1 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:11,760 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to The Australian's Money Puzzle podcast. I'm 2 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:16,080 Speaker 1: James Kirby, the editor at The Australian. Welcome aboard everybody. 3 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:18,840 Speaker 1: You might think in a podcast like this, I have 4 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:24,320 Speaker 1: lots of fund managers on the show, but I don't. Actually, 5 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 1: I've had maybe three or four a year. The reason 6 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 1: for that is, to be honest with you, a lot 7 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:33,200 Speaker 1: of them sound the same, they say the same things, 8 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: and that type of manager, the traditional fund manager, is 9 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 1: now indeed trouble because index funds basically are eating their lunch. 10 00:00:42,720 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 1: You can see those big names that were household names, Perpetual, Platinum, Magellan, 11 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: they are deeply challenged now because of index funds. And 12 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 1: so what fund managers have to do is they have 13 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: to do something entirely different reproducing the index as they 14 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: call it X hugging. It's just simply no good anymore. 15 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 1: You have to do something very different to attract the 16 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:10,840 Speaker 1: investor and to make it worthwhile. Basically to swing with 17 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 1: someone and to have someone pickstocks for you. Today, I 18 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: have someone that I know for quite a while and 19 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,240 Speaker 1: he's in the business largely of finding what we call 20 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: small cap stocks for mid cap stocks, I can tell 21 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 1: you it's not a game for the faint hearted because 22 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: one year, basically you can shoot out the lights and 23 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:34,839 Speaker 1: the next year it can go all off the rails 24 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:38,720 Speaker 1: big time. And that's how it goes. It's volatile. You 25 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: need an iron like constitution to stay at it. Dean 26 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:47,119 Speaker 1: Fergie runs the Cion Investment Fund. He's going to talk 27 00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: about the market, what happened this year some of the 28 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 1: big stories in stocks? Guzmny Gomez. Is that a big story. 29 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 1: It's a big story, that's for sure, but whether it's 30 00:01:56,240 --> 00:02:00,480 Speaker 1: a big stock remains to be seen. Commonwealth Bank now 31 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:03,840 Speaker 1: there's a big stock, two hundred billion dollar stock being shorted, 32 00:02:03,960 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: mind you, because many gome as it turns out, has 33 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:08,360 Speaker 1: been shorter too. Can you one week after it floated? 34 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 1: It's been a really interesting year. How are you, Dean Fergie? 35 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 2: Good morning, James. Thanks for having me on. 36 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: Great to have you on. We had a very interesting 37 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: show last week. Conceptually, it was a very interesting show 38 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: because I had John Stenshold, who is the editor of 39 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 1: The Rich two fifty and he's basically tycoon agraphy is 40 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:29,960 Speaker 1: he think he keeps in touch with all the tycoons. 41 00:02:30,440 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 1: And we did a piece of what they've been investing 42 00:02:32,520 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: in and the stocks that had been winners and losers 43 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:37,320 Speaker 1: for them. And it's interesting because they had plenty of 44 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 1: winners and plenty of losers over the year. But just 45 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:43,360 Speaker 1: to give everyone an idea that the share market this 46 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:46,080 Speaker 1: year in the end kind of a normal year, maybe 47 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:48,640 Speaker 1: nine percent across the board for the AX and maybe 48 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:50,919 Speaker 1: another three or four percent in dividends. Is that how 49 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:53,760 Speaker 1: it's looking if it was to keep going, We're not 50 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 1: finished yet, but that is what you call it broadly 51 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:58,920 Speaker 1: in the end, a very normal year in this scheme 52 00:02:58,960 --> 00:02:59,400 Speaker 1: of things. 53 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 2: I think at the top line, it is, you know, 54 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:05,359 Speaker 2: I think you might expect a high single or low 55 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 2: double digit returns in any normal year in the stock market. 56 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 2: But I've also seen, you know, there's been a real 57 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 2: absence of activity in the IPO market, so there haven't 58 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:17,120 Speaker 2: been those free kicks for a lot of investors that 59 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:20,240 Speaker 2: play the stock market individually. And also I think it's 60 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:21,720 Speaker 2: also been kind of a bit of a tale of 61 00:03:21,720 --> 00:03:23,399 Speaker 2: two tails. Like you've had a lot of the big 62 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 2: cap stocks doing really really nicely. Small caps have performed 63 00:03:27,560 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 2: a little bit better later on in the year, but 64 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:35,120 Speaker 2: the microcaps are still really really kind of underappreciated and 65 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 2: still in a real slump at the moment. So we 66 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:42,960 Speaker 2: tend to operate in the smaller micro cap in and 67 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 2: we've found that in there it's been quite a challenge 68 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 2: just in terms of liquidity and investor interest in that space. 69 00:03:51,680 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 1: For the listener, we have all sorts of listeners, but 70 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:57,800 Speaker 1: for the every day listener, just to find those what's 71 00:03:57,840 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: a small cap, how does it? What's the tiers there? 72 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 2: I'd probably say small, low marker caps of anything under 73 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 2: one hundred million dollar in market cap to five hundred 74 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:11,960 Speaker 2: and two billion in small cap, and anything over a 75 00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 2: billion's probably a large captoc. 76 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 1: And so let's just talk about some of the things 77 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 1: that have been going on this last quarter in the market. 