1 00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:06,439 Speaker 1: This is Master's in Business with Barry Ridholts on Bloomberg 2 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:12,840 Speaker 1: Radio this weekend on the podcast Wow, what a what 3 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: a delightful conversation I had with Roger Ibbotson. If you 4 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 1: don't know who he is, well you need to become 5 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:23,599 Speaker 1: a little more familiar with financial histories. He is one 6 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: of the founding fathers about modern thoughts on on asset allocation, 7 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 1: portfolio management, valuation factor UM. Go down the list of 8 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 1: a million things. He really was instrumental in the development 9 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:44,160 Speaker 1: and expansion of CRISP, which is the giant stock database 10 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: UM originally out of the University of Chicago, Ibbotson associates. 11 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 1: He's on the board of advisors at Dimensional Funds. His 12 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: curriculum vitae is his pages and pages long. He was 13 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: extremely generous with his time and shared all sorts of 14 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: oscinating things with us. If you are at all a 15 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:07,320 Speaker 1: stock market wank, if you're at all interested in why 16 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: some stocks go up and others don't, then you're going 17 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: to find this conversation to be absolutely fascinating. So, with 18 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:19,480 Speaker 1: no further ado, my conversation with Yale Universities Roger Ibbotson 19 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 1: this week I have an extra special guest. His name 20 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: is Roger Ibbotson. He is a professor at the Yale 21 00:01:28,720 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 1: School of Management, where he is Professor of Practice Emeritus 22 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 1: of Finance. He is also the founder and chairman of 23 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 1: Ibbertson Associates, which was sold not too long ago to 24 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:43,120 Speaker 1: Morning Star. He is on the board of directors of 25 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:47,319 Speaker 1: Dimensional Fund Advisors. He is the chairman and CEO of 26 00:01:47,480 --> 00:01:51,720 Speaker 1: Zebra Capital Management uh an equity investment and hedge fund manager. 27 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 1: He has also taught for many years and served as 28 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:59,840 Speaker 1: executive director for the Center for Research and Security Prices 29 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: better known as CRISP. He's the author of numerous books, 30 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: including Investment Markets, Gaining the Performance Advantage and Global Investing, 31 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:12,959 Speaker 1: The Professionals Guide to the World of Capital Markets. Roger Ibbotson, 32 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:16,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Bloomberg. Great to be here. I've been looking 33 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 1: forward to having this conversation with you for a long 34 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 1: long time. I've certainly been familiar with Ibbotson Associates since 35 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: you founded them back in nine But let's go back 36 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: to your days when you got your PhD from Chicago. 37 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 1: What was the state of the world in finance, like 38 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:38,920 Speaker 1: when when you first entered the markets, Well, you know, 39 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 1: it was really things were happening at the University of Chicago, 40 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: and ultimately many of the people there got Nobel prizes. 41 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:49,360 Speaker 1: But what went on So, but if you just take 42 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: take us back a few years before that, uh, finance 43 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:55,560 Speaker 1: really hadn't developed as a as an academic step tacos 44 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 1: security analyst or how to pick a stock or something 45 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 1: like that. And then and then we started really developing 46 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 1: a whole theory of how finance works. And I gotta 47 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:07,880 Speaker 1: say I had I had great people to work with. Their. 48 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:11,519 Speaker 1: My chairman of my committee when I wrote my dissertation 49 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 1: was Eugene Fama. He want to know about prize. I 50 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:18,840 Speaker 1: had him my committee. Uh, Martin Miller, he wanted to 51 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:22,040 Speaker 1: know about prize. Myron Shows want to know about prize. 52 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,239 Speaker 1: Fischer Black he you know, you have to be alive 53 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 1: to win a know about prize. And unfortunately he died 54 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 1: before that, but he certainly would have. So it was 55 00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:34,639 Speaker 1: really a tremendous group to people to work with. That's 56 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: a Yankees murderous row of Nobel laureates there. Yes, uh so, yeah, 57 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:43,480 Speaker 1: it was. It was a wonderful time going on. So 58 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:47,120 Speaker 1: actually all the so many different discoveries were taking place 59 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 1: you mentioned that the study of finance really hadn't developed, 60 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: um academically as as much as it has since. Tell 61 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:01,720 Speaker 1: us about the Center for Research in Security Prices for CRISP. 62 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 1: How did that come about and what was your involvement? 63 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 1: So the Center for Research and Security Prices we called 64 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:13,600 Speaker 1: CRISP c RSP. Well, CRISP was really set up by 65 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,679 Speaker 1: James Lourie and Larry Fisher, and they were collecting data 66 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:20,920 Speaker 1: on on the stock market returns. And their data started 67 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 1: in and now you see a lot of things started in. 68 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:28,080 Speaker 1: So they were collecting this data and um, that's what 69 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:33,440 Speaker 1: started the center. Uh. And I gotta say, um, they 70 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 1: once they published this data, uh, they never kept it 71 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:39,360 Speaker 1: quite up to date. But once they published it was 72 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 1: people were so interested because they had no idea what 73 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 1: actually had happened in the stock market. They didn't actually 74 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:51,040 Speaker 1: have any sense for how stock market returns were like. 75 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:54,000 Speaker 1: In fact, they kind of remember the thirties and how 76 00:04:54,120 --> 00:04:56,599 Speaker 1: terrible it was and so forth, and they knew things 77 00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:00,279 Speaker 1: were better lately, but but they still didn't really aized 78 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 1: the high returns and actually had happened in the stock market. 79 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 1: That's quite fascinating. So when you say this was not 80 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: much of an academic study. Are you really referring to 81 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 1: the fact that previous to the creation of CRISP, there 82 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 1: wasn't a whole lot of data that could be analyzed, 83 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 1: at least not consistent data in a in anything approaching 84 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:24,080 Speaker 1: a um well structured way. Yeah, Chris really put the 85 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:27,560 Speaker 1: data on the map. And then and when I got 86 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:30,039 Speaker 1: my phdre the PhD there. But I actually stayed on 87 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:34,320 Speaker 1: as a professor, and and when I stayed on, I 88 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:39,760 Speaker 1: became the executive director of CRISP. So I wasn't, I guess, 89 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:43,080 Speaker 1: helping to put the data together. And uh, it was 90 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: really not only the University of Chicago that was using 91 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:48,920 Speaker 1: that data, but all the other universities were really using 92 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:53,680 Speaker 1: that data. So this suddenly, suddenly finance became an empirical 93 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:56,080 Speaker 1: subject that people people could study. That's the word I 94 00:05:56,120 --> 00:05:59,440 Speaker 1: was hunting for. It had no empiricism previous. This was 95 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:03,479 Speaker 1: what years did you begin with CRISP. Well, I I 96 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:06,360 Speaker 1: got there as a student in nineteen sixty eight and 97 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 1: became a faculty member in nineteen seventy four, and I 98 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:12,480 Speaker 1: guess I became executive director. I don't remember a few 99 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 1: years after that of the center. But I was always 100 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:17,679 Speaker 1: involved with Chris from the start because I was always 101 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:22,880 Speaker 1: interested in data. And in fact, um, well I got 102 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: a I got a job while I was getting my 103 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:30,120 Speaker 1: PhD in the investment office of the university, and I 104 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:33,599 Speaker 1: came out the endowment right right. I was a consultant 105 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:35,839 Speaker 1: to the office and one of the things they asked 106 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:37,919 Speaker 1: me as a consultant was what do we do with 107 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 1: his bond portfolio? And I said, well, I can manage that, 108 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 1: And so they actually has a PhD student. I was 109 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 1: actually managing the University of Chicago bond portfolio. And how 110 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:51,240 Speaker 1: large was that at the time, Well, these numbers were 111 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:53,400 Speaker 1: not large in today's time to take a couple of 112 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 1: a couple of hundred million, you know, but still a 113 00:06:55,400 --> 00:06:58,480 Speaker 1: PhD student is like, okay, congratulations, you're running a few 114 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:02,560 Speaker 1: hundred million dollars. That's out nothing, especially in the late sixties. Yeah, 115 00:07:02,600 --> 00:07:05,440 Speaker 1: it was. It was a great thing to do. And 116 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:07,559 Speaker 1: and and it gets back to what you were talking 117 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:12,480 Speaker 1: about when people. Once I was running the bond portfolio, 118 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:15,680 Speaker 1: people would ask me when are Fisher and Lorie are 119 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:18,800 Speaker 1: gonna update their study? Because first the first day that 120 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 1: came out and went from to nineteen sixty, and then 121 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 1: it was the nineteen to nineteen sixty five and then 122 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:31,960 Speaker 1: nineteen but this was seventy to seventy three, and people 123 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,840 Speaker 1: were asking when we want to see the updated data, 124 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:37,920 Speaker 1: and I would ask. I would ask Larry Fisher when 125 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 1: it's gonna get updated, and Larry would give me a date, 126 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 1: but the date would go by and it wouldn't get done. 127 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 1: And and so this is when I really took the 128 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:48,120 Speaker 1: ball by our hands, and I worked with Rex Sinkfield, 129 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:51,160 Speaker 1: who was a student of mine at the time, and 130 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 1: we decided to put this put data that literally all 131 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:59,080 Speaker 1: the UM we used a certainly to the Center for 132 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: Research for but we put some quicker data together to 133 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:07,000 Speaker 1: get a sense of what something up to date actually 134 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:09,200 Speaker 1: and and we brought it up to date actually through 135 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:12,160 Speaker 1: seventy six at the time. So that brings us to 136 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:18,360 Speaker 1: which not coincidentally, is when you launch Ibbanson Associates, tell 137 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:20,880 Speaker 1: us about what motivated you to go out and hang 138 00:08:20,920 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 1: your own Shingle well West stock spons bills in inflation. 