadir of our once-in-a-lifetime financial crisis, but it feels like we’re already forgetting some of the lessons learned. I’m referring to the fact that, in this market full of cross currents, we have another major asset class getting...Read More
Lighten Up You Bears, It's Not All Gloom
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on October 29, 2010
Whenever one investment theme, strategy or person is in the spotlight, it’s important to look in the shadows for a different perspective. That’s because as voices get louder and more confident, a consensus emerges that makes it harder to find the...Read More
Why Volatility Doesn't Always Equal Risk
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on October 15, 2010
When investors open their quarterly statements this month, they’ll be pleasantly surprised. Despite all the doom and gloom, the last three months have brought a year’s worth of returns. But despite the fact that the most recent quarter will bring...Read More
To Beat the Market, Try a Little Sensitivity
Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on October 1, 2010
“Maybe you might have, some advice to give, on how to be insensitive.” The chorus from this great Jann Arden song speaks to where the investment industry has gone over the last 20 years. I’m not referring to touchy-feely, relationship stuff, but rather a hard...Read More