78 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:21,400 Speaker 1: It's been really interesting because you mentioned IPOs and when 79 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:23,800 Speaker 1: we did the show last week, Guzman Ego is the 80 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: Mexican takeaway chain, had just arrived on the market and 81 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:33,400 Speaker 1: they'd literally floated an hour or two earlier, and that 82 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:35,880 Speaker 1: was the biggest float for a long time, I think 83 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:40,479 Speaker 1: three years. Instantly successful on a technical basis in that 84 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:43,920 Speaker 1: it listed and it immediately rows by thirty percent up 85 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:47,719 Speaker 1: to thirty dollars now in the week that's passed a 86 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:51,200 Speaker 1: lot of questions about this float, and you just said 87 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 1: at the start there that we need IPOs, and we 88 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 1: do need IPOs. Some people think this is great, it's 89 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:58,640 Speaker 1: wonderful for the market. Hey, we finally got a big 90 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: IPO that took off. Some people say this is as 91 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 1: good as it gets for those guys, believe it or not, 92 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:09,000 Speaker 1: there's already a million share is shorted in them. They 93 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:12,479 Speaker 1: haven't passed the level that they passed that for US 94 00:05:12,600 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 1: day they were thirty dollars and they're twenty nine. Now 95 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:19,560 Speaker 1: what's your view on them, and more importantly, what is 96 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:21,040 Speaker 1: their significance as a float? 97 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 2: Well, courst up with positives that. I think it's been 98 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 2: a fantastic result for the market. You've had a very 99 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:36,039 Speaker 2: large float that have had both promoters and tractors involved, 100 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 2: so it wasn't all one way traffic. In terms of 101 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:44,279 Speaker 2: the expectations. It's come on at a significant premium with 102 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:49,159 Speaker 2: quite material volume training over the first few days. So 103 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:51,919 Speaker 2: I think in terms of looking at the health of 104 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 2: the market, I think it's been fantastic. It's a real 105 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:57,360 Speaker 2: sign that things are starting to get back to normal. 106 00:05:58,279 --> 00:06:03,039 Speaker 2: For me in terms of pure evaluations. Given what else 107 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:08,800 Speaker 2: is out there, it just doesn't stack up. I'm a 108 00:06:08,839 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 2: fundamental investor, and maybe be your fundamental investor is not 109 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:17,599 Speaker 2: as irrelevant as it has been in the past. In 110 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:21,080 Speaker 2: this market, I feel the market becomes very gets very 111 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 2: excited about certain themes for a while, and then then 112 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 2: forgets about them and looks at the new kind of 113 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 2: shiny thing. This is a new shiny stock. But look 114 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 2: at the revenues, the underlying profitability, which is close to zero. 115 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:37,160 Speaker 2: I think their MPACT for the year was about three 116 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:41,640 Speaker 2: million dollars. It's trading at a market cap of three billion, 117 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:43,920 Speaker 2: so that's a pretty steep multiple. If you ask may 118 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:46,719 Speaker 2: Well Ernie's, it's a bit irrelevant when they're so small. 119 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 1: That's higher than Nvidian. 120 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:52,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, but again it's off a very very low base. 121 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 2: I think the best comparison is something like Dominance, So 122 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 2: the market cap of Domino's and gos And is broadly 123 00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:06,200 Speaker 2: the same. Dominoes does four billion dollars in sales, Grismond 124 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:09,040 Speaker 2: does seven hundred and sixty, so it does six times 125 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:11,800 Speaker 2: the sales. It's got twenty times the number of stores. 126 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:16,280 Speaker 2: The profitability of Dominoes is one hundred and twenty million 127 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:20,200 Speaker 2: at the bottom line, So there's a massive gap in 128 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 2: evaluation between two I'd say similar socks. The difference being 129 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 2: that Gusman is new, it hasn't had a bad track record. 130 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:32,480 Speaker 2: In fact, everything isn't listened to. He has been fantastic 131 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:36,680 Speaker 2: so far, albeit over one week period. Dominos has had 132 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 2: early massive success and recently has struggled a little bit. 133 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:44,160 Speaker 1: So so thoughd promise really isn't it it's worth three billion? 134 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:46,440 Speaker 1: Someone was saying that it's working out at about seventeen 135 00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,240 Speaker 1: million each Gormez on your shot it's one. There are 136 00:07:49,240 --> 00:07:51,680 Speaker 1: what's seventeen million eeds according to the stoff market, So 137 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:54,240 Speaker 1: people are betting that they will do a Domino's. Is 138 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:56,240 Speaker 1: that it just have this ramp up period. 139 00:07:56,240 --> 00:07:58,560 Speaker 2: It has to be right that if you've got that 140 00:07:58,720 --> 00:08:03,840 Speaker 2: much expect built into the current market capitalization of the stock, 141 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 2: then it's all expectation. It's expectation they can take this 142 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:13,120 Speaker 2: success store in Australia and replicated overseas, which they may 143 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:15,920 Speaker 2: be able to do. I mean, they've got a management 144 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 2: team that's been proven so far. But we've seen we've 145 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:23,520 Speaker 2: Dominoes that you go into new jurisdictions with all those 146 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:26,440 Speaker 2: different challenges, and it's a little bit harder than building 147 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:31,040 Speaker 2: out a franchise in a country that you're very familiar with. 148 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:34,360 Speaker 1: Yes, and you know the rules and the regulations and 149 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:37,440 Speaker 1: the logistics, etc. And you have your relationships I spols 150 00:08:37,480 --> 00:08:39,520 Speaker 1: with your bank, yeah yeah. 151 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:42,880 Speaker 2: And just understanding the customers as well. People have quipped 152 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:47,320 Speaker 2: that taking Mexican food to the US isn't overly unique, 153 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:50,560 Speaker 2: and there might be some competition over there, but it'll 154 00:08:50,559 --> 00:08:54,760 Speaker 2: have to be very successful to justify where it's trading now. 155 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 2: But does that mean it won't continue to go up? 156 00:08:57,480 --> 00:08:59,760 Speaker 2: I don't know. The trend is there at the moment. 