139 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 1: I was an assistant professor and we're just we had 140 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 1: just published stock spons Bills and inflation um first as 141 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:35,800 Speaker 1: a couple of journal articles and what one which was 142 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:37,720 Speaker 1: on the past and want to actually predicted the future, 143 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 1: UM long term, but then also as a monograph from 144 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:47,800 Speaker 1: the cf A Institute. And every everybody was so interested that, 145 00:08:48,080 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: UM I was. I was getting inundated with letters coming 146 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:58,719 Speaker 1: in CEOs asking me for information and and response of 147 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:01,680 Speaker 1: this this question and that question. And and I was 148 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:04,320 Speaker 1: at A. I barely had a secretary. I had a 149 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:07,200 Speaker 1: part of a secretary. And I didn't know what to 150 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:09,400 Speaker 1: do with all these letters from the c I O S, 151 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:12,080 Speaker 1: c E O S and c I os and and 152 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 1: so forth. So I started hiring a couple of people 153 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:18,719 Speaker 1: to help me out with this. And that's what that's 154 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:21,319 Speaker 1: what it caused me to actually started ivots and Associates. 155 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:25,000 Speaker 1: I had plenty of business at the start because somebody 156 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:29,719 Speaker 1: people were actually requesting things from me. You sold Davidson Associates, 157 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:33,480 Speaker 1: UH and Advisers to morning Star back in two thousand 158 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:37,680 Speaker 1: and six, pretty good timing before the tide went out 159 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:40,920 Speaker 1: in O eight oh nine. Um, what was that process? Like, 160 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 1: they're a pretty big shop, morning Star. How did that 161 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:48,120 Speaker 1: transaction go? Well? In two thousand and six. By that time, 162 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:50,640 Speaker 1: I was already at Yale Yale School of Management as 163 00:09:50,679 --> 00:09:55,000 Speaker 1: a professor in practice there. But in two thousand and six, uh, 164 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:58,439 Speaker 1: the UM we had a hundred and fifty people and 165 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:03,920 Speaker 1: invots and associates with offices in Chicago, New York and Tokyo. 166 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:07,200 Speaker 1: Actually um, but still we were very small compared to 167 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:11,679 Speaker 1: morning Star also in Chicago, right, don't they They They 168 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:13,720 Speaker 1: were very far. They were just we were like two 169 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:17,480 Speaker 1: firms that were somewhat similar that were only a couple 170 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:19,360 Speaker 1: of blocks away from each other. That that's a pretty 171 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:24,000 Speaker 1: natural fit that the large morning Star will acquire the 172 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:29,360 Speaker 1: smaller Ibbotson in the same hometown. Actually, I gotta say 173 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:32,000 Speaker 1: that we we were around first because I remember when 174 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:35,320 Speaker 1: Joe Mansueto and then I in eighties but came to 175 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:38,840 Speaker 1: a few of our UM holiday parties and things like that, 176 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:42,280 Speaker 1: and um. But he but I gotta say, you have 177 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,720 Speaker 1: to give Joe Massuado credit. Morning Star really took off 178 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:47,960 Speaker 1: and grew. We were growing fast too, but nothing like 179 00:10:48,040 --> 00:10:51,679 Speaker 1: they were. You focused on data about markets generally. They 180 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:55,360 Speaker 1: focused specifically on mutual funds, and that became a giant 181 00:10:55,360 --> 00:10:59,120 Speaker 1: growth area for them, especially with the Ariskle laws in 182 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:04,120 Speaker 1: four oh one K coming up in in the early seventies. Well, 183 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:08,320 Speaker 1: everybody was in the arrested was more um yeah, four 184 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:11,040 Speaker 1: one case really started developing in the really in nineteenes. 185 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:14,640 Speaker 1: First it was those defined men define benefit pension plans, 186 00:11:14,679 --> 00:11:17,959 Speaker 1: the dB plans, and uh we worked with them to 187 00:11:18,040 --> 00:11:21,440 Speaker 1: something stanton. But Marty Sarra actually picked the retail end 188 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:23,280 Speaker 1: of it with a four OK market and the mutual 189 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:26,640 Speaker 1: funds yes and so um. But we were too very 190 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:30,120 Speaker 1: fast growing firms that were alongside each other for a 191 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:32,920 Speaker 1: couple of decades in Chicago before they actually brought us out. 192 00:11:33,559 --> 00:11:38,120 Speaker 1: Quite intriguing. Uh, let's talk a little bit about CRISP 193 00:11:38,320 --> 00:11:41,560 Speaker 1: and and we mentioned earlier you worked on the nineteen 194 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 1: twenty six to present database of of stock market returns, 195 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:52,480 Speaker 1: but not too long ago a new historical database was 196 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:56,280 Speaker 1: added for the New York Stock Exchange, going back to 197 00:11:56,520 --> 00:12:01,360 Speaker 1: eighteen fifteen, straight up to the original sixth date. What 198 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:04,280 Speaker 1: did you learn from that database about equity returns and 199 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:07,840 Speaker 1: about volatility? Well, you know, first of all, we uh 200 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:10,360 Speaker 1: we had to collect hand collect all that data back 201 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 1: to UM. What do you mean hand collect? Well, it 202 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:17,440 Speaker 1: was it was in the Yale Bayneke Library where you 203 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:22,640 Speaker 1: had a look at micro fich and old newspapers of 204 00:12:23,400 --> 00:12:28,080 Speaker 1: the New York Shipping and Commercial Chronicle, and it was 205 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:31,040 Speaker 1: mostly about which ships are coming in to the harbor, 206 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 1: but they also listed to New York stock market prices. So, 207 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:37,480 Speaker 1: so how do you error check that to make sure 208 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 1: that nobody makes a transcription error? That sounds like, you know, 209 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:44,800 Speaker 1: a century of data. It's really easy to make a 210 00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:48,000 Speaker 1: mistake with that. Well it it is, uh, And I'm 211 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:51,080 Speaker 1: not saying there's no possible mistakes in there because it 212 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:53,959 Speaker 1: had to be hand collected. But there aren't that many 213 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,320 Speaker 1: companies in the early days either. So if we're not 214 00:12:56,400 --> 00:13:00,480 Speaker 1: talking about the the three thousand stock that we might 215 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:03,800 Speaker 1: be talking about today, we're talking about, you know, less 216 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:06,200 Speaker 1: less than a hundred stocks over most of this period. 217 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:10,000 Speaker 1: Quite quite fascinating. Um, so what did you learn about 218 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:13,440 Speaker 1: equity returns and volatility? Well, you know that data in 219 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:18,839 Speaker 1: the nineteen eighteen nineties eight hundreds was kind of unusual 220 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:24,240 Speaker 1: because stocks tending to be issued around a hundred. It 221 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:27,960 Speaker 1: almost looked like you were looking at bond data because 222 00:13:28,040 --> 00:13:30,720 Speaker 1: everything is trading at par or a little above. Well, yeah, 223 00:13:30,760 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 1: they were trading. They may trade in the range of 224 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:35,400 Speaker 1: fifty to two hundreds or something, but they kind of 225 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:38,880 Speaker 1: looked like bonds, and we had to keep on investigating 226 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:41,560 Speaker 1: further and further to find out where are these these 227 00:13:41,679 --> 00:13:44,000 Speaker 1: These are stocks, aren't they? You know? And they were, 228 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:46,760 Speaker 1: of course stocks, but they but they looked like bonds. 229 00:13:46,920 --> 00:13:50,240 Speaker 1: They weren't that volatile. They weren't. Of course, the trading 230 00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:52,680 Speaker 1: wasn't anything like the trading not a lot of volume 231 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:57,280 Speaker 1: and trade by appointment only or did they actually that 232 00:13:57,640 --> 00:13:59,920 Speaker 1: was on the there was the the course of button 233 00:14:00,640 --> 00:14:03,360 Speaker 1: uh button would agreement, you know, they were traded on 234 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:06,840 Speaker 1: on the curb and then uh then eventually inside. But 235 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:11,920 Speaker 1: so they were continuously traded but not uh and and 236 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:14,400 Speaker 1: and even the volume wasn't even recorded at that time, 237 00:14:14,440 --> 00:14:17,240 Speaker 1: you know, but we did get the last prices. That's 238 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:21,280 Speaker 1: quite fascinating. So, you know, CRISP is very often associated 239 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:26,840 Speaker 1: with factor based investing and equity risk premium UM. What 240 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:28,640 Speaker 1: can you tell us about that? What What do we 241 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:31,880 Speaker 1: know today about the equity ris premium that we didn't 242 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 1: know in the pre CRISP days back in UH The 243 00:14:37,960 --> 00:14:42,320 Speaker 1: theory was developing in the nineteen sixties, especially with the 244 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:46,960 Speaker 1: UH and the nineteen fifties and sixties we had the 245 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:51,360 Speaker 1: Harry Marco Wits came out with his portfolio theory in 246 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:54,600 Speaker 1: in NFT two. It was at the University of Chicago. Actually, 247 00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:59,560 Speaker 1: and I gotta say it's kind of interesting because at 248 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:02,280 Speaker 1: the first I didn't even Milton Freedman was reluctant to 249 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:05,120 Speaker 1: give Harry Marco it's a PhD for this because he 250 00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:09,160 Speaker 1: wasn't sure this was economics. Okay, so you you've just 251 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:11,840 Speaker 1: lowered my estimation to Milton Freeman a notch. How do 252 00:15:11,880 --> 00:15:15,960 Speaker 1: you not, Well, my hindsight biases Harry Marco. It's of 253 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:18,200 Speaker 1: course you give him a PhD. But I guess that's 254 00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:21,160 Speaker 1: just hindsight bias, isn't it. Yeah, well, of course, now, 255 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:25,680 Speaker 1: of course Harry has a Nobel Prize too, and so so. 256 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:28,440 Speaker 1: And then we had the Capital Esta pricing models coming 257 00:15:28,480 --> 00:15:35,840 Speaker 1: along and in the ve with Bill Sharp and and 258 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:38,000 Speaker 1: John Lettner and by the way, Harry Mark WIT's until 259 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:40,120 Speaker 1: Sharp there's still around today. We can talk to them, 260 00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:44,200 Speaker 1: and so sure Sharp is out in um northern California. 261 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:48,000 Speaker 1: And where's Mark Wits these days? He's in southern southern California. 262 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:50,360 Speaker 1: So at the University of Chicago, when you get an 263 00:15:50,400 --> 00:15:52,960 Speaker 1: office as a faculty member. Do they give you like 264 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:55,200 Speaker 1: a key to the office and a Nobel prize? How 265 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:59,320 Speaker 1: does that work? Everybody in that faculty has that. That's 266 00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:04,400 Speaker 1: a lot of jewelry in that in that uh faculty department. Well, actually, 267 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:08,800 Speaker 1: Bill Sharp wasn't ever at the university see Chicago, So um, 268 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:11,720 Speaker 1: not every Nobel Prize went to the University of Chicago. People. 269 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:14,640 Speaker 1: But you've you've named seven or eight of not counting bills, 270 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:17,240 Speaker 1: if you've gone through a whole bunch of them. Um, 271 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:19,880 Speaker 1: what was it like working with that crew? That is 272 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:24,440 Speaker 1: some amazing list of advisors. Well, we did know, we 273 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:27,280 Speaker 1: did recognize that things were going on, that this was 274 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:30,560 Speaker 1: this was a special place. We we could see that. 275 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:33,880 Speaker 1: I mean, it wasn't like we were surprised afterwards or something. 276 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:36,400 Speaker 1: I guess we're surprised about the Nobel Prizes perhaps, but 277 00:16:36,720 --> 00:16:40,480 Speaker 1: we weren't surprised that we were the center of thought 278 00:16:40,560 --> 00:16:45,760 Speaker 1: leadership at that time. And and uh, one of the 279 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:52,440 Speaker 1: things we were theoretically understanding is risk premiums. So not 280 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:54,400 Speaker 1: not only in the stock byer where there's an equity 281 00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:58,320 Speaker 1: ris primum, but also in the bottom market where there's 282 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:01,440 Speaker 1: an interest rate or I and risk premium that long 283 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:05,880 Speaker 1: bonds have higher yields and short bonds, and and then 284 00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:09,920 Speaker 1: there's a default premium, the fact that that if you 285 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:13,200 Speaker 1: buy lower grade bonds, they tend to have higher certain 286 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:16,879 Speaker 1: higher yields, but even higher returns and higher grade bonds. 287 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:20,840 Speaker 1: So you had all these different, uh, different risk premiums. 