Category Archive

We’ve just been re-reading Howard Mark’s 2009 Memo – Touchstones. In the memo Marks provides some great insights into how investors can become more effective contrarians saying: Resisting – and thereby achieving success as a contrarian – isn’t easy. Things combine to make it difficult, including natural herd tendencies and … Read More

In his 2014 memo – Dare To Be Great, Howard Marks says successful investing includes dealing with some losses saying: “To succeed at any activity involving the pursuit of gain, we have to be able to withstand the possibility of loss. A goal of avoiding all losses can render success … Read More

Here’s a great interview with Howard Marks at Goldman Sachs in which Marks discusses why going to cash under almost all circumstances is stupid, and why market timing is impossible. Here’s an excerpt from the interview: Interviewer: Now that Oaktree is now $120 billion, and I understand not all pools … Read More

Here’s a great video with Howard Marks at Bloomberg. During the interview Marks says: “I think, as it often does, the market has flipped from being all good to all bad. Prior to October the 4th it was ignoring some possible problem sites and now it’s obsessing about them. That’s … Read More

Howard Marks has just released his latest memo which focuses on today’s economic environment compared to 2008 saying: “Thus the idea for this memo came from the seven worst words in the investment world: “too much money chasing too few deals.” Here’s an excerpt from that memo: I have a … Read More

In his 2006 memo titled ‘Pigweed’ Howard Marks provided investors with six classic investment mistakes that every investor should avoid using the real-life case study of hedge fund – Amaranth Advisors. Amaranth Advisors was an American multi-strategy hedge fund founded by Nicholas Maounis and headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut. During its peak, the firm had up to … Read More

Here’s a great interview with Howard Marks from his own series called – The Marks Investor Series. In this Q&A session Marks discusses what makes great investors great. Here’s an excerpt from that interview: I think we can lump the explanation under the heading of emotion. You mentioned Seth Klarman … Read More

One of our favorite books from our list of 50 Of The Best Investing Books Of All Time is – The Most Important Thing: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor, by Howard Marks. There’s one passage in particular in which Marks highlights the importance of buying at the right price without consideration … Read More

Here’s a great interview (below) with Howard Marks at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (2018). Marks was asked his thoughts on distressed debt investing, margin of safety, and catching falling knives when evaluating prospective investments. Here’s his response: Marks: You know there’s only one intelligent form of … Read More

Howard Marks provides a great reminder in his 2001 shareholder letter that it takes a lot more than hard work for active managers to be successful in investing. He added that increasing the number of analysts to their firm does little to add value to their analysis saying: “I was … Read More