157 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 1: When you if you sell shorts a million shures it's 158 00:09:04,040 --> 00:09:06,720 Speaker 1: not enormous. But have when you seen people actually taking 159 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:10,199 Speaker 1: a bet and shorting a stock for something like Guzman, 160 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:12,920 Speaker 1: which is a new stock. What does it mean to you? 161 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, we don't short stocks as a business. You know. 162 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,640 Speaker 2: My sort of philosophy is that your losses are unlimited 163 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 2: and your gains are kepped at one hundred percent. I 164 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:30,320 Speaker 2: think on the basis on evaluation, it is easy to 165 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:33,360 Speaker 2: justify that it is a logical short, but it also 166 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:35,920 Speaker 2: would have been in a logical short at twenty five dollars 167 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:38,520 Speaker 2: or twenty dollars, and it's trading here at thirty. So 168 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:42,480 Speaker 2: it's not something I would personally be doing. I can 169 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:46,680 Speaker 2: understand the logic behind it, but I have seen many 170 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:53,160 Speaker 2: stocks in the domestic and international markets become completely hyped 171 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:56,720 Speaker 2: and over valued and wiped out shorts very quickly. The 172 00:09:56,760 --> 00:09:59,240 Speaker 2: main example of that overseas has been what's happened in 173 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:02,520 Speaker 2: Game Stop. You know that you've had a lot of 174 00:10:02,520 --> 00:10:05,240 Speaker 2: investors just driving the stop us up to what would 175 00:10:05,240 --> 00:10:08,600 Speaker 2: appear to be artificial has to wipe that shorts. And 176 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 2: once you take a bit of a pain in a 177 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:14,360 Speaker 2: short position, if you can't take any more pain, you 178 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:18,600 Speaker 2: have to close up position by buying stock, which makes 179 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:21,600 Speaker 2: your short look worse. So I think it's a little 180 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:24,840 Speaker 2: bit dangerous, but I can understand why some investors have 181 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:25,719 Speaker 2: decided to do it. 182 00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:28,400 Speaker 1: The irony is that they have to buy the stock 183 00:10:29,520 --> 00:10:32,360 Speaker 1: to cover the short, which means they drive the stock up, 184 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:34,720 Speaker 1: which is the exact opposite of what they were trying 185 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:37,520 Speaker 1: to do. It's really interesting, it's fascinating. I mean, our 186 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:40,640 Speaker 1: listeners would know the basics they're on shorting that people 187 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:44,640 Speaker 1: borrow stock obviously and they try to profit. Then when 188 00:10:44,679 --> 00:10:47,760 Speaker 1: the stock they try to drive it down basically, and 189 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:50,319 Speaker 1: in doing so they make money when they get the 190 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:52,760 Speaker 1: stock back. It's a strange game. It goes back to 191 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:57,479 Speaker 1: the nineteen twenties. We were sort of something of exemption 192 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:00,000 Speaker 1: and there wasn't much shorting here for a long life, 193 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:03,720 Speaker 1: long time quick history. Jim Chainos, the hedge fund manager, 194 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:08,240 Speaker 1: famously short at mcquarie bank back in two oh seven 195 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:11,160 Speaker 1: and it was a very successful short. McQuary went from 196 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:13,560 Speaker 1: about eighty dollars to seventeen at the time. He made 197 00:11:13,679 --> 00:11:16,800 Speaker 1: huge enormous amounts of money. That meant people came into 198 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:21,000 Speaker 1: the Australian market. Various people Glaucus came in at one stage, 199 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 1: especially on the old the old MFS plantation stock and 200 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:28,199 Speaker 1: all that. There's lots of successful ones in the early days. 201 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:30,920 Speaker 1: Now people are more sort of attuned to it. I'm 202 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:33,840 Speaker 1: using this as a preamble dean to something I suppose 203 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:37,839 Speaker 1: more important for people, which is Common Bank. So it's 204 00:11:37,880 --> 00:11:40,840 Speaker 1: got eight hundred thousand shareholders. I imagine just about everyone 205 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:45,480 Speaker 1: listening to this show has direct or indirect holding a 206 00:11:45,480 --> 00:11:47,960 Speaker 1: comwell bank. You couldn't avoid it, right because it's just 207 00:11:48,040 --> 00:11:51,080 Speaker 1: about the biggest stock now it's been short and substantially 208 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:54,960 Speaker 1: yeah at the moment, and Phil King, there's some names 209 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:57,760 Speaker 1: in the market publicly saying they're shortening it. Of course 210 00:11:57,800 --> 00:11:59,839 Speaker 1: they tell us they're shortening it because that's part of 211 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:02,400 Speaker 1: the game, isn't it that to let it be known 212 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:05,000 Speaker 1: you're shorting. But tell me when I say to you 213 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:09,839 Speaker 1: that there is now short activity and more shorts than usual. 214 00:12:09,840 --> 00:12:13,680 Speaker 1: I think about three billion dollars under line betting against 215 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:16,640 Speaker 1: come Web Bank. Come We Bank's about two it's a 216 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:19,040 Speaker 1: two hundred and thirteen billion dollar stock, as I say, 217 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:22,000 Speaker 1: and it's worth maybe one hundred and thirty dollars. I 218 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:25,520 Speaker 1: think at the moment, what do you say when? How 219 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:27,000 Speaker 1: should people react when to hear that. 220 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:32,840 Speaker 2: I wouldn't think that'd be too concern. I mean unless 221 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:36,720 Speaker 2: they're short, as know something specific within the Commonwealth Bank 222 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:41,560 Speaker 2: that is likely do materially impact its business. And I 223 00:12:41,679 --> 00:12:46,360 Speaker 2: think something like a data breach or you know, like 224 00:12:46,440 --> 00:12:49,840 Speaker 2: a trader that has blown up some money in a 225 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:52,880 Speaker 2: foreign exchange deal or something like that. Betting against the 226 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:56,240 Speaker 2: largest most successful bank in Australia because you think it's 227 00:12:56,280 --> 00:13:02,800 Speaker 2: a little bit overvalued. I just don't really so much 228 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:05,559 Speaker 2: of a potential gain in the short to medium term 229 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:09,520 Speaker 2: from doing that, that would be my perspective. We've seen 230 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:13,840 Speaker 2: that the stocks are twenty five percent this year, you know, 231 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:18,080 Speaker 2: on no real upgrade in earning, just because people walk 232 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:21,280 Speaker 2: the yields. They trust it, say to the biggest bank, 233 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:24,920 Speaker 2: it's almost the biggest stock on the Australian market. So yeah, certainly, 234 00:13:25,160 --> 00:13:28,480 Speaker 2: but a small amount of CBO bony shorter. I don't 235 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:33,040 Speaker 2: think his cause for concern would be comfortable holding it 236 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:35,600 Speaker 2: because I think it's a very solid business, well run. 237 00:13:35,679 --> 00:13:38,960 Speaker 1: And in your end then, and we're kind of leading 238 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:42,920 Speaker 1: into your particular sort of zone. I imagine there isn't 239 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:45,680 Speaker 1: much shorting at the small cap medium caps end of 240 00:13:45,679 --> 00:13:48,080 Speaker 1: the market, and if there is, it seriously makes a 241 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:51,160 Speaker 1: difference on like a three billion worth of shorts against Combank, 242 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:53,680 Speaker 1: you know, petty cash, throw it out the window. But 243 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:55,640 Speaker 1: if someone goes in with a big short on a 244 00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:58,720 Speaker 1: tiny stock, I presume it just cuts it to shreds, 245 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:00,000 Speaker 1: or could cut it to shreds. 246 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:04,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, look, there are structural issues with respect 247 00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:07,600 Speaker 2: to shortening in Australia. The practical reason is you have 248 00:14:07,679 --> 00:14:11,880 Speaker 2: to borrow stock from another shareholder. So if I own 249 00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:15,240 Speaker 2: one hundred shares and sets are, I can lend them 250 00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:18,199 Speaker 2: to you and you can sell them and at some 251 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:19,920 Speaker 2: stage in the future have to buy them back and 252 00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 2: then give them back to me. That's the way it works. 