288 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:23,720 Speaker 1: And that's what caused me to put this stocks, bonds, bills, 289 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:26,879 Speaker 1: and inflation together, this data because it was really the 290 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:30,800 Speaker 1: purpose of seeing what are what were the historical payoffs 291 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:36,200 Speaker 1: of stocks versus bonds, stocks versus treasury bills, bonds versus 292 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:42,000 Speaker 1: treasury bills, Treasury bills versus inflation, uh, the bonds that 293 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:46,400 Speaker 1: could default versus treasury bonds. All these things were risk premiums. 294 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:50,920 Speaker 1: And the purpose originally was to measure these risk premiums 295 00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:53,920 Speaker 1: and see how they had done historically because we had 296 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:58,399 Speaker 1: the theory, yes, and it did that. Of course, they 297 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:00,960 Speaker 1: had great payoffs. And and that's part of the reason 298 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,840 Speaker 1: why it became so well known so fast, because everybody 299 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:07,720 Speaker 1: could now see the numbers of the kinds of things 300 00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:09,840 Speaker 1: that we kind of knew were there, but we hadn't 301 00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:13,000 Speaker 1: seen the numbers. You could quantify risk and apply it 302 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:17,680 Speaker 1: to future expected returns. Well, that's the other thing. These 303 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:22,040 Speaker 1: were historical, but we were other paper we had, uh, 304 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:24,840 Speaker 1: this is with Ibbotson and sink Field. The other paper 305 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:31,560 Speaker 1: we had back in nineteen was a projection of what 306 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:34,280 Speaker 1: would happen and how how you could go out the 307 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:38,000 Speaker 1: next twenty five years using the last fifty years to 308 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:42,000 Speaker 1: extrapolate out into the next twenty five years. And we're 309 00:18:42,040 --> 00:18:45,800 Speaker 1: not literally just extrapolating just the pure numbers, but we're 310 00:18:45,800 --> 00:18:50,440 Speaker 1: extrapolating the wrist premiums. And those wrist premiums were extrapolated 311 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:53,400 Speaker 1: out to come up with these forecasts, which actually turned 312 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:57,440 Speaker 1: out to be almost on the money forecasting what would 313 00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:01,200 Speaker 1: happen and by the year two thousand, so, of those 314 00:19:01,359 --> 00:19:05,520 Speaker 1: four stocks, bonds, bills, and inflation, which do you find 315 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:09,280 Speaker 1: is the easiest to forecast? And which is the hardest? Well, 316 00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:12,159 Speaker 1: the easiest, well, the hardest to forecast is always the 317 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:16,680 Speaker 1: stock market because there's so much volatility, there's so much noise. 318 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:19,640 Speaker 1: It's a scary place to be. That's why it has 319 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:23,280 Speaker 1: that equity risky And and what which is the easiest 320 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:28,560 Speaker 1: to forecast? Actually it would be the UM I would 321 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:32,600 Speaker 1: say in a derivative form, it would be the real 322 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:35,560 Speaker 1: kind of the real interest rate, the difference between inflation 323 00:19:35,600 --> 00:19:40,280 Speaker 1: and treasury bills. But of course treasury bills, treasure bills 324 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:43,920 Speaker 1: are mostly moving. Uh, the yields are and and bond 325 00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:46,760 Speaker 1: yields in general are mostly higher or lower because of 326 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:49,760 Speaker 1: the expected inflation. So when you're in high inflationary periods, 327 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:52,600 Speaker 1: you have high bond yields, and when you're in low 328 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:55,639 Speaker 1: inflationary periods, you have low bond yields. Like we have 329 00:19:55,760 --> 00:19:59,399 Speaker 1: very low bond yields today, but we have very low inflation. 330 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:03,800 Speaker 1: So a very large part of a body yield is 331 00:20:03,840 --> 00:20:09,239 Speaker 1: the expected inflation. And so uh, if you we know 332 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:13,240 Speaker 1: at every point in time what the inflation is, and 333 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:16,000 Speaker 1: that's usually a pretty good indication of what the expected 334 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:18,960 Speaker 1: inflation is going to be. As you go further out, 335 00:20:19,119 --> 00:20:22,240 Speaker 1: you can you can't forecast it quite as well, but 336 00:20:22,600 --> 00:20:24,760 Speaker 1: at least in the near term, have a pretty good 337 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:29,199 Speaker 1: idea of what expected inflation will be, and and therefore 338 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:30,840 Speaker 1: you have a pretty good idea of what what what 339 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:34,160 Speaker 1: these yields and bonds are going to be. So you're 340 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:37,920 Speaker 1: the perfect person to ask a question about that. We've 341 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 1: been debating internally in the office is and back and 342 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:44,480 Speaker 1: forth as too. Should stocks have a higher valuation these 343 00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 1: days for a variety of reasons. But I'm gonna ask 344 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:51,280 Speaker 1: it um differently. It costs nothing to trade today, It's 345 00:20:51,320 --> 00:20:54,840 Speaker 1: practically free. You could buy mutual funds or ETFs for 346 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:58,919 Speaker 1: practically nothing. When you look at the historical returns and 347 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:04,159 Speaker 1: let's call equity with dividends reinvested um, you're paying a 348 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:08,159 Speaker 1: lot more for a portfolio. You're paying more for transactions. 349 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:10,919 Speaker 1: This was go back before discount brokerage. It was not 350 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:15,000 Speaker 1: cheap to buy yourself something. How does that figure into 351 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:20,000 Speaker 1: historical returns or on? In a large enough portfolio, even 352 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:24,239 Speaker 1: those higher prices aren't all that relevant. Well, it may 353 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:29,960 Speaker 1: mean that the valuations should be higher because because the 354 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,439 Speaker 1: trading costs are not as high anything. That's and I've 355 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:37,320 Speaker 1: certainly studied liquidity. Risk is one one big consideration, but 356 00:21:37,720 --> 00:21:42,480 Speaker 1: liquidity is probably the second most important. Yes, the more 357 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:46,480 Speaker 1: liquid something is, the more valuable it is. The less liquid, 358 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:50,679 Speaker 1: the less valuable it is. And but but the counter 359 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:54,800 Speaker 1: this course is that that something that's less liquid might 360 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:58,960 Speaker 1: have a lower valuation but a higher expected return. Very 361 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:03,040 Speaker 1: very very interest them. So you are currently a professor 362 00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:05,680 Speaker 1: at Yale. You spent time at the University of Chicago. 363 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:10,680 Speaker 1: Let's talk a little bit about academia and the real world. 364 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:15,440 Speaker 1: And you've moved pretty comfortably back and forth between the two. 365 00:22:16,359 --> 00:22:20,280 Speaker 1: What is the difference between how ideas get applied in 366 00:22:20,359 --> 00:22:22,879 Speaker 1: the business world. I probably shouldn't call it the real world, 367 00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:27,600 Speaker 1: but the business world versus the scholarly application of ideas 368 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:31,359 Speaker 1: UM at a place like Chicago or Yale. Well, you know, 369 00:22:31,400 --> 00:22:34,040 Speaker 1: there used to be a big gap of time. I 370 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:40,720 Speaker 1: remember like studying, as an example, duration on bonds, where 371 00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:46,439 Speaker 1: the devoted duration was developed around and and I. And 372 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:48,720 Speaker 1: I was managing a bond portfolio for the University of 373 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:54,000 Speaker 1: Chicago at the time, and and um I was using duration, 374 00:22:54,119 --> 00:22:56,720 Speaker 1: and I could figure out with duration, you could figure 375 00:22:56,720 --> 00:22:59,760 Speaker 1: out easily in your head how much if yield changed, 376 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:02,439 Speaker 1: how's the price of a bond would change? And but 377 00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:06,800 Speaker 1: nobody knew that in the nineteen seventies, Yes, and and 378 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:09,040 Speaker 1: I gave a talk on that, I remember, and and 379 00:23:09,440 --> 00:23:13,560 Speaker 1: it drew a large crowd. But it wasn't new new material. 380 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:18,639 Speaker 1: It was merely uh stating something that was known, I 381 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:23,159 Speaker 1: guess academically, but not known in the business world of 382 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:28,080 Speaker 1: the real world, and so giant arbitrage opportunities. We're talking 383 00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:32,719 Speaker 1: about thirty forty years of delay before something kind of 384 00:23:32,760 --> 00:23:35,840 Speaker 1: caught on. And even though it's a very simple concept. 385 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:42,640 Speaker 1: So uh, I think that that time though, has dramatically shrunk. 386 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:46,800 Speaker 1: Now there is a connection, UM, all my life, I 387 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:50,000 Speaker 1: guess I've been trying to break that connection down. In fact, 388 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:52,639 Speaker 1: the title I have you've read these long titles that 389 00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:56,560 Speaker 1: I have at at Yale University as a professor in 390 00:23:56,560 --> 00:24:00,720 Speaker 1: in the Practice of Finance. Uh, that is a that 391 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:03,720 Speaker 1: is a title that actually is is a professor rank 392 00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:08,639 Speaker 1: but not not tenured. But it allows me to have 393 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:14,440 Speaker 1: business activities on the side. And so ordinarily your constraint 394 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:16,080 Speaker 1: as a professor, you can't do a lot of business 395 00:24:16,119 --> 00:24:19,840 Speaker 1: activities on the side, but with this title I can, 396 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:23,200 Speaker 1: and and I guess I in the end, I'd not tenured, 397 00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:25,640 Speaker 1: so I don't go to the committee meetings, and as 398 00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:27,880 Speaker 1: many as many as the committee meetings anyway, I still 399 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:31,679 Speaker 1: have to go. So you're you're identifying that effectively that 400 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:36,720 Speaker 1: bonds are misspriced relative to changes in interest rates. Was 401 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:41,800 Speaker 1: there an investment opportunity to to um arbitrage those prices 402 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:44,399 Speaker 1: relative to where they're supposed to be. This was a 403 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:48,119 Speaker 1: course in the nineteen seventies, so not not today. I 404 00:24:48,119 --> 00:24:51,320 Speaker 1: don't think you find these kind of possibilities, but you 405 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:54,520 Speaker 1: did find distortions in in the nineteen seventies, and so 406 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,200 Speaker 1: it was one of the things I did. Now, of course, 407 00:24:57,480 --> 00:25:00,719 Speaker 1: the bond market is dramatically changed, much more efficient than 408 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:03,560 Speaker 1: it was back then, and all the markets have become 409 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:07,080 Speaker 1: much more efficient since they were back then, because when 410 00:25:07,119 --> 00:25:11,199 Speaker 1: something has discovered, it gets the financial literature is not 411 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:15,520 Speaker 1: something that just academics rate, it's something that that the 412 00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:19,320 Speaker 1: business world reads. And so now there are things are 413 00:25:19,359 --> 00:25:23,600 Speaker 1: almost immediately implemented. There's I don't know what the leg 414 00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:26,560 Speaker 1: would be between. It wouldn't even be five years, uh 415 00:25:27,240 --> 00:25:30,439 Speaker 1: between what's discovered and was actually goes into practice. Ed 416 00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:37,760 Speaker 1: Thorpe wrote about um the arbitrage opportunity between equities and warrants, 417 00:25:37,800 --> 00:25:40,480 Speaker 1: and nobody was tracking them. There was a joint gap, 418 00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:43,200 Speaker 1: and that also took a good couple of years before 419 00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:45,879 Speaker 1: everybody else got on. And for a while it was 420 00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:49,040 Speaker 1: easy money. And then that arbitrage went away, and it 421 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:53,040 Speaker 1: particularly went away with the black shows options model which 422 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:56,720 Speaker 1: could price everything very accurately, from warrants to options to 423 00:25:57,040 --> 00:26:02,199 Speaker 1: any derivative relative to the underlying Yes, and and I 424 00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:05,840 Speaker 1: you know, I wasn't in at the University of Chicago 425 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:08,920 Speaker 1: with Fisher Black and Myron Shows there right after they 426 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:15,600 Speaker 1: developed it, and and before they published it. I said 427 00:26:15,640 --> 00:26:21,000 Speaker 1: to them, why don't Yes, and I suggested that, And 428 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:24,199 Speaker 1: actually I had, I had actually bought a seat on 429 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:28,880 Speaker 1: the cbo E had a seat on cbo E. And I, um, 430 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:30,840 Speaker 1: I didn't go down there myself to trade, I said, 431 00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:34,800 Speaker 1: a trader down there, But but I wanted I was 432 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:38,119 Speaker 1: trading at it. So I was trading on that, uh 433 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:41,560 Speaker 1: for a while, using their model, using their model after 434 00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:43,960 Speaker 1: it was published. It didn't matter that it was published, 435 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:46,760 Speaker 1: because at first the Black Shows model, with all its 436 00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:50,840 Speaker 1: long normal distributions and continuous time, was complicated enough that 437 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:52,240 Speaker 1: you could hand it out on a piece of paper 438 00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:56,880 Speaker 1: to people nobody would get it right. But what did happen, uh, 439 00:26:57,560 --> 00:27:01,600 Speaker 1: not long after I started trading these was people figured 440 00:27:01,600 --> 00:27:04,800 Speaker 1: it out well more than that Black and So's Fisher 441 00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:09,879 Speaker 1: Black Um put it up in the members lounge of 442 00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 1: the a computer system in the cbo E. So my 443 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:18,080 Speaker 1: game was over. Well, let's talk a little bit about 444 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:20,879 Speaker 1: your game and in the real world as opposed to 445 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:24,880 Speaker 1: or in the asset management world, as opposed to the 446 00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:28,640 Speaker 1: theoretical academic world. Maybe that's a better way to describe it. 447 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:32,840 Speaker 1: Your chairman and chief investment officer of Zebra Capital Management, 448 00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:35,600 Speaker 1: what do you do with Zebra? What sort of strategies 449 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:38,639 Speaker 1: do you invest in? And how do you take the 450 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:42,040 Speaker 1: academic theories that you work on and apply it to 451 00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:48,000 Speaker 1: actual management of assets and capital. We have a new monograph. 452 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:50,199 Speaker 1: I have a new monograph with the c f A 453 00:27:50,280 --> 00:27:57,560 Speaker 1: Institute at UM. It's called Popularity, a Bridge between Classical 454 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:02,960 Speaker 1: and Behavioral Finance. And this this monograph is co authored 455 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:08,439 Speaker 1: with Tom Azerich and Paul Kaplan and James Song. They 456 00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:11,679 Speaker 1: are all three authors from morning Star and myself. But 457 00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:18,960 Speaker 1: it's on popularity and really popularity is the main concept, 458 00:28:19,040 --> 00:28:22,879 Speaker 1: the principle that we manage the money at Zebra Capital. Popularity. 459 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:26,680 Speaker 1: It comes down to something you can kind of easily understand. 460 00:28:27,240 --> 00:28:29,440 Speaker 1: And of course you can get a copy of the monograph. 461 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:31,960 Speaker 1: It's not expensive. You can buy it on Amazon for 462 00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:34,399 Speaker 1: twenty two dollars I think, and you can get it 463 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:37,720 Speaker 1: downloaded for free. I think the I c f A institute. 464 00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:41,240 Speaker 1: So see if they institute dot org here it is 465 00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:44,080 Speaker 1: perhaps you have to be a member. I have to 466 00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:48,920 Speaker 1: be a um A see if a member in some 467 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:52,440 Speaker 1: form to to get the access to it. But it's 468 00:28:52,440 --> 00:28:56,240 Speaker 1: free for the members membership anyway. So so when you 469 00:28:56,280 --> 00:28:59,960 Speaker 1: talk about popularity, what does that mean in actual tone 470 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:04,440 Speaker 1: arms of of investment? How do you apply popularity to 471 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:12,920 Speaker 1: deploying capital? So a anything that is popular tends to 472 00:29:12,960 --> 00:29:17,560 Speaker 1: have a higher price. Anything that is unpopular tends to 473 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:19,880 Speaker 1: have a lower price. So I think of two two 474 00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:22,560 Speaker 1: assets that have the same cash flows, but one of 475 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:25,160 Speaker 1: them is popular, that will be more expensive than one 476 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:29,040 Speaker 1: that's unpopular. That's right. So are you long the unpopular, 477 00:29:29,080 --> 00:29:31,560 Speaker 1: short the popular or how do you how do you 478 00:29:31,760 --> 00:29:35,640 Speaker 1: do that trade? You're ready, You're ready to go here? Okay, 479 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:38,200 Speaker 1: it makes sense. So it's a hedge position, and you're 480 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:40,440 Speaker 1: even if they both go up, the theory is the 481 00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:42,640 Speaker 1: cheaper one will go up more than the expensive one 482 00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:45,280 Speaker 1: UM or vice versa. If they both go down, the 483 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:47,360 Speaker 1: cheaper one will go down less than the expensive one. 484 00:29:47,960 --> 00:29:52,840 Speaker 1: UM And you do this across how many different asset classes? 485 00:29:52,920 --> 00:29:56,880 Speaker 1: Is just equities not no bonds, no bills. At Zaber Capital, 486 00:29:56,920 --> 00:29:59,320 Speaker 1: we just do it with equities. But the concept applies 487 00:29:59,720 --> 00:30:02,880 Speaker 1: to anything, and and and and it's really getting to 488 00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:08,240 Speaker 1: people to think differently about capital markets because, for example, 489 00:30:08,280 --> 00:30:12,520 Speaker 1: in the capitalistic pricing model, it's systematic risk or beta 490 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:19,040 Speaker 1: risk that's that's unpopular. And therefore any any stock that 491 00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:23,000 Speaker 1: has high systematic risk high beta risk is supposed to 492 00:30:23,080 --> 00:30:27,000 Speaker 1: have a higher expected return according to the capitalized pricing model. 493 00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:29,600 Speaker 1: But I sense you disagree with that. I don't necessarily 494 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:32,880 Speaker 1: disagree with that. But that's only one aspect of popularity. 495 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:37,200 Speaker 1: Risk is unpopular. But there are a lot of other 496 00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:40,120 Speaker 1: things that are popular or unpopular, and one of them 497 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:43,120 Speaker 1: we've already talked about um I talked about in an 498 00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:47,440 Speaker 1: earlier episode. Here we I talked about liquidity. Yes, so 499 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:53,240 Speaker 1: liquidity is popular. Pay do you pay a premium for 500 00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:56,640 Speaker 1: more liquid stocks than in liquid stocks, or said differently, 501 00:30:56,640 --> 00:31:00,360 Speaker 1: do you get a discount for in liquid stocks? Yes? 502 00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:04,960 Speaker 1: And and of course it's also obviously true in other markets, 503 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:07,840 Speaker 1: and you can see it more directly in the bond market, 504 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:11,200 Speaker 1: for example, or at the most extreme case, think of 505 00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:15,160 Speaker 1: the treasury yield. There's an on the run treasury yield 506 00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:20,080 Speaker 1: where you buy the most liquid liquid security with a 507 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:23,320 Speaker 1: certain maturity, and then there's an off the run and 508 00:31:23,360 --> 00:31:26,080 Speaker 1: there's a there's a spread out between those of ten 509 00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:28,800 Speaker 1: or twenty basis points between the on the run and 510 00:31:28,840 --> 00:31:31,000 Speaker 1: the off the run yields. So it's just a matter 511 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:33,880 Speaker 1: of one being more liquid than the other. And we're 512 00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:37,200 Speaker 1: not talking about much difference here. The on the run 513 00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:41,120 Speaker 1: things maybe trading every minute, every few seconds, even whereas 514 00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:44,880 Speaker 1: the off the run might be trading every few minutes. 515 00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:49,560 Speaker 1: You know, but even small amounts of liquidity might might 516 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:53,280 Speaker 1: make differences in how you get into differences of expected return. 517 00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:56,160 Speaker 1: So is that one element of the thinking that goes 518 00:31:56,200 --> 00:32:00,960 Speaker 1: into the portfolio or do you similarly create paired trades 519 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:03,960 Speaker 1: with the liquid versus in the liquid stock you're buying 520 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:06,720 Speaker 1: something at a discount and pit and shorting something at 521 00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:08,600 Speaker 1: a premium. And I don't want to ask you to 522 00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:11,240 Speaker 1: give away all your secrets, but I'm trying to get 523 00:32:11,240 --> 00:32:13,840 Speaker 1: a handle on on how you use these different aspects 524 00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:16,840 Speaker 1: of popularity. Well, they're not paired because we're just a 525 00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:20,680 Speaker 1: whole bundle of UH stocks on alongside that are that 526 00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:24,800 Speaker 1: are less popular and UH how bundle of another stocks 527 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:28,400 Speaker 1: of stocks that are more popular. But there are many 528 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:33,000 Speaker 1: different dimensions to be popular. We've already mentioned too, and 529 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:36,400 Speaker 1: that's the capitalist surprise. Amodel really focused on that first one, 530 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:40,760 Speaker 1: risk and and the whole financial literature has so much 531 00:32:40,840 --> 00:32:46,920 Speaker 1: focused on risk UM too much focus well, perhaps because 532 00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:50,080 Speaker 1: there are other aspects of things that are popular and unpopular. 533 00:32:50,200 --> 00:32:54,640 Speaker 1: So we mentioned valuation, we mentioned capem, we mentioned liquidly. 534 00:32:54,960 --> 00:32:58,560 Speaker 1: What other elements UM do you consider when when looking 535 00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:03,080 Speaker 1: at your popular this is unpopular. Let's not hold pairs 536 00:33:03,160 --> 00:33:08,040 Speaker 1: but pools of lungs and shorts. So the monograph that 537 00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:13,560 Speaker 1: we're talking about says popularity a bridge between classical and 538 00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:18,600 Speaker 1: behavioral finance. So some of the behavioral factors come up also, 539 00:33:18,680 --> 00:33:21,080 Speaker 1: how do they apply? So let me give you one 540 00:33:21,080 --> 00:33:23,840 Speaker 1: more though classical. I guess if I had a name 541 00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:28,600 Speaker 1: three major the three big classical UH considerations. One of 542 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:31,680 Speaker 1: them misrisk and it might be systematic, but it can 543 00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:35,000 Speaker 1: have all different dimensions of different types of risk. Another 544 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:39,880 Speaker 1: one is liquidity. Another one is taxation. Some securities are 545 00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:44,360 Speaker 1: tax differently than others, so different tax treatments between different 546 00:33:44,360 --> 00:33:49,480 Speaker 1: types of UM passed through holdings. What is the third one, 547 00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:52,520 Speaker 1: tax treatment. At the most extreme you can see it 548 00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:56,239 Speaker 1: with if you want to see it directly, would be 549 00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:59,600 Speaker 1: compare a municipal bond to say a corporate bond of 550 00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:04,000 Speaker 1: the same default and maturity characteristics. The municipal bond is 551 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:08,600 Speaker 1: going to have a lower yield, but it's going to 552 00:34:08,719 --> 00:34:12,200 Speaker 1: have that's because it's popular. It has better tax treatment. 553 00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:17,200 Speaker 1: MLPs are treated differently than regular equities according to the taxman, 554 00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:21,040 Speaker 1: and that changes how you perceive them in the overall portfolio. 555 00:34:21,480 --> 00:34:24,840 Speaker 1: Similar Tommuni bonds, which were also treated differently. A lower 556 00:34:24,920 --> 00:34:29,960 Speaker 1: yield effectively net of taxes, turns out to be comparable 557 00:34:30,080 --> 00:34:33,480 Speaker 1: to a non municipal bond. So things that are unpopular 558 00:34:33,640 --> 00:34:40,839 Speaker 1: like MLPs are gonna be priced more attractively quite quite fascinating. 559 00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:44,279 Speaker 1: So that's just on the on the classical side. But 560 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:47,600 Speaker 1: then you have the behavioral side. And on the behavioral 561 00:34:47,640 --> 00:34:50,080 Speaker 1: side you have things like one of the things we 562 00:34:50,200 --> 00:34:55,719 Speaker 1: tested in this monograph were brands uh brand value the companies, 563 00:34:55,960 --> 00:34:59,480 Speaker 1: and there are there's different ranking systems of how valuable 564 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:02,320 Speaker 1: different bands are, but the companies that have the highest 565 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:06,040 Speaker 1: brand value, you might imagine those are the companies you 566 00:35:06,080 --> 00:35:08,560 Speaker 1: would like in your portfolio, right, No, it would be 567 00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:11,359 Speaker 1: the opposite. I know where you're going. I'm cheating because 568 00:35:11,400 --> 00:35:14,719 Speaker 1: I know where you're going. But perfect example in in 569 00:35:14,760 --> 00:35:16,560 Speaker 1: the beginning of the year, Apple was one of the 570 00:35:16,640 --> 00:35:19,040 Speaker 1: time it was either one or two in the brand 571 00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:23,319 Speaker 1: ranking down since then. And I don't know how far 572 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:26,759 Speaker 1: down the list of unpopular brands you go. Um, but 573 00:35:26,800 --> 00:35:29,400 Speaker 1: I would imagine there's a line that in the sand 574 00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:32,320 Speaker 1: where you say, on a list of five hundred, below 575 00:35:32,360 --> 00:35:35,960 Speaker 1: this number, these unpopular brands start to become attractive. So 576 00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:39,520 Speaker 1: first question on that is where is that line? How 577 00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:42,160 Speaker 1: how unpopular is something you have to get before it 578 00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:45,440 Speaker 1: becomes attractive. It's always relative. I mean you wouldn't you 579 00:35:45,520 --> 00:35:49,520 Speaker 1: want to short the most popular names, uh, the most 580 00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:52,879 Speaker 1: popular brands and and really the unpopular brands. You don't 581 00:35:52,920 --> 00:35:56,440 Speaker 1: have to go after the brands that are in some 582 00:35:56,480 --> 00:36:00,160 Speaker 1: sort of scandal or anything. But I meanly, most these 583 00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:02,160 Speaker 1: brands you've never heard of, you know, they're not they're 584 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:05,040 Speaker 1: not well known brands. So not ge that's run into 585 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:08,200 Speaker 1: hard times, but some entity that just seems to have 586 00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:11,440 Speaker 1: fallen out of favor, yes, or just or just overlooked. 