253 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:25,080 Speaker 2: If I was a big holder in a small stock 254 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:27,280 Speaker 2: and someone said I want to borrow your shares to 255 00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:31,520 Speaker 2: short them, I would probably say no as such because 256 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:34,480 Speaker 2: it'd be downward pressure on the price. But you're right 257 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 2: that those sort of mid cap stocks where there it 258 00:14:38,280 --> 00:14:42,800 Speaker 2: is a free float around and companies can borrow and short, 259 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:46,160 Speaker 2: it can make a significant difference. And often those businesses 260 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:49,560 Speaker 2: if they are in a single business stream and there 261 00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:52,680 Speaker 2: is something going on. We've seen a number of retailers 262 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:57,120 Speaker 2: struggling recently because of just reduction in your earnings. Then 263 00:14:57,160 --> 00:14:59,480 Speaker 2: you can see some really significant falls in these businesses 264 00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:01,560 Speaker 2: and good guars means to be made, and I'll look 265 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:03,880 Speaker 2: at other businesses like Blue Skylar was one of the 266 00:15:03,920 --> 00:15:06,920 Speaker 2: ones a few years ago that got seriously shortened and 267 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:10,600 Speaker 2: ended up surviving, so that was a great trade. But 268 00:15:10,680 --> 00:15:13,800 Speaker 2: then again we've seen big short reports on things like 269 00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:18,640 Speaker 2: wise tech that have appear to have merits at the time, 270 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:23,600 Speaker 2: and wise Tech against been a fantastic performer in the market. 271 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:25,760 Speaker 1: So it's a great test at its best, like this 272 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:28,120 Speaker 1: is actually a great test of a stock if they 273 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:30,400 Speaker 1: come out the other side of a short attack. Yeah. 274 00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:34,600 Speaker 2: Look absolutely, And in a way I think a number 275 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:36,920 Speaker 2: of companies will sort of complain on we shouldn't let 276 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:40,240 Speaker 2: shorters release their reports. You know, you're in a public market, 277 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:43,160 Speaker 2: you're a public company. People have opinions on what they 278 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:45,240 Speaker 2: think your business is worth and how well it's managed 279 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:49,720 Speaker 2: in it and its prospects and opportunities and its valuations. 280 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 2: So they should be allowed to pass comments and the 281 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 2: market will make up its mind. It won't always be right, 282 00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:57,360 Speaker 2: but that's what a marketplace is. 283 00:15:57,680 --> 00:15:59,320 Speaker 1: What we'll do with take short break and we'd come 284 00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:01,000 Speaker 1: back and we would talk about your layer of the 285 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:12,160 Speaker 1: market and what you do. We'll be back in a moment, folks. Hello, 286 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 1: welcome back to The Australian's Money Puzzle podcast. I'm James 287 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 1: Kirby Well, the editor at The Australian, and this week 288 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:22,680 Speaker 1: we're talking to Dean fergie Off Cian Investment Management. He's 289 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:26,080 Speaker 1: a fund manager specializes in a special layer of the market, 290 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:30,720 Speaker 1: which is small caps and microcaps. That is a completely 291 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:34,360 Speaker 1: different area than many of us are familiar with. I 292 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:38,080 Speaker 1: mentioned at the start how I don't have many fund 293 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:40,680 Speaker 1: managers on the show because many of them are doing 294 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 1: the same thing. Someone I deemed there's something entirely different 295 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:48,720 Speaker 1: specializes in small businesses that are listed on the market. 296 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:52,000 Speaker 1: That means he's not sitting at a screen doing his 297 00:16:52,280 --> 00:16:55,160 Speaker 1: quant sort of mathematics. He's actually getting to know them. 298 00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:57,600 Speaker 1: He's literally going out and sitting in front of these 299 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:01,120 Speaker 1: guys and asking them questions about their business. A lot 300 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:04,840 Speaker 1: of these businesses don't have stuff broken research notes that 301 00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:08,400 Speaker 1: you or I could get, so it's like original research 302 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:11,560 Speaker 1: and just conceptually, Dean, it is a game where things 303 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:14,440 Speaker 1: go really right or really wrong right. So I think 304 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:17,600 Speaker 1: it was the year before last you had a thirty 305 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:20,720 Speaker 1: percent return in one year, and then another year you 306 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 1: had a minus twenty five percent retime. How do you 307 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:26,400 Speaker 1: steer through that? Is that how it goes? Is that 308 00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:28,760 Speaker 1: what you have to come to expect your line of work. 309 00:17:28,840 --> 00:17:32,080 Speaker 2: I would say the last four or five years have 310 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:37,400 Speaker 2: been very unusual in terms of how the market's reacted. 311 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:41,800 Speaker 2: Certainly the smaller, and there's been an in incredible amount 312 00:17:41,880 --> 00:17:48,239 Speaker 2: of nervousness and then high and momentum driving stocks, and 313 00:17:48,280 --> 00:17:53,480 Speaker 2: so the volatility has been extreme, and it's been I think, 314 00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 2: in aspects, a really difficult time to invest, because I 315 00:17:57,200 --> 00:18:00,320 Speaker 2: just don't always seem to know what's going to perapture 316 00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:02,560 Speaker 2: of the market's attention on what's going to drive stocks. 317 00:18:03,240 --> 00:18:07,040 Speaker 2: We looked at just how hyped up stocks went through 318 00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:11,000 Speaker 2: COVID when everyone was home and everyone was investing and 319 00:18:11,040 --> 00:18:14,560 Speaker 2: the stock market was going bananas. It's why is this 320 00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:19,640 Speaker 2: happening on a fundamental basis? Because there was governments throwing 321 00:18:19,680 --> 00:18:22,000 Speaker 2: money at people I was seeing at home trading the 322 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:25,160 Speaker 2: stock market, trading bitcoin and bond stuff online, and then 323 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:27,760 Speaker 2: that kind of all blew up, and now it's sort 324 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:31,679 Speaker 2: of startings its way back. So it is hard like 325 00:18:31,920 --> 00:18:34,119 Speaker 2: I would have normally said to our clients, you know, 326 00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:37,680 Speaker 2: a bad year, you might expect negative fifteen percent, of 327 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:40,960 Speaker 2: a good year, might expect plus fifteen. Now at the moment, 328 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:44,399 Speaker 2: it's sort of can be negative thirty to plus fifty, 329 00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:48,200 Speaker 2: which is just we don't say to our clients whether 330 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:51,240 Speaker 2: sort of investment manage that you put twenty or thirty 331 00:18:51,280 --> 00:18:54,600 Speaker 2: percent of your money with you might look at allocating 332 00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:58,800 Speaker 2: five percent of your SIP towards a microcap investor, and 333 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:00,880 Speaker 2: if you have a couple good years, you can turn 334 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:03,480 Speaker 2: it five percent into ten or fifteen. 