587 00:36:11,840 --> 00:36:15,160 Speaker 1: Things that are overlooked the stocks that are overlooked around 588 00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:18,040 Speaker 1: popular stocks that are in the news all the time 589 00:36:18,239 --> 00:36:22,040 Speaker 1: are the popular stocks, sure now, um and and the 590 00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:25,960 Speaker 1: value effect is related to this because, uh stocks, you know, 591 00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:31,120 Speaker 1: value over the long term outperforms growth. But the value companies, 592 00:36:31,120 --> 00:36:33,960 Speaker 1: when you look at those things, those are not great companies, 593 00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:36,960 Speaker 1: whereas the growth companies are the companies that are really 594 00:36:37,440 --> 00:36:41,240 Speaker 1: much more exciting, much better companies. But there's a difference 595 00:36:41,320 --> 00:36:47,360 Speaker 1: between buying a great company and buying a great stock. 596 00:36:48,120 --> 00:36:51,400 Speaker 1: The great stocks are not the great companies the great stocks. 597 00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:55,719 Speaker 1: In fact, it's easier to fix a company that has 598 00:36:55,800 --> 00:36:59,960 Speaker 1: something wrong with that than to improve a company that's 599 00:37:00,239 --> 00:37:04,279 Speaker 1: everything is going great but just isn't popular. Well, well, 600 00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:06,200 Speaker 1: the ones that are great, they're they're too popular. That's 601 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:10,400 Speaker 1: their problems. So give us one more behavioral measure to 602 00:37:10,440 --> 00:37:16,960 Speaker 1: consider with popularity. Well, another one we measured was reputation value. Well, 603 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:18,640 Speaker 1: I'll give you another one that's a little more different. 604 00:37:18,719 --> 00:37:23,760 Speaker 1: Is tail risk. Any any stock that has actually gone 605 00:37:23,800 --> 00:37:29,040 Speaker 1: through a h a tail event, a negative event that's 606 00:37:29,040 --> 00:37:34,120 Speaker 1: called in its history recent history, last five ten years. Uh. 607 00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:36,960 Speaker 1: So let's talk about BP and the Gulf of Mexico. 608 00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:41,400 Speaker 1: We're Boeing and the seven thirty seven max. Uh, those 609 00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:44,279 Speaker 1: are kind of tail events. What does that tell you 610 00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:48,080 Speaker 1: about how you would expect the stock to do going forward? 611 00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:52,880 Speaker 1: Are they is a stock like Boeing post seven seven 612 00:37:52,880 --> 00:37:56,800 Speaker 1: issue become attractive because of that tail event? It can 613 00:37:56,880 --> 00:38:00,439 Speaker 1: and not necessarily the next month or so, But people 614 00:38:00,480 --> 00:38:02,439 Speaker 1: are going to remember that tale for a long time. 615 00:38:03,360 --> 00:38:06,280 Speaker 1: They're gonna remember that bad event, and and it's gonna 616 00:38:06,320 --> 00:38:12,279 Speaker 1: be the reputation is somewhat permanently damaged. Uh. But what 617 00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:15,200 Speaker 1: we have actually studied this uh with one of my 618 00:38:15,239 --> 00:38:17,440 Speaker 1: co authors that I named James Schong here or we 619 00:38:17,480 --> 00:38:21,920 Speaker 1: looked at tail risk and it turns out that future 620 00:38:21,960 --> 00:38:26,600 Speaker 1: tail risk is not so related to past tail events. Huh. 621 00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:30,840 Speaker 1: That's interesting. So it's something really went wrong, say Boeing. 622 00:38:31,320 --> 00:38:35,400 Speaker 1: They eventually fix it and get back on track with 623 00:38:35,440 --> 00:38:39,160 Speaker 1: a lower reputation, but they're not necessarily prone to have 624 00:38:39,640 --> 00:38:45,160 Speaker 1: another tail event. Quite fascinating. We were talking earlier about 625 00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:51,560 Speaker 1: the difference between academia and real world application of ideas 626 00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:56,440 Speaker 1: into actual investments and trades. How often you come across 627 00:38:56,480 --> 00:38:59,560 Speaker 1: an idea that looks great on paper but just doesn't work. 628 00:39:00,120 --> 00:39:04,400 Speaker 1: Can't be implemented UM in a real portfolio. The problem 629 00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:08,320 Speaker 1: with real portfolios is, as they have a lot of trading, 630 00:39:08,360 --> 00:39:09,960 Speaker 1: they may have trading costs. A lot of the very 631 00:39:09,960 --> 00:39:14,520 Speaker 1: best ideas have high trading costs, and and most of 632 00:39:14,600 --> 00:39:17,919 Speaker 1: us are not in a position to actually implement these 633 00:39:19,160 --> 00:39:21,719 Speaker 1: and get rid of rid of those trading costs. There's 634 00:39:21,760 --> 00:39:24,840 Speaker 1: another another problem, though, and that is that the kinds 635 00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:28,040 Speaker 1: of things that have worked in the past, you look 636 00:39:28,080 --> 00:39:30,400 Speaker 1: at it, you do some back testing, and you discover 637 00:39:30,520 --> 00:39:34,520 Speaker 1: things in the past. Uh, those sorts of things, once 638 00:39:34,520 --> 00:39:39,080 Speaker 1: they're discovered and known, tend to be heavily invested in 639 00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:42,960 Speaker 1: get popular actually, and once they get popular, they get 640 00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:46,360 Speaker 1: priced out out of the out of contention, and and 641 00:39:46,440 --> 00:39:48,640 Speaker 1: they don't have the same sort of payoffs. So so 642 00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:52,920 Speaker 1: it's uh no longer as easy to translate all these 643 00:39:53,080 --> 00:39:56,000 Speaker 1: ideas that come out of academics and actually make a 644 00:39:56,000 --> 00:40:00,080 Speaker 1: lot of money from them. Quite quite interesting. Um. One 645 00:40:00,120 --> 00:40:03,120 Speaker 1: of the big topics these days is index funds and 646 00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:07,319 Speaker 1: the move away from active towards passive. Where do you 647 00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:10,840 Speaker 1: find yourself in terms of Some people seem to think 648 00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:14,160 Speaker 1: the flow into index funds is distorting the market, or 649 00:40:14,200 --> 00:40:19,600 Speaker 1: at least hurting price discovery. What are we index in 650 00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:23,799 Speaker 1: the US? What's the impact of that? The I don't 651 00:40:23,840 --> 00:40:27,080 Speaker 1: actually think it's hurting markets. Actually, the index has come 652 00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:29,160 Speaker 1: in so many different forms. You can buy a whole 653 00:40:29,160 --> 00:40:32,200 Speaker 1: index on say the Russell three thousand or the SP five. 654 00:40:32,880 --> 00:40:36,160 Speaker 1: But you can also buy indexes in different forms and 655 00:40:36,239 --> 00:40:41,040 Speaker 1: e t fs and and even mutual funds on by 656 00:40:41,040 --> 00:40:45,680 Speaker 1: a specific industry, or by value stocks, or by small 657 00:40:45,719 --> 00:40:49,520 Speaker 1: cap stocks, or buy a particular type of stock. So 658 00:40:50,120 --> 00:40:54,240 Speaker 1: it's if it's really taking you're actually taking a bat 659 00:40:54,239 --> 00:40:57,600 Speaker 1: when you actually buy that type of stock. If you 660 00:40:57,760 --> 00:41:01,520 Speaker 1: if you thought, for example, that that oil or energy 661 00:41:01,600 --> 00:41:04,160 Speaker 1: was going to do poorly in the future. In the 662 00:41:04,160 --> 00:41:07,439 Speaker 1: old days, you'd have to how do I translate under 663 00:41:07,480 --> 00:41:10,960 Speaker 1: which stocks to avoid and so forth. It's much easier 664 00:41:10,960 --> 00:41:13,680 Speaker 1: to express the trade today, Yes, and that makes it 665 00:41:13,880 --> 00:41:17,480 Speaker 1: markets more efficient because if we can target our opinions 666 00:41:17,800 --> 00:41:22,680 Speaker 1: into a trade directly, rather than trying to mix it 667 00:41:22,719 --> 00:41:25,920 Speaker 1: in with some stocks that that are really noisy and 668 00:41:25,920 --> 00:41:28,960 Speaker 1: not so related to that trade. Uh, it makes it 669 00:41:29,040 --> 00:41:32,440 Speaker 1: very hard to accomplish. So one of the things I 670 00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:36,520 Speaker 1: keep hearing from you is it was much easier back then. 671 00:41:36,640 --> 00:41:39,640 Speaker 1: It's more efficient today. Is this part of the reason 672 00:41:39,719 --> 00:41:43,000 Speaker 1: why so many active managers seem to be unable to 673 00:41:43,080 --> 00:41:46,840 Speaker 1: keep up with their benchmark? Have the markets become that efficient? 674 00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:52,839 Speaker 1: By definition? Though, the market is a zero sum game 675 00:41:52,920 --> 00:41:56,719 Speaker 1: before costs, in the sense that if if you're going 676 00:41:56,719 --> 00:41:58,839 Speaker 1: to beat the market, I have to do worse than 677 00:41:58,840 --> 00:42:01,440 Speaker 1: the market, or we have to sum up to the 678 00:42:01,480 --> 00:42:05,759 Speaker 1: market collectively, and that's before costs, and after costs, Uh, 679 00:42:06,080 --> 00:42:08,600 Speaker 1: we're gonna on average do a little bit worse than 680 00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:12,839 Speaker 1: the market. So this isn't really efficient capital markets. This 681 00:42:12,960 --> 00:42:17,879 Speaker 1: is just a mathematical identity. It's called a zero sum game, 682 00:42:18,520 --> 00:42:21,799 Speaker 1: and in this case the zero relative sum game because 683 00:42:21,840 --> 00:42:25,520 Speaker 1: it's relative to the market, so we could we never 684 00:42:25,600 --> 00:42:29,399 Speaker 1: could collectively on average beat the market. We always had 685 00:42:29,440 --> 00:42:33,080 Speaker 1: to have most of us, um actually do a little 686 00:42:33,080 --> 00:42:35,160 Speaker 1: bit worse than the market about average. So it's not 687 00:42:35,280 --> 00:42:39,000 Speaker 1: like Lake Wobegone, where um, all the children are above average. 688 00:42:39,000 --> 00:42:42,680 Speaker 1: It doesn't work that way. Well, that's that's a good analogy, 689 00:42:42,760 --> 00:42:46,120 Speaker 1: because that's what keeps the market going. We all think 690 00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:49,520 Speaker 1: we're above average, and if we often this is behavioral course. 691 00:42:49,920 --> 00:42:52,279 Speaker 1: But but if we all think we're above average, then 692 00:42:53,120 --> 00:42:56,080 Speaker 1: then of course we can We're all willing to play 693 00:42:56,120 --> 00:42:58,840 Speaker 1: the game, even though some of us are clearly not 694 00:42:58,960 --> 00:43:02,239 Speaker 1: above average, and by definition all of us can be 695 00:43:02,280 --> 00:43:06,200 Speaker 1: above average. My my favorite question, anytime I'm at a 696 00:43:06,280 --> 00:43:09,160 Speaker 1: conference and presenting somewhere, I always ask a room full 697 00:43:09,200 --> 00:43:12,640 Speaker 1: of people, how many of you are above average? Drivers? 698 00:43:12,680 --> 00:43:14,719 Speaker 1: Just about every hand in the room goes up, and 699 00:43:14,800 --> 00:43:18,200 Speaker 1: my response is always, I've been on the road with you, folks, 700 00:43:18,239 --> 00:43:21,239 Speaker 1: some of you are wrong, because clearly we can all 701 00:43:21,239 --> 00:43:25,240 Speaker 1: be above average. So let's talk a little bit about um. 702 00:43:25,239 --> 00:43:29,920 Speaker 1: What What was discussed in Forward Thinker, which was something 703 00:43:29,960 --> 00:43:33,840 Speaker 1: you wrote for Wealth Manager back in December eight You 704 00:43:34,000 --> 00:43:39,000 Speaker 1: talked about the financial system being restructured UH following the 705 00:43:39,040 --> 00:43:44,440 Speaker 1: financial crisis. Have we sufficiently restructured the system to avoid 706 00:43:44,480 --> 00:43:48,160 Speaker 1: the next crisis? Or did we simply restructured enough to 707 00:43:48,200 --> 00:43:51,960 Speaker 1: avoid a repeat of the last crisis. It would be 708 00:43:52,000 --> 00:43:58,440 Speaker 1: mostly a repeat of the last crisis. Restructuring primarily involves 709 00:43:59,120 --> 00:44:06,000 Speaker 1: having UH less leverage and and and actually we're also 710 00:44:06,080 --> 00:44:09,680 Speaker 1: worried about counterparty risk. And of course some of that 711 00:44:09,719 --> 00:44:14,840 Speaker 1: counterparty risk has been been fixed. We're getting more leverage 712 00:44:14,880 --> 00:44:17,799 Speaker 1: back into the system probably now. Truly it's creeping back 713 00:44:17,840 --> 00:44:20,480 Speaker 1: in Yeah, so I don't. I don't see these were 714 00:44:20,520 --> 00:44:25,160 Speaker 1: as any permanent fixes. And of course anytime you regulate markets, 715 00:44:25,400 --> 00:44:29,360 Speaker 1: you also add a lot of incumbrances to the way 716 00:44:29,440 --> 00:44:32,239 Speaker 1: to the way the markets work. So it's both good 717 00:44:32,280 --> 00:44:36,520 Speaker 1: and bad here that it's um where I don't see 718 00:44:36,560 --> 00:44:42,640 Speaker 1: a uh, financial crisis coming soon. Most recessions, by the way, um, 719 00:44:42,880 --> 00:44:45,120 Speaker 1: most drops in the market are not really a financial 720 00:44:45,120 --> 00:44:48,160 Speaker 1: crisis crisis. But the one in two thousand and eight 721 00:44:48,320 --> 00:44:52,319 Speaker 1: was like like the tech public crash in in two 722 00:44:52,320 --> 00:44:55,520 Speaker 1: thousands or two thousand and two. Financial crisis wasn't to 723 00:44:55,600 --> 00:44:59,040 Speaker 1: do with finance. It's just technology, right right, Speaking of behavior, 724 00:44:59,239 --> 00:45:04,919 Speaker 1: excess sentiment had gotten so enthusiastic, people decided evaluation doesn't matter. 725 00:45:04,960 --> 00:45:08,080 Speaker 1: You could pay any price for these things nifty fifty 726 00:45:08,120 --> 00:45:11,720 Speaker 1: like it will all work out, except when eventually doesn't. 727 00:45:11,800 --> 00:45:18,400 Speaker 1: So clearly not a financial crisis. Seven. How do you 728 00:45:18,440 --> 00:45:21,279 Speaker 1: describe that not a financial crisis, really a plumbing and 729 00:45:21,320 --> 00:45:24,319 Speaker 1: structural issue. Well, it was a financial crisis, it's just 730 00:45:24,440 --> 00:45:28,040 Speaker 1: that it only lasted about a week, so not much. 731 00:45:28,360 --> 00:45:30,480 Speaker 1: That's not much of a crisis. And I think back 732 00:45:30,520 --> 00:45:34,120 Speaker 1: to seventy four, so just a deep recession not a 733 00:45:34,160 --> 00:45:38,759 Speaker 1: financial crisis. The fifties predate me, but when you read 734 00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:42,920 Speaker 1: the history books those late fifties early sixties recessions, they 735 00:45:42,960 --> 00:45:44,680 Speaker 1: don't seem like you have to go all the way 736 00:45:44,680 --> 00:45:47,640 Speaker 1: back to what ninety nine for a previous financial crisis. 737 00:45:48,640 --> 00:45:51,600 Speaker 1: Nineties were financial crisis. So we had the big one, 738 00:45:51,640 --> 00:45:55,040 Speaker 1: then we had the smaller one, and are the limited 739 00:45:55,040 --> 00:45:59,960 Speaker 1: one in seven and we had a potentially severe financial crisis, 740 00:46:00,040 --> 00:46:06,600 Speaker 1: said oh eight, and we got through it, which was um, 741 00:46:06,719 --> 00:46:10,800 Speaker 1: very fortunate, but it was the potential financial real breakdown 742 00:46:10,800 --> 00:46:13,200 Speaker 1: of financial markets. So that leads to the next question. 743 00:46:13,239 --> 00:46:17,200 Speaker 1: People have been some people, especially people on the bond 744 00:46:17,239 --> 00:46:21,759 Speaker 1: side of the universe, have been very critical about how 745 00:46:21,800 --> 00:46:24,960 Speaker 1: the FED intervened in the markets, and they've continued to 746 00:46:25,000 --> 00:46:28,719 Speaker 1: be critical about low rates being as low as they've been, 747 00:46:29,480 --> 00:46:32,719 Speaker 1: causing risk assets to rise. What are your thoughts on 748 00:46:32,760 --> 00:46:36,880 Speaker 1: the job the FED did during the financial crisis, and um, 749 00:46:36,920 --> 00:46:38,960 Speaker 1: how do you think the FED has done since then? 750 00:46:39,800 --> 00:46:43,719 Speaker 1: I think during the financial crisis, the FED really had 751 00:46:43,760 --> 00:46:46,000 Speaker 1: to do some special things that they hadn't done. Had 752 00:46:46,040 --> 00:46:48,200 Speaker 1: to buil up their balance sheet, which they had really 753 00:46:48,239 --> 00:46:50,279 Speaker 1: never done before. Used to be the FED was just 754 00:46:50,520 --> 00:46:55,480 Speaker 1: raising and lowering the uh, the interest rate, and um 755 00:46:55,640 --> 00:46:59,040 Speaker 1: that was not that didn't do anything after you got 756 00:46:59,040 --> 00:47:02,319 Speaker 1: down to zero interest or so they then had to 757 00:47:02,320 --> 00:47:04,520 Speaker 1: build up their balance sheets. So I think they Fed 758 00:47:05,280 --> 00:47:08,920 Speaker 1: UH did a great job, in my opinion, in helping 759 00:47:08,920 --> 00:47:14,200 Speaker 1: to avoid that another great suppression, a real catastrophe. Definitely, 760 00:47:14,520 --> 00:47:16,920 Speaker 1: you think it could have been. I think people have forgotten. 761 00:47:16,960 --> 00:47:20,359 Speaker 1: It's been a decade and they've already forgotten. Were we 762 00:47:20,520 --> 00:47:25,279 Speaker 1: on the precipice of another depression similar to the nine 763 00:47:25,320 --> 00:47:29,200 Speaker 1: and the nineties. We were on the precipice of a 764 00:47:29,239 --> 00:47:33,920 Speaker 1: financial breakdown. I don't know that it would cause a depression, 765 00:47:34,040 --> 00:47:38,759 Speaker 1: but it would cause a lot of chaos and certainly, um, 766 00:47:39,440 --> 00:47:41,239 Speaker 1: I'm not clear what it would cause, you know, but 767 00:47:41,560 --> 00:47:45,440 Speaker 1: we were definitely on the precipice of that financial breakdown, 768 00:47:45,440 --> 00:47:48,879 Speaker 1: which could have been very severe. I As far as 769 00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:51,919 Speaker 1: what the FED has done since then, well I think 770 00:47:51,960 --> 00:47:56,360 Speaker 1: they could have. We were now ten years later and 771 00:47:56,400 --> 00:48:00,400 Speaker 1: we haven't. Were now interest rates less than the window 772 00:48:00,719 --> 00:48:03,879 Speaker 1: the FED window. They're really only charging less than three 773 00:48:04,719 --> 00:48:07,839 Speaker 1: at this point. UH. One of the one of the 774 00:48:07,920 --> 00:48:11,040 Speaker 1: levels the FED has to protect against recessions is the 775 00:48:11,080 --> 00:48:13,560 Speaker 1: lower the rate we can't lower the rate if we 776 00:48:13,640 --> 00:48:16,800 Speaker 1: never royals it, and so I think they could have 777 00:48:16,840 --> 00:48:19,359 Speaker 1: done much more, but they were very reluctant to raise 778 00:48:19,480 --> 00:48:23,399 Speaker 1: rates over this long recovery, which has been now very 779 00:48:23,960 --> 00:48:28,279 Speaker 1: long tenure recovery. And so we still don't have normalized 780 00:48:28,360 --> 00:48:31,040 Speaker 1: interest rates, and the FED is are they behind the 781 00:48:31,080 --> 00:48:33,840 Speaker 1: curve or have they just not gotten us to a 782 00:48:33,880 --> 00:48:38,839 Speaker 1: place that resembles neutral? Yet the rates are still low, 783 00:48:39,000 --> 00:48:44,160 Speaker 1: and and although they are finally reducing the balance sheet 784 00:48:44,160 --> 00:48:46,920 Speaker 1: of the FAT, it's still a big balance sheet. So 785 00:48:47,560 --> 00:48:51,960 Speaker 1: they don't have the same firepower going into any new 786 00:48:52,520 --> 00:48:55,520 Speaker 1: activity that happens that we had back in oh eight. 787 00:48:56,120 --> 00:48:59,040 Speaker 1: Quite interesting, So let's talk a little bit about annuities 788 00:48:59,680 --> 00:49:03,680 Speaker 1: um which are somewhat controversial to some people. I don't 789 00:49:03,680 --> 00:49:05,960 Speaker 1: know if that's really the right descriptor of it. You 790 00:49:06,040 --> 00:49:10,839 Speaker 1: wrote not too long ago, investors should consider indexed anuities 791 00:49:11,000 --> 00:49:14,800 Speaker 1: as bond substitutes. Explain what those are and how would 792 00:49:14,800 --> 00:49:18,520 Speaker 1: that operate in a in a portfolio. Well, let me 793 00:49:18,520 --> 00:49:23,399 Speaker 1: first explain why we might need a bond substitute. Uh, 794 00:49:23,440 --> 00:49:27,080 Speaker 1: if you bonds today at least treasure yields are below 795 00:49:27,160 --> 00:49:31,120 Speaker 1: three percent the tenure I looked lass. I looked recently, 796 00:49:31,160 --> 00:49:36,200 Speaker 1: the tenure was definitely below three percent. And and uh, 797 00:49:36,680 --> 00:49:40,319 Speaker 1: a return on a bond is the yield plus or 798 00:49:40,400 --> 00:49:45,400 Speaker 1: minus a capital gainer loss. If yields rise, you have 799 00:49:45,640 --> 00:49:49,080 Speaker 1: a capital loss on bonds. And I mentioned duration at 800 00:49:49,080 --> 00:49:52,600 Speaker 1: an earlier time. The essentially, if he yields rise one 801 00:49:52,600 --> 00:49:56,000 Speaker 1: percent and the duration is ten on a bond, you're 802 00:49:56,120 --> 00:50:01,719 Speaker 1: you lose ten on that bond. So there was a 803 00:50:01,760 --> 00:50:06,120 Speaker 1: potential for actually bonds that have negative returns in the future. Uh, 804 00:50:06,280 --> 00:50:08,680 Speaker 1: if you look at the history of all these yields, 805 00:50:09,360 --> 00:50:13,080 Speaker 1: we from the fourties on we had very low yields 806 00:50:13,120 --> 00:50:17,799 Speaker 1: that rose and one they were double digits, and but 807 00:50:17,960 --> 00:50:21,000 Speaker 1: since then they've been straight down thirty three years of 808 00:50:21,040 --> 00:50:25,000 Speaker 1: falling interest rates. And that meant really good returns because 809 00:50:25,040 --> 00:50:27,000 Speaker 1: not only did you get those high yields that you 810 00:50:27,040 --> 00:50:30,879 Speaker 1: started with, but then you've got these capital gains. That's 811 00:50:30,960 --> 00:50:33,319 Speaker 1: probably not going to happen going forward. Here we're gonna 812 00:50:33,400 --> 00:50:37,080 Speaker 1: have a low yield and a potential capital loss. So 813 00:50:37,680 --> 00:50:40,200 Speaker 1: I wanted to see what else so you could you 814 00:50:40,239 --> 00:50:43,920 Speaker 1: could we could have that would be an alternative to that. Sure, 815 00:50:44,080 --> 00:50:48,080 Speaker 1: so short of going back too and building a bond portfolio. 816 00:50:48,680 --> 00:50:52,160 Speaker 1: How how so how would an index the nuity work? 817 00:50:52,320 --> 00:50:54,680 Speaker 1: What is what's in? What's in? Because in the nuity 818 00:50:54,760 --> 00:50:57,160 Speaker 1: is just a rapper, right and for the most part 819 00:50:57,239 --> 00:51:00,640 Speaker 1: tax deferred. UM, how do index in what he's worked? 820 00:51:00,920 --> 00:51:05,799 Speaker 1: And index I their insurance products? And UH, and I 821 00:51:05,880 --> 00:51:11,440 Speaker 1: have to say that UM Zebra Capital has indexes, actually 822 00:51:11,480 --> 00:51:13,760 Speaker 1: a co branded index with the New York Sack Exchange 823 00:51:14,400 --> 00:51:18,239 Speaker 1: and UH that index is actually used by an insurance 824 00:51:18,239 --> 00:51:25,120 Speaker 1: company to UH in creating a accumulation annuity. I'll mention 825 00:51:25,200 --> 00:51:28,160 Speaker 1: here so so I I have some in set up 826 00:51:28,160 --> 00:51:30,680 Speaker 1: here to Actually so you're talking your book, but you're 827 00:51:30,719 --> 00:51:33,560 Speaker 1: the expert in this space. So we've we know that 828 00:51:33,640 --> 00:51:36,840 Speaker 1: you take your academic theory and apply it in practical 829 00:51:36,920 --> 00:51:39,160 Speaker 1: and then here's a perfect example of it. So what 830 00:51:39,360 --> 00:51:43,200 Speaker 1: is that annuity holds? And aren't we kind of doing 831 00:51:43,239 --> 00:51:47,759 Speaker 1: a little bit of UM magic taking something and creating 832 00:51:47,880 --> 00:51:53,719 Speaker 1: a UM a yield that doesn't have the same parameters 833 00:51:53,719 --> 00:51:58,160 Speaker 1: of a bond. What is that metamorphosis there? So the 834 00:51:58,920 --> 00:52:03,000 Speaker 1: what what's happening as we take the index? Actually the 835 00:52:03,000 --> 00:52:08,480 Speaker 1: insurance company takes this index and it it ensures the 836 00:52:08,880 --> 00:52:13,560 Speaker 1: downside essentially, so it doesn't actually by buying, buying options 837 00:52:13,880 --> 00:52:16,680 Speaker 1: and so forth. So what what it means is that 838 00:52:16,800 --> 00:52:21,360 Speaker 1: a an actual person then can buy a annuity and 839 00:52:21,440 --> 00:52:26,080 Speaker 1: index annuity that they get a participation in. Our index 840 00:52:26,160 --> 00:52:27,960 Speaker 1: is an equity index that has the bonds in it, 841 00:52:28,200 --> 00:52:30,719 Speaker 1: and it's risk control to have a five percent volatility, 842 00:52:31,640 --> 00:52:35,040 Speaker 1: but they can buy that index with that with that 843 00:52:36,400 --> 00:52:40,400 Speaker 1: five percent volatility, the insurance company ensures it so that 844 00:52:40,440 --> 00:52:43,560 Speaker 1: you get equity participation, but you don't lose any money. 845 00:52:43,600 --> 00:52:45,960 Speaker 1: So this isn't We're not taking lead and turning it 846 00:52:45,960 --> 00:52:50,400 Speaker 1: into gold. This is essentially a hedged um equity product 847 00:52:50,480 --> 00:52:52,359 Speaker 1: that behaves like a bond. Is that a fair way 848 00:52:52,400 --> 00:52:55,600 Speaker 1: to describe it. It has roughly the same returns as 849 00:52:55,600 --> 00:52:59,280 Speaker 1: a bond on average, but it doesn't have any losses 850 00:52:59,320 --> 00:53:05,480 Speaker 1: that the losses are insured and uh and essentially you 851 00:53:05,880 --> 00:53:09,320 Speaker 1: have equity participation on the upside, not full equity participation. 852 00:53:09,560 --> 00:53:12,360 Speaker 1: It's not a substitute for stocks. It's a substitute for 853 00:53:12,440 --> 00:53:15,880 Speaker 1: bonds that doesn't ever lose money. So it's a dividend 854 00:53:15,920 --> 00:53:20,000 Speaker 1: yield plus whatever capital appreciation you get minus the cost 855 00:53:20,080 --> 00:53:23,400 Speaker 1: of of hedging against the downside. You get the capital 856 00:53:23,480 --> 00:53:30,280 Speaker 1: appreciation and um and a participation in the equity market. Uh, 857 00:53:30,360 --> 00:53:33,640 Speaker 1: and of course UH, no losses on the downside of 858 00:53:34,239 --> 00:53:38,480 Speaker 1: That's what by having less than participation in the equity 859 00:53:38,520 --> 00:53:42,440 Speaker 1: market and by getting the capital appreciation, uh, you are 860 00:53:42,719 --> 00:53:44,480 Speaker 1: be able to the insurance company to be able to 861 00:53:44,560 --> 00:53:47,440 Speaker 1: use that to have ensured the downside so that there 862 00:53:47,440 --> 00:53:50,400 Speaker 1: are no losses. So you end up with a distribution 863 00:53:50,480 --> 00:53:55,160 Speaker 1: of returns that is is maybe roughly comptable in terms 864 00:53:55,160 --> 00:53:58,920 Speaker 1: of returns to a bond market, but has upside but 865 00:53:59,040 --> 00:54:03,720 Speaker 1: not downside. Quite fascinating. You're a Chicago guy. You worked 866 00:54:03,719 --> 00:54:07,279 Speaker 1: with Gene Fama. There are a number of factors that 867 00:54:07,760 --> 00:54:11,360 Speaker 1: just keep getting discovered. Last count it was excess of 868 00:54:11,440 --> 00:54:14,319 Speaker 1: four hundred, maybe even more than that. What do you 869 00:54:14,320 --> 00:54:18,000 Speaker 1: think about all these different factors in the textbooks and 870 00:54:18,000 --> 00:54:20,960 Speaker 1: and how does that work in the real world. Well, 871 00:54:21,040 --> 00:54:23,840 Speaker 1: these say four hundred factors, there are a lot of 872 00:54:23,880 --> 00:54:26,040 Speaker 1: them are correlated with each other, so there's not really 873 00:54:26,200 --> 00:54:29,319 Speaker 1: four hundred, but but there's still many of them, you know. 874 00:54:29,680 --> 00:54:32,960 Speaker 1: And the way to evaluate it has to do with 875 00:54:33,280 --> 00:54:38,960 Speaker 1: our monograph again, popularity, Because in order for a a 876 00:54:39,080 --> 00:54:42,200 Speaker 1: factor to really pay off and forward from over the 877 00:54:42,239 --> 00:54:44,880 Speaker 1: long term, in anyway, it has to be unpopular in 878 00:54:44,920 --> 00:54:50,200 Speaker 1: some sense unpopular. So the popular ones are valuation, quality, 879 00:54:51,320 --> 00:54:56,600 Speaker 1: momentum um. Uh, those are probably the four most popular 880 00:54:56,640 --> 00:54:59,000 Speaker 1: ones I can think of. You want to go further 881 00:54:59,120 --> 00:55:02,520 Speaker 1: on the list and find ones that are either overlooked 882 00:55:02,640 --> 00:55:10,120 Speaker 1: or or unpopular. Well, for example, liquidity is something that's 883 00:55:10,160 --> 00:55:15,520 Speaker 1: inherently popular, and less liquarity is inherently less popular. So 884 00:55:15,640 --> 00:55:18,879 Speaker 1: if you have a factor based on liquarity, that's likely 885 00:55:18,920 --> 00:55:21,719 Speaker 1: to pay off. If you have a factor based on risk, 886 00:55:22,000 --> 00:55:24,920 Speaker 1: they're often likely to pay off because risk is always 887 00:55:24,920 --> 00:55:28,399 Speaker 1: going to be unpopular and less risk is always will 888 00:55:28,440 --> 00:55:32,920 Speaker 1: be more popular. If you have factors based on um, 889 00:55:32,960 --> 00:55:34,560 Speaker 1: it could be quality, it could be any of these 890 00:55:34,560 --> 00:55:38,520 Speaker 1: sort of things. It could be value, value based. Essentially, 891 00:55:38,560 --> 00:55:42,799 Speaker 1: if value companies are distressed companies that we don't like, 892 00:55:43,440 --> 00:55:48,879 Speaker 1: they value premium might be unpopular, I guess. So that's 893 00:55:48,960 --> 00:55:51,400 Speaker 1: that's the rationale why you might have a value premium 894 00:55:51,440 --> 00:55:54,040 Speaker 1: because if people if they're the type of companies that 895 00:55:54,080 --> 00:55:58,680 Speaker 1: we don't like, then then they're going to be relatively 896 00:55:58,760 --> 00:56:01,200 Speaker 1: less demand for them. They're going to be unpopular. But 897 00:56:01,239 --> 00:56:03,640 Speaker 1: that means that less demand means that they're gonna have 898 00:56:03,800 --> 00:56:08,560 Speaker 1: higher expected returns. So so here we are in value 899 00:56:08,560 --> 00:56:12,799 Speaker 1: has gotten its butt kicked over the past decade by growth. Um, 900 00:56:13,160 --> 00:56:16,800 Speaker 1: I'm gonna take that. I'm gonna interpret what you're saying 901 00:56:16,960 --> 00:56:21,640 Speaker 1: as implying valuate value as a factor is less popular, 902 00:56:22,040 --> 00:56:25,960 Speaker 1: but value should expect better returns going forward, or value 903 00:56:25,960 --> 00:56:29,360 Speaker 1: should have a higher expected return going forward versus the 904 00:56:29,400 --> 00:56:32,839 Speaker 1: more popular growth. Yes, I think it does, especially now 905 00:56:32,880 --> 00:56:37,520 Speaker 1: that we've had this bad period, because once, once, after 906 00:56:37,680 --> 00:56:41,600 Speaker 1: value does so well, everybody gets excited and stays saying, well, 907 00:56:41,640 --> 00:56:44,040 Speaker 1: I should be buying value stocks instead of growth stocks. 