335 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:06,080 Speaker 1: And I suppose what you're doing is you're in a 336 00:19:06,119 --> 00:19:09,919 Speaker 1: way you're combining rather than you the investor, putting that 337 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:13,119 Speaker 1: particular investment, which has a I don't know if you're 338 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:16,399 Speaker 1: comfortable with the world speculative, but it's riskier than buying 339 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 1: a blue chip. Rather than narrowing your better one stock, 340 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:22,760 Speaker 1: you actually get a basket of stocks. How many stocks 341 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:24,760 Speaker 1: would you hold in the fund, the sea and fund 342 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:25,920 Speaker 1: at any given time. 343 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:30,120 Speaker 2: Typically we'd hold kind of around twenty five stocks, right, 344 00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:34,880 Speaker 2: so it is very diverse. But what we have found, 345 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:41,160 Speaker 2: certainly in a couple of years prior, was that when 346 00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:44,600 Speaker 2: investors decide that they don't want to be in smaller 347 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:50,240 Speaker 2: micro cap stocks, everything gets sold and liquidity make the 348 00:19:50,359 --> 00:19:54,280 Speaker 2: volatility much increased. Shares go down, and then you'll have 349 00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:57,920 Speaker 2: a period, particularly two years ago, where you had a 350 00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:02,480 Speaker 2: number of falls posts OVID and there was a hell 351 00:20:02,480 --> 00:20:04,640 Speaker 2: of a lot of tax law selling as well, which 352 00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:07,000 Speaker 2: comes around in June. So it was just a bit 353 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:10,160 Speaker 2: of a vicious circle. It's going to feel that things 354 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:12,320 Speaker 2: are starting to improve at the moment. 355 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:15,160 Speaker 1: But tell me upselling you picked up when you get 356 00:20:15,160 --> 00:20:17,199 Speaker 1: it right, when you get a beauty. I think you 357 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:19,639 Speaker 1: have a gaming software company that did very well for you. 358 00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:23,879 Speaker 2: What's that called again, Playside Studios. 359 00:20:23,280 --> 00:20:25,320 Speaker 1: Today Side Studios. How did you pick them? 360 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:28,680 Speaker 2: I'm always interested in people that like invest in businesses 361 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:33,200 Speaker 2: that are based in Taiwan, or Belgium or the US. 362 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:36,120 Speaker 2: The play Side's actually I'm based just up the road 363 00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:39,960 Speaker 2: from where I lived in Port Melbourne, and over the 364 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:44,879 Speaker 2: last couple of years I've grown from about eighty staff 365 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:48,159 Speaker 2: to around three hundred and twenty, so I've kind of 366 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:51,440 Speaker 2: seen the growth in my backyard that we're doing contracts 367 00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:57,040 Speaker 2: for some very big international customers. So they do programming 368 00:20:57,200 --> 00:21:02,359 Speaker 2: for metsa part of Facebook and and Netflix and a 369 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:05,920 Speaker 2: gaming company called at Blizzard, so that blue chip clients. 370 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:11,560 Speaker 2: They were doing some really decent revenues that was profitable, 371 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:16,480 Speaker 2: only mildly profitable, but they've just ended up driving some 372 00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:21,000 Speaker 2: really really good business decisions. They've bought a kind of 373 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:25,440 Speaker 2: a viral name or brand called Dumboes to Die, which 374 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:30,359 Speaker 2: has sort of become very successful TikTok and Instagram and 375 00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:34,000 Speaker 2: with the minor games and so their revenues have almost 376 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:36,560 Speaker 2: tripled in the last couple of years, and the business 377 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:38,240 Speaker 2: is just going from strength to strength. 378 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:40,840 Speaker 1: And do you know them, like, do they know you? 379 00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:42,879 Speaker 1: Can you get them on the phone? Is it that 380 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:43,800 Speaker 1: sort of relationship? 381 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:47,640 Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah, Like I know Jerry Sakas really well actually, 382 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:50,200 Speaker 2: and Mark Alopolos is one of the board members there. 383 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:53,760 Speaker 2: So you know, we were probably a little bit fortunate 384 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:57,920 Speaker 2: or lucky to know those people personally before the stock 385 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:00,200 Speaker 2: actually listed, and we put a lot of money just 386 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:04,280 Speaker 2: pre API. So it's been a really good success story. 387 00:22:04,760 --> 00:22:07,600 Speaker 2: But you know there's obviously that's out wide often against 388 00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:09,840 Speaker 2: a lot of the ones that aren't great success stories. 389 00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:15,320 Speaker 1: So as someone where it's it's literally you're knowing the 390 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:19,359 Speaker 1: company and that's important, and other people don't know the company. 391 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:21,720 Speaker 1: So you're on your own making these decisions. Right, It's 392 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:23,760 Speaker 1: not like you're with a herd. It's not like there's 393 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:25,960 Speaker 1: a whole pack. It's not like you're deciding today to 394 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:29,679 Speaker 1: buy Nvidia or you're deciding today to buy Guzmni Goolmez. Right, 395 00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:32,720 Speaker 1: it's like you're on your own, dude, how important is 396 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:37,280 Speaker 1: the people to you and key person risk? How important 397 00:22:37,359 --> 00:22:39,399 Speaker 1: is that at your level of investing. 398 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:43,200 Speaker 2: It's generally pretty important. Like if you're investing in a company. 399 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:48,000 Speaker 2: I mean people say about Guzmini Gans that Steve marxis. 400 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:49,360 Speaker 1: He's the wiz behind the whole thing. 401 00:22:49,480 --> 00:22:55,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, just an absolute so energetic and what he's built. 402 00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:58,239 Speaker 2: Full credit to him. He's built a great business up 403 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:01,840 Speaker 2: from scratch over ten years. So you have to invest 404 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:04,760 Speaker 2: in the people. But sometimes the risk is that you 405 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:08,520 Speaker 2: have a loyalty or an association with them that gets 406 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:11,240 Speaker 2: a little bit too close, and when you start seeing 407 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:17,639 Speaker 2: things maybe unravel or stock becoming too overvalued, you become 408 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:21,679 Speaker 2: just too wedded to the stock to make purely objective decisions. 