908 00:56:44,800 --> 00:56:47,440 Speaker 1: So the question you always have to ask yourself this question, 909 00:56:47,520 --> 00:56:50,839 Speaker 1: that's what this monograph is all about. I can help 910 00:56:50,840 --> 00:56:55,440 Speaker 1: but point out that a number of famous and infamous 911 00:56:55,440 --> 00:56:59,520 Speaker 1: hedge fund managers over the past decade, all of whom 912 00:56:59,640 --> 00:57:04,080 Speaker 1: kind of came to the public's attention eight, ten, twelve 913 00:57:04,160 --> 00:57:07,440 Speaker 1: years ago. The more popular they got and the more 914 00:57:07,640 --> 00:57:10,920 Speaker 1: capital they got, the worst their performance seems to be. 915 00:57:11,680 --> 00:57:16,800 Speaker 1: Is this the same sort of issue where suddenly popularity 916 00:57:17,120 --> 00:57:20,240 Speaker 1: just exceeds their ability to manage that capital, or is 917 00:57:20,280 --> 00:57:23,440 Speaker 1: there something about, hey, that's way late in the cycle 918 00:57:23,480 --> 00:57:26,240 Speaker 1: by the time it gets popular. It's just too late. Well, 919 00:57:26,240 --> 00:57:29,919 Speaker 1: it's probably both of that that. Certainly, when they get 920 00:57:30,480 --> 00:57:33,720 Speaker 1: a lot of money that their particular idea, they put 921 00:57:33,760 --> 00:57:35,480 Speaker 1: a lot of money behind it, they're putting too much 922 00:57:35,520 --> 00:57:38,840 Speaker 1: money behind it, and then and then they're moving the 923 00:57:38,880 --> 00:57:43,280 Speaker 1: price themselves, and then that makes it overvalued and then 924 00:57:43,680 --> 00:57:46,560 Speaker 1: too popular in our words, So too popular could be overvalued, 925 00:57:46,600 --> 00:57:50,520 Speaker 1: too popular could be just classical uh types of things 926 00:57:50,560 --> 00:57:55,240 Speaker 1: like risk, opic quality, um, uh popular. But popularity is 927 00:57:55,280 --> 00:57:57,640 Speaker 1: the thing that ties everything together. That's why I guess 928 00:57:57,640 --> 00:58:02,560 Speaker 1: I'm so excited about uh our new uh, our new 929 00:58:02,680 --> 00:58:07,920 Speaker 1: monograph here, uh, because it's not only it ties all 930 00:58:07,960 --> 00:58:10,640 Speaker 1: these premiums together that people are talking about, say the 931 00:58:10,680 --> 00:58:14,320 Speaker 1: four premiums and which ones might work. And it also 932 00:58:14,400 --> 00:58:19,320 Speaker 1: ties in the link because we were evolving into behavioral 933 00:58:19,360 --> 00:58:24,000 Speaker 1: finance and classical finances being different fields to some extent, 934 00:58:24,600 --> 00:58:27,800 Speaker 1: this ties them back together again. So I'm really I'm 935 00:58:27,800 --> 00:58:32,320 Speaker 1: really excited about the whole approach here, and I'll I'll 936 00:58:32,360 --> 00:58:35,200 Speaker 1: include a link to that white paper on the right 937 00:58:35,240 --> 00:58:37,480 Speaker 1: of about this so people can find it. We have 938 00:58:37,640 --> 00:58:42,120 Speaker 1: been speaking with Roger Ibbotson, Professor of Finance at the 939 00:58:42,240 --> 00:58:46,560 Speaker 1: Yale School of Management and Chairman of Ibbotson associates, as 940 00:58:46,560 --> 00:58:50,320 Speaker 1: well as chairman and ce IO of Zebrook Capital Management. 941 00:58:50,720 --> 00:58:53,520 Speaker 1: If you enjoy this conversation, we'll be sure and check 942 00:58:53,560 --> 00:58:56,280 Speaker 1: out the podcast That Straus, where we keep the tape 943 00:58:56,360 --> 00:59:02,800 Speaker 1: rolling and continue discussing all things factor and popularity related. 944 00:59:03,400 --> 00:59:08,920 Speaker 1: You can find that at iTunes, Overcast, Stitcher, Bloomberg dot com, 945 00:59:08,920 --> 00:59:12,960 Speaker 1: wherever final podcasts are found. We love your comments, feedback 946 00:59:13,000 --> 00:59:17,000 Speaker 1: and suggestions right to us at m IB podcast at 947 00:59:17,000 --> 00:59:20,920 Speaker 1: Bloomberg dot net. Check out my daily column on Bloomberg 948 00:59:21,000 --> 00:59:24,920 Speaker 1: dot com slash Opinion. Follow me on Twitter at Hults. 949 00:59:25,400 --> 00:59:29,080 Speaker 1: I'm Barry Rihults. You're listening to Master's in Business on 950 00:59:29,240 --> 00:59:47,320 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Radio. Welcome to the podcast, Roger, Thank you so much. 951 00:59:47,320 --> 00:59:50,040 Speaker 1: I don't know what's called you, Professor Edwardson, Roger, what's 952 00:59:50,040 --> 00:59:54,400 Speaker 1: your preferred uh, well with a person like you, Berry 953 00:59:54,520 --> 00:59:56,880 Speaker 1: is I'll call you Berry. You should call me Roger. 954 00:59:57,680 --> 01:00:01,880 Speaker 1: I feel like I'm I'm definitely uh punching above my 955 01:00:01,920 --> 01:00:06,320 Speaker 1: weight in this conversation. Um, but this has been just 956 01:00:06,400 --> 01:00:10,560 Speaker 1: really fantastic stuff. I know I've been following your career 957 01:00:10,760 --> 01:00:14,440 Speaker 1: and your research and writings for um my whole career 958 01:00:14,440 --> 01:00:17,160 Speaker 1: in finance, and I've been very much looking forward UM 959 01:00:17,240 --> 01:00:21,200 Speaker 1: to this conversation. So let's jump to our favorite questions. 960 01:00:21,240 --> 01:00:24,000 Speaker 1: I asked these of all our guests, and some of 961 01:00:24,240 --> 01:00:28,400 Speaker 1: some of these UM are especially resonant for for different listeners. 962 01:00:28,760 --> 01:00:32,400 Speaker 1: Let's start with UM. I used to ask this question 963 01:00:32,480 --> 01:00:36,480 Speaker 1: just as a sound check for the UM Audio Engineer, 964 01:00:36,640 --> 01:00:40,000 Speaker 1: and the answers were so fascinating that I've started asking 965 01:00:40,000 --> 01:00:42,960 Speaker 1: all the guests this question. So, what was the first 966 01:00:42,960 --> 01:00:47,040 Speaker 1: car you ever owned? Year, make and model. Well, it 967 01:00:47,080 --> 01:00:52,240 Speaker 1: was the nine six one Plymouth Valiant light blue, and 968 01:00:52,360 --> 01:00:55,880 Speaker 1: I was a junior, I guess, just a starting senior 969 01:00:56,160 --> 01:01:00,600 Speaker 1: in college at Purdue. And I really love that car. 970 01:01:00,680 --> 01:01:03,040 Speaker 1: I gotta say it look kind of a sporty looking car, 971 01:01:03,120 --> 01:01:05,800 Speaker 1: and so it was a really do a four door 972 01:01:06,200 --> 01:01:07,960 Speaker 1: it was. It was a four door car, but it 973 01:01:08,040 --> 01:01:12,600 Speaker 1: was still a very very sporty looking car and it 974 01:01:12,640 --> 01:01:16,439 Speaker 1: was great fun, although unfortunately I didn't get to keep 975 01:01:16,480 --> 01:01:20,000 Speaker 1: it that long. I kind of remember the Valiant. I'm 976 01:01:20,040 --> 01:01:22,120 Speaker 1: trying to remember if that was like a Dodge Dart, 977 01:01:22,920 --> 01:01:26,120 Speaker 1: similar shape, sort of a big long hood and a 978 01:01:26,160 --> 01:01:28,880 Speaker 1: big long No, it's actually a little bit smaller than that. 979 01:01:29,600 --> 01:01:32,880 Speaker 1: Very smart sporty looking, all right, wasn't like that back 980 01:01:32,880 --> 01:01:36,120 Speaker 1: in the day when Plymouth made some pretty substantial sports cars. Yeah, 981 01:01:36,120 --> 01:01:39,480 Speaker 1: they didn't make the sports cars. But unfortunately that car, 982 01:01:40,040 --> 01:01:42,320 Speaker 1: uh my first job after I got my m b A. 983 01:01:42,400 --> 01:01:44,480 Speaker 1: So I had that car for three years, a senior 984 01:01:44,560 --> 01:01:47,720 Speaker 1: year and then two years as an NBA student. Um, 985 01:01:47,760 --> 01:01:50,640 Speaker 1: but I worked on a cattle ranch, actually my first 986 01:01:50,720 --> 01:01:55,720 Speaker 1: job in Nevada. Huh. So I was gonna ask my 987 01:01:55,800 --> 01:01:57,680 Speaker 1: next question is what is the most important thing we 988 01:01:57,720 --> 01:02:00,760 Speaker 1: don't know about Roder Ribertson? But before I get to that, 989 01:02:01,080 --> 01:02:03,360 Speaker 1: how do you go from the University of Chicago, an 990 01:02:03,440 --> 01:02:08,280 Speaker 1: NBA in finance to a cattle ranch. Well, I thought 991 01:02:08,520 --> 01:02:11,360 Speaker 1: I had an offer, so I took it that I 992 01:02:11,440 --> 01:02:14,840 Speaker 1: thought it looked like a good opportunity to do something 993 01:02:14,840 --> 01:02:18,000 Speaker 1: really great and but but I was out of my element. 994 01:02:18,040 --> 01:02:20,400 Speaker 1: I was fired at the end of the summer. So 995 01:02:20,520 --> 01:02:23,120 Speaker 1: you weren't trading cattle futures. You were actually on a 996 01:02:23,160 --> 01:02:26,240 Speaker 1: horse within a ranch. Well, it was more like trucks 997 01:02:26,280 --> 01:02:30,800 Speaker 1: and planes. But you're let me tell you, a car 998 01:02:31,120 --> 01:02:34,880 Speaker 1: does not last on a cattle ranch very long because 999 01:02:35,160 --> 01:02:38,840 Speaker 1: they're all dirt roads and the car was just covered 1000 01:02:38,880 --> 01:02:42,440 Speaker 1: with thick with dust and every and every bump and 1001 01:02:42,480 --> 01:02:45,840 Speaker 1: so forth, the transmission went out and all the things. 1002 01:02:46,120 --> 01:02:49,760 Speaker 1: So that was the my card. Uh had that kind 1003 01:02:49,760 --> 01:02:52,320 Speaker 1: of ending life there. And and I didn't work out 1004 01:02:52,320 --> 01:02:56,440 Speaker 1: either at the cattle ranch, and so I actually uh 1005 01:02:56,840 --> 01:02:58,800 Speaker 1: ended that job and put it on my resume as 1006 01:02:58,800 --> 01:03:02,800 Speaker 1: a summer job. That's pretty that's pretty hilarious. So I 1007 01:03:03,520 --> 01:03:06,280 Speaker 1: given that I'm reluctant to ask the next question, but 1008 01:03:06,760 --> 01:03:09,920 Speaker 1: what's the most important thing people don't know about? Roger Robertson, 1009 01:03:11,200 --> 01:03:12,840 Speaker 1: I would actually say, though I'll take it all the 1010 01:03:12,880 --> 01:03:15,760 Speaker 1: way to the present, sure that I'm not you know, 1011 01:03:15,800 --> 01:03:18,280 Speaker 1: I've always been working in finance all these years, but 1012 01:03:18,320 --> 01:03:23,120 Speaker 1: I'm actually very interested in um long term data and 1013 01:03:23,160 --> 01:03:25,720 Speaker 1: time over time and so forth. And I'm getting very 1014 01:03:25,800 --> 01:03:29,920 Speaker 1: interested and I might be writing at least researching whether 1015 01:03:30,120 --> 01:03:34,720 Speaker 1: or right on the subject of of long history going 1016 01:03:34,840 --> 01:03:40,320 Speaker 1: far forward and forward and back. Essentially. Uh, perhaps I've 1017 01:03:40,320 --> 01:03:43,640 Speaker 1: been starting with the Big Bang and and and then 1018 01:03:44,280 --> 01:03:47,440 Speaker 1: really for more predictive purposes though, and and long term 1019 01:03:47,520 --> 01:03:49,880 Speaker 1: kind of predictions and what's going to happen to to 1020 01:03:50,360 --> 01:03:53,120 Speaker 1: humanity and so forth. So that's that's one of the 1021 01:03:53,120 --> 01:03:55,919 Speaker 1: things you'll have to interview me a couple of years later. 1022 01:03:56,640 --> 01:03:58,840 Speaker 1: Times out. You're absolutely welcome back. We'd love to talk 1023 01:03:58,880 --> 01:04:02,000 Speaker 1: about that. So tell us about And I'm afraid to 1024 01:04:02,040 --> 01:04:04,960 Speaker 1: even ask this question, but i have to because I 1025 01:04:05,000 --> 01:04:07,680 Speaker 1: know who's coming up in the answer. Who were your 1026 01:04:07,720 --> 01:04:11,560 Speaker 1: early mentors? Oh? I it is the It is the 1027 01:04:11,680 --> 01:04:17,360 Speaker 1: University of Chicago, people with uh, the Farmer, Merton, Marco 1028 01:04:17,400 --> 01:04:20,600 Speaker 1: Wits who else is on that run? Well as Byron 1029 01:04:20,680 --> 01:04:25,320 Speaker 1: Shows and Fisher Black and yeah, and Merton Miller and 1030 01:04:25,520 --> 01:04:29,400 Speaker 1: Jane Farmer. There are all my early mentors. Yes, that 1031 01:04:29,400 --> 01:04:33,840 Speaker 1: that's that's an incredible lineup. What about investors? What investors 1032 01:04:34,080 --> 01:04:38,080 Speaker 1: influence the way you think about taking theory and applying 1033 01:04:38,120 --> 01:04:42,760 Speaker 1: it in the real world. You know, I they weren't 1034 01:04:42,840 --> 01:04:48,120 Speaker 1: literally investors, because I have to say that, uh, getting 1035 01:04:48,160 --> 01:04:55,200 Speaker 1: grounded in efficient capital market theory UH gives you a 1036 01:04:55,240 --> 01:05:00,640 Speaker 1: whole approach to investing. And and it's stead of starting 1037 01:05:00,680 --> 01:05:04,880 Speaker 1: out with imagining that every stock you imagine is is 1038 01:05:05,000 --> 01:05:08,000 Speaker 1: unrelated to the price in some way. If you start 1039 01:05:08,040 --> 01:05:11,320 Speaker 1: out with the fact that if you know nothing about 1040 01:05:11,320 --> 01:05:16,720 Speaker 1: a company or or a security, it's the prices the 1041 01:05:16,800 --> 01:05:18,919 Speaker 1: kind of the best guess of what its value is. 1042 01:05:19,160 --> 01:05:23,960 Speaker 1: And so that's such a dramatic approach, even if you're 1043 01:05:23,960 --> 01:05:27,560 Speaker 1: looking for inefficience for the market, it's such an uh 1044 01:05:27,720 --> 01:05:30,880 Speaker 1: changes your whole way of approaching everything and thinking about 1045 01:05:30,880 --> 01:05:35,840 Speaker 1: everything because you instead of well, for example, as a 1046 01:05:35,880 --> 01:05:41,960 Speaker 1: portfolio manager, you could do nothing and you might do fine. 1047 01:05:42,000 --> 01:05:45,880 Speaker 1: You know, it's you don't have to literally trade every 1048 01:05:45,920 --> 01:05:48,840 Speaker 1: day to make things work. It's a matter of of 1049 01:05:49,480 --> 01:05:51,280 Speaker 1: you only want to trade when you really do have 1050 01:05:51,960 --> 01:05:55,240 Speaker 1: the edge that you're actually going to add value. So 1051 01:05:55,920 --> 01:05:57,320 Speaker 1: one of the things I always think about and I've 1052 01:05:57,320 --> 01:06:03,120 Speaker 1: managed companies and I've managed stocks, and I think um 1053 01:06:03,400 --> 01:06:08,160 Speaker 1: stocks in some way manage themselves. People. Well, if you 1054 01:06:08,280 --> 01:06:11,439 Speaker 1: start out from the belief that the prices of fair 1055 01:06:11,560 --> 01:06:15,360 Speaker 1: estimation of the value that should really take care of itself. 1056 01:06:15,840 --> 01:06:18,320 Speaker 1: That's right. That's that's the key. I mean, once you 1057 01:06:18,400 --> 01:06:21,200 Speaker 1: sort of know that your stocks are managing themselves, but 1058 01:06:21,240 --> 01:06:24,520 Speaker 1: then you try to improve on that. But man your 1059 01:06:24,560 --> 01:06:28,480 Speaker 1: people don't manage themselves, that's right. So it's much harder 1060 01:06:28,480 --> 01:06:32,240 Speaker 1: to manage people than it is to manage stocks once 1061 01:06:32,280 --> 01:06:35,160 Speaker 1: you understand this principle. If you don't understand that principle, though, 1062 01:06:36,280 --> 01:06:39,560 Speaker 1: managing stock markets. You've got hundreds of thousands of stocks. 1063 01:06:39,560 --> 01:06:42,280 Speaker 1: You've got hundreds, hundreds or thousands or whatever. You've got 1064 01:06:42,280 --> 01:06:44,280 Speaker 1: all these stocks, and you're trying to think out it's 1065 01:06:44,320 --> 01:06:47,560 Speaker 1: just one over valued or undervalued. If you have to 1066 01:06:47,760 --> 01:06:50,800 Speaker 1: attack it that way, you can quickly get overwhelmed into 1067 01:06:50,800 --> 01:06:55,360 Speaker 1: the situation. So it's just a principle that so much 1068 01:06:55,400 --> 01:06:59,560 Speaker 1: simplifies the process. Starting with the assumption that, hey, most 1069 01:06:59,560 --> 01:07:03,000 Speaker 1: stocks gonna be more or less priced relative to their value. 1070 01:07:03,320 --> 01:07:06,000 Speaker 1: It's a good starting place. Um, all right, let's get 1071 01:07:06,040 --> 01:07:09,160 Speaker 1: to everybody's favorite question. UM, I get emails about this 1072 01:07:09,200 --> 01:07:13,400 Speaker 1: all the time. Tell us some of your favorite books. Well, 1073 01:07:13,440 --> 01:07:15,800 Speaker 1: but by the way, I will include your books when 1074 01:07:15,800 --> 01:07:17,720 Speaker 1: we when this goes live, I will include a list 1075 01:07:17,760 --> 01:07:20,080 Speaker 1: of all your published books. So tell us some of 1076 01:07:20,160 --> 01:07:23,600 Speaker 1: the favorite books that you've read of other authors. Yeah, 1077 01:07:23,600 --> 01:07:25,360 Speaker 1: I want to say, of course, I'm not going to 1078 01:07:25,400 --> 01:07:27,240 Speaker 1: promote my own books. I always love my own books. 