409 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:25,720 Speaker 2: I think that's just something you can't avoid, but you've 410 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:27,360 Speaker 2: got to be aware of as much as you can. 411 00:23:27,520 --> 00:23:30,639 Speaker 2: But I much prefer to be investing in someone I knew, 412 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:34,480 Speaker 2: that I trust, that I respected, rather than I mean, 413 00:23:34,480 --> 00:23:38,359 Speaker 2: how many people know Gensen why at any video or 414 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:41,040 Speaker 2: have to spend much time with Mark Zuckerberg or any 415 00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:44,160 Speaker 2: of those guys. They just don't, So I would rather 416 00:23:44,200 --> 00:23:48,439 Speaker 2: make rejective financial decision with someone I can meet and 417 00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:50,440 Speaker 2: look in the eye and speak to and get answers 418 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:50,919 Speaker 2: out of us. 419 00:23:51,119 --> 00:23:54,400 Speaker 1: Yes, And what about something I've always wanted to find 420 00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:58,880 Speaker 1: with fund managers is that a lot of them can 421 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:03,200 Speaker 1: be naive. I think about figures. By that, I mean 422 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:09,679 Speaker 1: they're very, very dependent on the numbers and less interested 423 00:24:09,720 --> 00:24:13,679 Speaker 1: in the management. And you're talking about how in the 424 00:24:13,720 --> 00:24:17,399 Speaker 1: microcraft small capital level the people really really matter. With 425 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:20,080 Speaker 1: all due respect to say, come back, Matt Common. He 426 00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:22,560 Speaker 1: could go tomorrow and they'll find someone ass who's really 427 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:25,320 Speaker 1: good and it's not a crisis. But in a little 428 00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:27,560 Speaker 1: company that you might be invested in, there's some wiz 429 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:30,119 Speaker 1: feed male or female, and the company is built around 430 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:32,720 Speaker 1: them and they're instrumental in this and they've got skin 431 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:35,600 Speaker 1: in the game. But you have to believe what they 432 00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:39,359 Speaker 1: tell you. How do you decode between the numbers and 433 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:42,720 Speaker 1: their interpretation of the numbers, because they can say to you, hey, 434 00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:45,720 Speaker 1: we're just about to turn the corner, We're just about 435 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:48,400 Speaker 1: to sign three contracts. They're not lying, right, they don't 436 00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:51,600 Speaker 1: believe that, But how do you your bullshit detector? 437 00:24:54,359 --> 00:24:56,679 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean that's the case with all those I 438 00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:59,600 Speaker 2: mean all these people that are running smaller businesses, are 439 00:24:59,680 --> 00:25:03,959 Speaker 2: very old entrepreneur they're very aggressive, they're often very optimistic, 440 00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:07,360 Speaker 2: and so sometimes you can get caught up in that 441 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:10,719 Speaker 2: and that's fine if they're right. But for me, the 442 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:14,760 Speaker 2: results have got to meet the narrative and you can 443 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:20,600 Speaker 2: only have that proven up over time. So it's about saying, Okay, 444 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:24,119 Speaker 2: James told me this back in twenty fourteen, I'll write 445 00:25:24,119 --> 00:25:27,240 Speaker 2: that down, I'll keep notes, and you know, six months later, 446 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:29,720 Speaker 2: has that happened? Is the ahead of expectations? Is he 447 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:33,600 Speaker 2: behind that kind of thing? So that's what I find 448 00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:37,560 Speaker 2: is just matching up the results with the previously estimated 449 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:40,399 Speaker 2: time owner. And that's what time in the market gives you, 450 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:42,560 Speaker 2: you know, coming back again to you know, like a 451 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:49,119 Speaker 2: Guzman versus a Domino's guzmins, it's all promise but no 452 00:25:49,359 --> 00:25:53,080 Speaker 2: results as yet. Domino's promised a lot early on, delivered 453 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:56,879 Speaker 2: a lot, promised more, didn't deliver, and that's what's happened 454 00:25:56,880 --> 00:25:59,520 Speaker 2: to the share pro So yeah, that's sort of probably 455 00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:03,359 Speaker 2: my sort of that that just got to be. Don't 456 00:26:03,359 --> 00:26:05,919 Speaker 2: get too excited as much as you can help, but. 457 00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,800 Speaker 1: Don't get as excited as that as the CEO all 458 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:11,040 Speaker 1: right on the opposite end then things when things got 459 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:12,960 Speaker 1: really wrong. And I don't know whether you were in 460 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:15,040 Speaker 1: satire or not. I'm sure we have some people who 461 00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:16,240 Speaker 1: are in it, but it would seem to be this 462 00:26:16,359 --> 00:26:21,840 Speaker 1: year's example of a company that has absolutely whatever the 463 00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:24,520 Speaker 1: opfset of shot the lights is, they've crashed basically, haven't 464 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:27,639 Speaker 1: they by fifty percent or more? In recite? And they 465 00:26:27,680 --> 00:26:32,359 Speaker 1: were seen as this wonderful online jewelry company, the sticker 466 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:35,760 Speaker 1: company everyone missed. Well, what happened? Could you tell people 467 00:26:35,760 --> 00:26:38,160 Speaker 1: what happened there and why? That's how a stock goes 468 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:39,240 Speaker 1: wrong sometimes like that. 469 00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:42,800 Speaker 2: Look, I don't really know what's happened with said. What 470 00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:45,960 Speaker 2: I can tell you is I've just never been a believer, 471 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:53,800 Speaker 2: and I've always thought there were a lot of red flags. Yes, right, 472 00:26:54,119 --> 00:26:58,439 Speaker 2: it became wildly successful very quickly. 473 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:01,000 Speaker 1: Did you take a look at a Danny stage? 474 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:04,040 Speaker 2: I did, but I just never got it fundamentally. I 475 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:12,040 Speaker 2: never understood why premium you know, ultra premium brands, you know, 476 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:15,000 Speaker 2: these are companies selling up polo shits for two thousand 477 00:27:15,080 --> 00:27:19,320 Speaker 2: dollars would want to be having them discounted through a 478 00:27:19,359 --> 00:27:23,440 Speaker 2: third party operator of Australia I just I never got 479 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:28,560 Speaker 2: why Hermes and Priora and all those other brands would 480 00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:31,760 Speaker 2: when I have a middleman doing that. I think at 481 00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:35,360 Speaker 2: one stage early on, I asked them sort of how 482 00:27:35,359 --> 00:27:37,520 Speaker 2: many employeers they had, and they said they had thirty, 483 00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:41,640 Speaker 2: And I just thought, to myself, how is a business 484 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:46,920 Speaker 2: with thirty employees doing hundreds of millions of dollars in 485 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:50,720 Speaker 2: revenue and you know, tens of million dollars an even 486 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:54,199 Speaker 2: dar with thirty employees. I just didn't understand how they 487 00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:57,920 Speaker 2: were doing it. And then the business was so secreted 488 00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:00,240 Speaker 2: they wouldn't really tell you very much. They were used 489 00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:05,800 Speaker 2: to answer questions all the same time, while founders were selling. 490 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:07,240 Speaker 1: Licks of shares into the market. 491 00:28:07,359 --> 00:28:10,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, teens to hundreds of millions of dollars of shares. 492 00:28:10,680 --> 00:28:13,439 Speaker 2: I mean, it's just red flag on red flag on 493 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:15,879 Speaker 2: red flag. But at the same time, the business was 494 00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:19,479 Speaker 2: doing really well and big firms were in there driving 495 00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:21,359 Speaker 2: the share price. So I think at one stage it 496 00:28:21,400 --> 00:28:25,199 Speaker 2: was worth a couple of million dollars. So in the 497 00:28:25,240 --> 00:28:29,439 Speaker 2: market there's always always dozens of companies you regret not buying, 498 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:32,400 Speaker 2: and you've just not got to not let it get 499 00:28:32,440 --> 00:28:34,880 Speaker 2: to you. And that was when I just thought, I 500 00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:37,240 Speaker 2: think at some stage there will be a judgment day 501 00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:41,760 Speaker 2: on this, and it appears it's coming now. Whether I'm 502 00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:46,040 Speaker 2: ultimately right or wrong, I don't know. I don't really care. 503 00:28:46,040 --> 00:28:49,479 Speaker 1: It looks like it's colmed in. It's down to fifty percent. 504 00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:53,120 Speaker 1: Yeah in weeks, oh look it. 505 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:56,520 Speaker 2: Yeah. And I think sometimes when you have these big 506 00:28:56,600 --> 00:29:00,680 Speaker 2: hits that it's really really hard to recover from. Sign 507 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:05,440 Speaker 2: I'll do no profitability this quarter after doing ten plus 508 00:29:05,440 --> 00:29:08,640 Speaker 2: million per quarter of adversary quarter. So if you extrap 509 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:11,160 Speaker 2: light that the business will never be profitable again. 510 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:17,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, on that particular layer, it's a very It really 511 00:29:17,120 --> 00:29:20,200 Speaker 1: is the most tricky end of the market, small caps. 512 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:22,280 Speaker 1: And if you've done any investing at all, you would 513 00:29:22,320 --> 00:29:25,560 Speaker 1: probably know that. In the mid caps, in the blue 514 00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:28,560 Speaker 1: chip space, you know, you may do well or you 515 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:32,160 Speaker 1: may do badly, but it's all within a zone. But 516 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:34,720 Speaker 1: in small caps, I mean, you can literally lose ninety 517 00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:37,080 Speaker 1: percent of your money, or you can have a triple 518 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:40,440 Speaker 1: four bag or five bagger. That's the business that Dean 519 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:43,480 Speaker 1: is in. It's a fascinating end of the market and 520 00:29:43,560 --> 00:29:46,160 Speaker 1: sometimes I imagine it's very helpful to have someone to 521 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:48,280 Speaker 1: hold your hand. All right, Well, take short break. We'll 522 00:29:48,280 --> 00:30:01,160 Speaker 1: be back with some really good questions in a moment. Hello, 523 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:04,800 Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Australian's Money Puzzle podcast. James Kirby 524 00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:07,760 Speaker 1: with Dean Fergie of c An Investment Management, who was 525 00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:10,080 Speaker 1: a fund manager at the spoon and microcap end of 526 00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:12,440 Speaker 1: the market, which we haven't actually had a look at 527 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:15,160 Speaker 1: for quite some time. I've got two questions here. I've 528 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:18,360 Speaker 1: just narrowed it down to two, Dean, because they are 529 00:30:18,520 --> 00:30:20,160 Speaker 1: probably the ones that I think we'll get the best 530 00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:23,360 Speaker 1: answers from you. One one is from Luke and we've 531 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:28,320 Speaker 1: been talking about stock splits of late in the Australian market. 532 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:32,640 Speaker 1: That the famous stock splitter is CSL. Listeners are into 533 00:30:32,680 --> 00:30:36,160 Speaker 1: overseas stocks and invariably they are into the same ten 534 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:38,600 Speaker 1: overseas stocks that everybody else is into, one of which 535 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:41,560 Speaker 1: is in video and they've done a split. So Luke says, 536 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:45,080 Speaker 1: what does the data say on stock splitz? Do they 537 00:30:45,120 --> 00:30:48,720 Speaker 1: perform or onto performers to the market after a stock split. 538 00:30:49,280 --> 00:30:53,640 Speaker 1: I'm wondering is there any behavioral psychology involved in investing 539 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:58,120 Speaker 1: post split seemingly but not actually lower price. It's a 540 00:30:58,120 --> 00:31:02,120 Speaker 1: great question. Could you explain to the general listener what 541 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:04,720 Speaker 1: a stock split is if you would quickly, and then 542 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:08,480 Speaker 1: whether it makes the difference to you when this has happened. Yeah. 543 00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:13,040 Speaker 2: Basically they're saying, if you have one hundred shares at 544 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:16,640 Speaker 2: one dollar, will turn that into two hundred shares at 545 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:21,120 Speaker 2: fifty cents. So the value is still one hundred dollars, 546 00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:24,800 Speaker 2: but the shares in isolation look like they are half 547 00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:31,840 Speaker 2: the price. The empirical evidence unequivocally is that that adds 548 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:37,560 Speaker 2: some value to the value of looseness. I think the 549 00:31:37,600 --> 00:31:39,320 Speaker 2: rest it was like three to four percent. 550 00:31:40,280 --> 00:31:43,360 Speaker 1: So people think it's cheaper, but it's not cheaper, right. 551 00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:48,480 Speaker 2: No, it's not cheaper. There are enough people on the 552 00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:53,200 Speaker 2: edge that are prepared to buy more shares a lower price. 553 00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:55,880 Speaker 2: Even tho there's twice as many on issue as beforehand, 554 00:31:56,160 --> 00:31:58,400 Speaker 2: and we saw that happen. Tesla did a stock split 555 00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:01,080 Speaker 2: I think a couple of years ago. Main material impact. 556 00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:05,040 Speaker 2: So the answer is, yes, has put my fundamental finance 557 00:32:05,120 --> 00:32:07,880 Speaker 2: theory had on that shouldn't make any difference. But you 558 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:10,480 Speaker 2: can't argue with the data, and that's the data. 559 00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:12,160 Speaker 1: I suppose there is a point at which it gets 560 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:15,240 Speaker 1: absurd for a stock is just bensive paras stock. 561 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:18,600 Speaker 2: Yeah. At the micro end're also having the issue when 562 00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:21,160 Speaker 2: stocks get so bummed out and land up being point 563 00:32:21,200 --> 00:32:23,880 Speaker 2: two of a percent point two of percent. I'll do 564 00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:26,600 Speaker 2: a consolidation as well, because people think it two cent 565 00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:29,400 Speaker 2: share is far too cheap. Let's make it twenty five cents. 566 00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:33,640 Speaker 1: Yes, yes, that's very interesting. Yeah, the opposite. Forgotten about 567 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:36,680 Speaker 1: the stock consolidation. So look that's the opposite. 568 00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:36,880 Speaker 2: Right. 569 00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:40,560 Speaker 1: Let's say you have zing zing widgets and as Din says, 570 00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:44,040 Speaker 1: they're treading at zer point two five cents each, and 571 00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:46,400 Speaker 1: they say, this looks so bad, everybody. What they do 572 00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:48,720 Speaker 1: is they said they said to the shareholders, for every 573 00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:52,240 Speaker 1: ten you've got, you now have one, which is the 574 00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:55,080 Speaker 1: opposite of the Nvidio thing where they say for everyone 575 00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:57,720 Speaker 1: you have, you now have ten. So it's a stock 576 00:32:57,760 --> 00:32:58,320 Speaker 1: can't sell. 577 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:02,840 Speaker 2: Ad Yeah, look, I don't know. I'd suggest it probably 578 00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:05,440 Speaker 2: goes the other why because the reason they consolidating is 579 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:08,640 Speaker 2: the businesses are so bummed out. 580 00:33:08,760 --> 00:33:12,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, times are not good as opposed to for one thing, 581 00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:15,080 Speaker 1: that's for sure. With the stock splits, things have been 582 00:33:15,120 --> 00:33:17,520 Speaker 1: pretty good when you get them CSL as we say, 583 00:33:17,640 --> 00:33:20,480 Speaker 1: Tesla we mentioned in video that might not not always. 584 00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:23,440 Speaker 1: I remember some dot coms did them. That's going back 585 00:33:23,440 --> 00:33:25,360 Speaker 1: a fair bit, but there. 586 00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:28,600 Speaker 2: Was mightbe sabids. Consider doing your stocks plit givns and. 587 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:30,480 Speaker 1: I knows that's right. 588 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:31,800 Speaker 2: That'll worry the shortest. 589 00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:34,560 Speaker 1: I know. You don't need many cbahas to have a 590 00:33:34,640 --> 00:33:37,760 Speaker 1: nice holding of them these days. Question from Rowan The 591 00:33:37,840 --> 00:33:41,920 Speaker 1: as X seems like it's been pigeonholes, a backwater for 592 00:33:42,080 --> 00:33:46,720 Speaker 1: legacy Australian businesses who predominantly dig up rocks lend money 593 00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:51,000 Speaker 1: to buy houses or services. What needs to change to 594 00:33:51,080 --> 00:33:53,800 Speaker 1: make the ASX a place worth listing on for future 595 00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:56,400 Speaker 1: focused companies. You must be really interested in this. Are 596 00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:59,560 Speaker 1: you that that the AX is shrinking, that there is 597 00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:03,680 Speaker 1: less stocks listed than there was a year ago because 598 00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:06,440 Speaker 1: you're under the market. You need lots of IPOs, don't you. 599 00:34:06,480 --> 00:34:08,239 Speaker 1: I mean you need that feed if you like. 600 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:10,480 Speaker 2: No, it's actually it's a very good question. You look 601 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:14,440 Speaker 2: at the ASX composition and it is You've got your 602 00:34:14,440 --> 00:34:17,600 Speaker 2: big four banks and a bunch of resources companies that 603 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:20,480 Speaker 2: dig dirt out of the ground, class a few other telcos, 604 00:34:20,480 --> 00:34:21,880 Speaker 2: so it's a very a. 605 00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:24,920 Speaker 1: Couple of supermarkets and they take off. What percentage of 606 00:34:24,960 --> 00:34:27,479 Speaker 1: the market do they take up like half more? 607 00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:30,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's more than fifty percent, and then 608 00:34:30,200 --> 00:34:32,520 Speaker 2: you throw Aldi and ij in there, it's close to eighty. 609 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:37,080 Speaker 2: So everything's very, very consolidated in Australia. There's not a 610 00:34:37,080 --> 00:34:40,680 Speaker 2: lot of competition, you know. I look at you know, 611 00:34:40,719 --> 00:34:42,360 Speaker 2: and I think it's maybe a bit of a cultural 612 00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:45,320 Speaker 2: issue in Australia, you know, the tall poppy syndrome. And 613 00:34:45,440 --> 00:34:49,560 Speaker 2: I say, if you've tried to start up three businesses 614 00:34:49,600 --> 00:34:51,920 Speaker 2: and failed at them in Australia, regard it as a 615 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:54,680 Speaker 2: bit of a failure, whereas if you do that in 616 00:34:54,719 --> 00:34:59,080 Speaker 2: the United States, you regard it as a thriving entrepreneur. So, 617 00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:01,880 Speaker 2: you know, I'd like to see Australia and there's been 618 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:04,279 Speaker 2: a lot of press this week about it is just 619 00:35:04,920 --> 00:35:11,320 Speaker 2: you know, funding more startups give young entrepreneurial people to 620 00:35:11,440 --> 00:35:14,120 Speaker 2: go and have access to capital so they can make 621 00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:18,319 Speaker 2: it big and have that confidence that they can, you know, 622 00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:21,959 Speaker 2: do something special on a global scale. You know, there's 623 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:26,000 Speaker 2: been a handful of them, obviously, the marquee ones, the 624 00:35:26,120 --> 00:35:28,560 Speaker 2: things like can for an after pay that have made 625 00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:31,279 Speaker 2: it globally. But I think we need more of that 626 00:35:31,800 --> 00:35:36,120 Speaker 2: positive investment can do culture that you start funding some 627 00:35:36,200 --> 00:35:39,400 Speaker 2: of these startups that they can progress through to being 628 00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:43,440 Speaker 2: commercial businesses that list from exchange and thrive. That would 629 00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:47,040 Speaker 2: be my underlying view rather than if you're not a 630 00:35:47,120 --> 00:35:51,680 Speaker 2: legacy bank or a big miner, we don't really want 631 00:35:51,719 --> 00:35:52,399 Speaker 2: to know about it. 632 00:35:53,040 --> 00:35:55,200 Speaker 1: And the companies you do with that that end of 633 00:35:55,239 --> 00:35:58,520 Speaker 1: the market, the smaller caps do they have to depend 634 00:35:58,560 --> 00:36:01,480 Speaker 1: on the pulse to be vss aren't interested in the 635 00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:06,399 Speaker 1: markers are listed, they're not covered by brokers. Most fund 636 00:36:06,480 --> 00:36:09,719 Speaker 1: managers don't invest in them. So what do they do? 637 00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:13,239 Speaker 1: Are they internally funded? Is that must be it? 638 00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:15,440 Speaker 2: There are still they still do have access to capital 639 00:36:15,520 --> 00:36:18,000 Speaker 2: in the markets, but it's harder than it used to be. 640 00:36:18,760 --> 00:36:21,920 Speaker 2: I think what I've seen in the last couple of 641 00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:25,479 Speaker 2: years is well two things happen. That the companies bunker down, 642 00:36:26,480 --> 00:36:29,840 Speaker 2: can serve their cash, run the businesses efficiently and start 643 00:36:30,400 --> 00:36:35,680 Speaker 2: getting growth at the bottom line, which attracts investors. Or 644 00:36:35,800 --> 00:36:38,359 Speaker 2: in fact they get taken over. And that's what we're 645 00:36:38,400 --> 00:36:40,120 Speaker 2: seeing a bit at the moment. A number of these 646 00:36:40,160 --> 00:36:45,719 Speaker 2: small businesses are getting takeover offers from international companies. Have 647 00:36:45,800 --> 00:36:47,759 Speaker 2: just seen the value in the market because everything's so 648 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:50,520 Speaker 2: bummed out. But I mean, that's not a great outcome 649 00:36:50,560 --> 00:36:53,080 Speaker 2: of actual for investors. But I'd just like to see 650 00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:55,640 Speaker 2: more business as listeds of are thriving in Australia rather 651 00:36:55,680 --> 00:36:58,640 Speaker 2: than just trying to have a safety need of let's 652 00:36:58,680 --> 00:36:59,359 Speaker 2: get taken over. 653 00:37:00,200 --> 00:37:03,279 Speaker 1: Yes, okay, very good, and thanks for that. Roan is 654 00:37:03,400 --> 00:37:06,440 Speaker 1: actually a real theme in the market, and more so 655 00:37:06,719 --> 00:37:10,400 Speaker 1: now because of two things. One, our own market is 656 00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:13,560 Speaker 1: shrinking in terms of number of listings. Very hard to do. 657 00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:16,120 Speaker 1: An ipo. We've had an IPO just goes Many Gomez, 658 00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:18,640 Speaker 1: which is all fine, but we all hope it goes okay, 659 00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:22,880 Speaker 1: because if it doesn't and it disappoints people in the shortter, 660 00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:25,520 Speaker 1: medium term, there won't be any more IPOs for a 661 00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:28,640 Speaker 1: long time of any significance. Everyone gets scared again. The 662 00:37:28,680 --> 00:37:30,399 Speaker 1: other thing is people used to run off and join 663 00:37:30,480 --> 00:37:32,600 Speaker 1: Nastack or whatever I was reading this morning. They like 664 00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:34,840 Speaker 1: about three hundred million in revenue before they let you 665 00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:37,920 Speaker 1: on to the big US exchanges. Okay, hey, look, thank 666 00:37:37,920 --> 00:37:40,000 Speaker 1: you very much, Dean, Thank you very much coming out 667 00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:42,040 Speaker 1: the show. It's really good, really interesting to talk to you. 668 00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:47,680 Speaker 1: That's Dean Fergie of CN Investment Management small cap fund manager. 669 00:37:47,800 --> 00:37:53,040 Speaker 1: Keep those questions rolling. Folks love to hear your questions, opinions, comments, complaints, 670 00:37:53,840 --> 00:37:57,000 Speaker 1: the money puzzle at the Australian dot com dot au 671 00:37:57,239 --> 00:38:04,960 Speaker 1: Talk to you soon. The flat sad, the plant s