1079 01:07:27,240 --> 01:07:32,840 Speaker 1: I guess who does it? What does But because I've 1080 01:07:32,840 --> 01:07:36,000 Speaker 1: been looking at long term things, I've been you know, 1081 01:07:36,040 --> 01:07:40,400 Speaker 1: are you're gonna go go ahead? Let's see for for example, UM, 1082 01:07:40,440 --> 01:07:44,880 Speaker 1: there's this, Uh, you've o Harari who's been writing and 1083 01:07:45,360 --> 01:07:50,000 Speaker 1: sapiens and then the predicting the future on that and 1084 01:07:50,080 --> 01:07:53,920 Speaker 1: reading that like I've been reading like Steven Pinker's Huh. 1085 01:07:54,120 --> 01:07:56,160 Speaker 1: I think it's called Our Better Angels, that our angels 1086 01:07:56,160 --> 01:08:00,360 Speaker 1: of our nature. Yes, about how how how we're changing 1087 01:08:00,400 --> 01:08:02,840 Speaker 1: over time and so forth, and how we're less violent 1088 01:08:02,880 --> 01:08:08,080 Speaker 1: and so forth. Uh. David Christian is an author and 1089 01:08:08,720 --> 01:08:11,600 Speaker 1: he's Australian. Well it's not really Australia, and he's been 1090 01:08:11,600 --> 01:08:13,120 Speaker 1: all over the world, but he's I think he's teaching 1091 01:08:13,160 --> 01:08:16,400 Speaker 1: in Australia at this point, but he he's he's written 1092 01:08:16,439 --> 01:08:21,080 Speaker 1: a book and done a lot of uh of course, 1093 01:08:21,360 --> 01:08:27,160 Speaker 1: uh electronic courses on on big History, which is looking 1094 01:08:27,200 --> 01:08:30,080 Speaker 1: at history from the start all the way out into 1095 01:08:30,120 --> 01:08:32,960 Speaker 1: the future. Is that the name of the book Big History? Well, 1096 01:08:32,960 --> 01:08:35,240 Speaker 1: he has a book that's his most storole book is 1097 01:08:35,640 --> 01:08:39,679 Speaker 1: Maps in Time from about ten ten, fifteen years ago. 1098 01:08:40,360 --> 01:08:41,880 Speaker 1: Do you have any other books you want to mention 1099 01:08:41,920 --> 01:08:45,320 Speaker 1: because I'm gonna circle back to something you said earlier. Well, 1100 01:08:45,360 --> 01:08:49,639 Speaker 1: I could name many kids like this subject when I'm 1101 01:08:49,680 --> 01:08:55,920 Speaker 1: just just just finished was Yeah. Johan uh Norberg out 1102 01:08:55,920 --> 01:08:59,599 Speaker 1: of Sweden wrote a book on progress and how how 1103 01:09:01,120 --> 01:09:05,120 Speaker 1: we're getting better off and lots of different dimensions and 1104 01:09:05,120 --> 01:09:07,479 Speaker 1: so forth. So these are all subjects that are of 1105 01:09:07,520 --> 01:09:09,960 Speaker 1: interest to me. I don't think it's all good news though, 1106 01:09:10,000 --> 01:09:13,799 Speaker 1: of course, uh because at Yale, for example, the recent 1107 01:09:13,840 --> 01:09:22,280 Speaker 1: Nobel Prize winner um Um Bill Northouse uh really worked 1108 01:09:22,280 --> 01:09:25,200 Speaker 1: on pollution and so forth, and how global warming and 1109 01:09:25,200 --> 01:09:27,120 Speaker 1: so forth. So lots of other things are going on. 1110 01:09:27,200 --> 01:09:29,920 Speaker 1: I'm not saying it's all good news. I'm I'm interested 1111 01:09:29,920 --> 01:09:32,200 Speaker 1: in the overall effect though, and trying to understand this. 1112 01:09:32,479 --> 01:09:35,800 Speaker 1: So I'm I am interested in long term history, and 1113 01:09:35,840 --> 01:09:41,000 Speaker 1: I'm always interested in long term forecasting. I'm fascinated by 1114 01:09:41,000 --> 01:09:45,200 Speaker 1: the two Harari books because Sapiens is so interesting and 1115 01:09:45,240 --> 01:09:48,519 Speaker 1: while some of it's got a little bit of negative cast, 1116 01:09:49,160 --> 01:09:53,120 Speaker 1: generally speaking, it's the history of progress, even though along 1117 01:09:53,120 --> 01:09:56,679 Speaker 1: the way he kind of annotates it with all these, yeah, 1118 01:09:56,720 --> 01:10:00,200 Speaker 1: well farms and cities or where diseases began, and but 1119 01:10:00,280 --> 01:10:03,920 Speaker 1: it's not a completely bleak picture. The Homo Dais book 1120 01:10:04,040 --> 01:10:08,479 Speaker 1: is a little more negative looking forward than Sapiens, sort 1121 01:10:08,479 --> 01:10:11,240 Speaker 1: of had this wide eyed wonder to it, and which 1122 01:10:11,320 --> 01:10:13,439 Speaker 1: did not come across at Home of Dais. I'm curious 1123 01:10:13,439 --> 01:10:16,639 Speaker 1: as to your your take on the two books. Well, 1124 01:10:16,720 --> 01:10:21,679 Speaker 1: I sense what you're saying, and and I must say, 1125 01:10:21,880 --> 01:10:26,040 Speaker 1: humans I've been a remarkable species. And I'm always just 1126 01:10:26,560 --> 01:10:32,000 Speaker 1: amazed at the fact that that we we actually can 1127 01:10:32,200 --> 01:10:35,479 Speaker 1: understand the start of the universe, and we can understand 1128 01:10:35,680 --> 01:10:38,240 Speaker 1: we maybe we do, We're not sure we do yet. Well, 1129 01:10:38,280 --> 01:10:40,280 Speaker 1: we know a lot about it. It's some amazing a 1130 01:10:40,320 --> 01:10:43,160 Speaker 1: lot about it. And we also know I mean, that's 1131 01:10:43,160 --> 01:10:45,240 Speaker 1: how they got the Higgs, Boston fixtion and all that 1132 01:10:45,280 --> 01:10:47,000 Speaker 1: kind of thing. They can predict these sort of things. 1133 01:10:47,240 --> 01:10:50,080 Speaker 1: And we also know something about the scale of the universe, 1134 01:10:50,240 --> 01:10:53,600 Speaker 1: which is astonishing. And this is all happened in the 1135 01:10:53,680 --> 01:10:55,960 Speaker 1: last three or four hundred years, you know, since since 1136 01:10:56,080 --> 01:11:02,800 Speaker 1: uh Copernicus and Kepler and Galileo and so forth, these things, Uh, 1137 01:11:02,840 --> 01:11:04,960 Speaker 1: we went from nowhere thinking the Earth was the center 1138 01:11:04,960 --> 01:11:09,439 Speaker 1: of everything to actually understanding everything that's at the macro level, 1139 01:11:09,560 --> 01:11:13,240 Speaker 1: but the micro level. We also understand how of course 1140 01:11:13,680 --> 01:11:18,400 Speaker 1: Adams and electrons and and courts and d n A 1141 01:11:18,760 --> 01:11:25,800 Speaker 1: and and so forth. So our um, our species has 1142 01:11:25,880 --> 01:11:32,960 Speaker 1: just uh may has amazing accomplishments and and and but 1143 01:11:33,120 --> 01:11:35,519 Speaker 1: I don't know where. So you have to wonder, then, 1144 01:11:35,880 --> 01:11:40,479 Speaker 1: given all this huge acceleration of knowledge and and actually 1145 01:11:41,439 --> 01:11:44,320 Speaker 1: collection of knowledge that just keeps building on itself. Where 1146 01:11:44,360 --> 01:11:48,720 Speaker 1: does that go, especially especially the past fifty years. We're 1147 01:11:48,800 --> 01:11:51,479 Speaker 1: in a golden age of physics, I mean the past 1148 01:11:52,120 --> 01:11:56,840 Speaker 1: fifty years and in the past decade, quite quite astonishing 1149 01:11:56,920 --> 01:12:01,240 Speaker 1: the sort of progress we've made. All that said, the 1150 01:12:01,240 --> 01:12:04,880 Speaker 1: Big Bang theory is still a very preliminary theory. We 1151 01:12:04,920 --> 01:12:08,640 Speaker 1: don't understand the whole inflationary expansion that took place. We 1152 01:12:08,680 --> 01:12:12,280 Speaker 1: still don't understand if we're measuring the universe right, how 1153 01:12:12,360 --> 01:12:14,360 Speaker 1: much dark matter is out there? What are we missing 1154 01:12:14,400 --> 01:12:18,160 Speaker 1: when we not say why are galaxies accelerating away from 1155 01:12:18,200 --> 01:12:21,800 Speaker 1: each other no matter what direction you look. I'm fascinated 1156 01:12:21,880 --> 01:12:25,760 Speaker 1: by that. I like you are. I share um, just 1157 01:12:25,840 --> 01:12:29,920 Speaker 1: a genuine astonishment about that. I'm also there was a 1158 01:12:29,960 --> 01:12:33,000 Speaker 1: book that came out about a decade ago um that 1159 01:12:33,040 --> 01:12:36,400 Speaker 1: you might appreciate if you're if you're working away forward 1160 01:12:36,439 --> 01:12:40,559 Speaker 1: from the Big Bang, called the rare Earth thesis, which 1161 01:12:40,600 --> 01:12:44,880 Speaker 1: basically says, well, life is probably common in the galaxy 1162 01:12:45,040 --> 01:12:48,479 Speaker 1: because in the universe, because every galaxy has all the 1163 01:12:48,520 --> 01:12:53,200 Speaker 1: build fundamental building blocks hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, etcetera. But 1164 01:12:53,320 --> 01:12:56,679 Speaker 1: intelligent life is really, really rare, and it's a whole 1165 01:12:56,720 --> 01:13:02,080 Speaker 1: series of incredibly unused usual events that lead to a 1166 01:13:02,200 --> 01:13:06,880 Speaker 1: planet like this that's stable enough for for billions of years, 1167 01:13:06,880 --> 01:13:13,320 Speaker 1: for long enough for intelligent, technologically advanced life to um develop. 1168 01:13:13,400 --> 01:13:16,920 Speaker 1: And I'm I'm just intrigued by that sort of circling 1169 01:13:17,000 --> 01:13:20,360 Speaker 1: back to the original pre enlightenment. Oh no, no, it's 1170 01:13:20,439 --> 01:13:23,920 Speaker 1: just humans. The rest of the universe doesn't doesn't matter. 1171 01:13:24,080 --> 01:13:26,519 Speaker 1: The whole universe was just created by God for us. 1172 01:13:27,320 --> 01:13:33,080 Speaker 1: And maybe there's actually some for completely different reasons, theoretical 1173 01:13:33,120 --> 01:13:38,760 Speaker 1: basis for that um thesis from a physics approach, But 1174 01:13:38,760 --> 01:13:42,479 Speaker 1: but I digress far off. It's not the best written book, 1175 01:13:42,479 --> 01:13:45,639 Speaker 1: but it's a fascinating concept if you if you're enjoying 1176 01:13:46,080 --> 01:13:49,479 Speaker 1: all the modern astrophysics work, and I'm sure you've you've 1177 01:13:49,520 --> 01:13:52,640 Speaker 1: come across Brian Green and his string theory work and 1178 01:13:52,680 --> 01:13:56,120 Speaker 1: other stuff. I'm endlessly fascinated by that. I'm just intrigued 1179 01:13:56,160 --> 01:13:58,040 Speaker 1: by that stuff. So one of the great things about 1180 01:13:58,080 --> 01:14:02,320 Speaker 1: being a professor, uh is is uh you get to 1181 01:14:02,360 --> 01:14:05,479 Speaker 1: study whatever you want and and you you share this 1182 01:14:05,800 --> 01:14:09,720 Speaker 1: fascination with me with this, And now I really can 1183 01:14:09,800 --> 01:14:12,400 Speaker 1: kind of work on this now you see. So do 1184 01:14:12,439 --> 01:14:14,360 Speaker 1: you ever pick up the phone at Yale and say, oh, 1185 01:14:14,439 --> 01:14:17,400 Speaker 1: so and so is in the astrophysics department, let me 1186 01:14:17,439 --> 01:14:19,360 Speaker 1: get him on the phone. And you have access to 1187 01:14:19,360 --> 01:14:22,360 Speaker 1: all these folks who can who can steer you in 1188 01:14:22,360 --> 01:14:26,840 Speaker 1: certain directions. I'm starting to do that. I hadn't been 1189 01:14:26,840 --> 01:14:29,639 Speaker 1: doing that, you know, because I've more had been pretty 1190 01:14:29,680 --> 01:14:32,599 Speaker 1: focused over the as you said, I've have a broad 1191 01:14:32,840 --> 01:14:36,759 Speaker 1: breath breath of activities here, but but they hadn't gotten 1192 01:14:36,840 --> 01:14:39,120 Speaker 1: into this sort of thing. Now I'm getting into all 1193 01:14:39,160 --> 01:14:42,479 Speaker 1: the other arms of the university, and uh, I find 1194 01:14:42,479 --> 01:14:48,160 Speaker 1: it really exciting to uh to see, really I'm applying 1195 01:14:48,240 --> 01:14:50,120 Speaker 1: the kind of things I've always done because I always 1196 01:14:50,200 --> 01:14:53,840 Speaker 1: was interested in history and data and I've always taking 1197 01:14:53,840 --> 01:14:56,080 Speaker 1: it to the next level and always interested in making 1198 01:14:56,080 --> 01:14:59,759 Speaker 1: projections and and so forth. And now I'm just trying 1199 01:14:59,800 --> 01:15:03,080 Speaker 1: to broaden this out. So so this is, uh, this 1200 01:15:03,760 --> 01:15:05,479 Speaker 1: a great I guess at this point I would say 1201 01:15:05,479 --> 01:15:08,600 Speaker 1: it's a hobby, but but it but it trying to 1202 01:15:08,600 --> 01:15:10,720 Speaker 1: make it into I don't think I'll make money from 1203 01:15:10,760 --> 01:15:14,240 Speaker 1: this car. Well, it's tough to do that. So so 1204 01:15:14,320 --> 01:15:16,439 Speaker 1: it makes me want to ask you the question universal 1205 01:15:16,560 --> 01:15:19,240 Speaker 1: entropy and we eventually just going to dissipate or the 1206 01:15:19,280 --> 01:15:21,720 Speaker 1: big crunch and all starts over again. You really do 1207 01:15:21,840 --> 01:15:26,559 Speaker 1: want the big question, you know, I I come prepared 1208 01:15:28,040 --> 01:15:33,280 Speaker 1: while the uh, of course entropy eventually dissipates everything. But 1209 01:15:33,280 --> 01:15:35,880 Speaker 1: but one of the things that the universe is built 1210 01:15:35,920 --> 01:15:39,879 Speaker 1: on is complexity. And even though you have this overall 1211 01:15:40,360 --> 01:15:43,280 Speaker 1: entropy going on, which is spreading everything out and dissipating, 1212 01:15:43,680 --> 01:15:46,400 Speaker 1: you have gravity has been one of the big things, 1213 01:15:46,479 --> 01:15:50,040 Speaker 1: pulling things, pulling parts of things together. So at the 1214 01:15:50,160 --> 01:15:55,800 Speaker 1: same time everything is dissipating. Obviously we are we are 1215 01:15:55,800 --> 01:15:58,599 Speaker 1: getting more and more complex, and that's certainly humans are 1216 01:15:58,600 --> 01:16:01,120 Speaker 1: an example of that. So the word own is getting 1217 01:16:01,400 --> 01:16:05,880 Speaker 1: more complex, not less complex, despite this, despite the second 1218 01:16:05,920 --> 01:16:09,519 Speaker 1: law thermodynamics. So I'm fascinated by the concept and I 1219 01:16:09,560 --> 01:16:12,479 Speaker 1: wish I can remember where I read it that and 1220 01:16:12,560 --> 01:16:15,680 Speaker 1: this will be the last astrophysics part of our conversation. 1221 01:16:16,280 --> 01:16:20,840 Speaker 1: The idea that nothingness is inherently unstable, and the Big 1222 01:16:20,880 --> 01:16:26,280 Speaker 1: Bang comes around that you can't have nothingness forever. Nothingness 1223 01:16:26,280 --> 01:16:31,280 Speaker 1: eventually just explodes into something else because if it's inherent instability, 1224 01:16:31,680 --> 01:16:35,679 Speaker 1: and that's a little mind blowing to me us humans 1225 01:16:35,760 --> 01:16:40,280 Speaker 1: can barely conceptualize it. But it's a fascinating concept. Where 1226 01:16:40,479 --> 01:16:44,080 Speaker 1: how does the universe come out of nothingness? And the 1227 01:16:44,160 --> 01:16:47,439 Speaker 1: answer is, well, maybe nothingness just is so unstable that 1228 01:16:47,479 --> 01:16:51,120 Speaker 1: it has no choice but to create a universe. I'm 1229 01:16:51,200 --> 01:16:54,920 Speaker 1: I'm fascinated by that. So in my case, I'm going 1230 01:16:54,920 --> 01:16:59,680 Speaker 1: to limit this a little more. You're gonna keep it 1231 01:16:59,720 --> 01:17:03,200 Speaker 1: limited to just the universe. Well, I mean I might 1232 01:17:03,320 --> 01:17:06,040 Speaker 1: look at the next hundred years or the next thousand 1233 01:17:06,120 --> 01:17:10,040 Speaker 1: days or something like that, so uh, the instead of 1234 01:17:10,160 --> 01:17:13,880 Speaker 1: uh or maybe mainly our planet, you know, instead of 1235 01:17:13,880 --> 01:17:16,400 Speaker 1: the whole universe and so forth. So, but but they're 1236 01:17:16,439 --> 01:17:20,200 Speaker 1: all related. I mean, it's certainly having some understanding of 1237 01:17:20,439 --> 01:17:25,640 Speaker 1: the big picture helps you, helps you understand still the 1238 01:17:25,840 --> 01:17:30,320 Speaker 1: very big picture quite interesting. So let me move forward 1239 01:17:30,800 --> 01:17:34,000 Speaker 1: away from the universe and ask you this, tell us 1240 01:17:34,040 --> 01:17:36,439 Speaker 1: about a time you failed and what you learned from 1241 01:17:36,479 --> 01:17:39,519 Speaker 1: the experience. You know, I failed quite a bit in 1242 01:17:39,560 --> 01:17:43,840 Speaker 1: my early days, and uh my my father was in 1243 01:17:43,880 --> 01:17:47,280 Speaker 1: the heating and air conditioning business, and had I been 1244 01:17:47,800 --> 01:17:51,599 Speaker 1: more mechanically inclined, you would have gone into that field. Yes, 1245 01:17:52,040 --> 01:17:54,960 Speaker 1: that's certainly goodness, you weren't because we we need you 1246 01:17:55,000 --> 01:17:58,000 Speaker 1: here in finance doing what you're doing. And and then 1247 01:17:58,120 --> 01:18:02,639 Speaker 1: even even when I, UM, so, when I went to college, 1248 01:18:02,720 --> 01:18:05,680 Speaker 1: my father to take engineering because the corporate presidents are 1249 01:18:05,720 --> 01:18:08,360 Speaker 1: mostly engineers. That was true after World War Two, but 1250 01:18:08,400 --> 01:18:12,240 Speaker 1: it's not true today. Um. And so I took engineering, 1251 01:18:12,240 --> 01:18:15,759 Speaker 1: but I really couldn't handle all the hands on stuff 1252 01:18:15,760 --> 01:18:19,200 Speaker 1: of even engineering, and and so I got into math 1253 01:18:19,240 --> 01:18:23,479 Speaker 1: and physics as my major. But then I but even so, 1254 01:18:23,560 --> 01:18:26,000 Speaker 1: I needed to be something more abstract. But when I 1255 01:18:26,040 --> 01:18:29,160 Speaker 1: got to math, it got too abstract from me and 1256 01:18:29,200 --> 01:18:33,280 Speaker 1: I couldn't even handle that. And and so I had 1257 01:18:33,320 --> 01:18:37,000 Speaker 1: to find a niche and finance. Finance is actually the 1258 01:18:37,000 --> 01:18:39,439 Speaker 1: perfect niche. It's it's kind of abstract, but it's not 1259 01:18:39,479 --> 01:18:43,439 Speaker 1: as abstract as as abstract. Um it's I I actually 1260 01:18:43,479 --> 01:18:48,439 Speaker 1: try to make something like abstract things practical. That's been 1261 01:18:48,520 --> 01:18:51,960 Speaker 1: my key. I guess that that that piece in between 1262 01:18:52,000 --> 01:18:55,240 Speaker 1: the fully abstract and the practical and blend them together. 1263 01:18:55,320 --> 01:18:57,240 Speaker 1: That's your sweet spot, right in the middle between the 1264 01:18:57,400 --> 01:18:59,519 Speaker 1: between the two of them. So what do you do 1265 01:18:59,600 --> 01:19:03,639 Speaker 1: for fun and when you're not contemplating, uh, the universe? What? What? 1266 01:19:03,640 --> 01:19:08,160 Speaker 1: What does Roger Ribintson do to keep himself entertained, Well, 1267 01:19:08,439 --> 01:19:11,880 Speaker 1: I mean I have a family, and so I have 1268 01:19:11,880 --> 01:19:15,960 Speaker 1: two sons here in Brooklyn, and um, it's great to 1269 01:19:15,960 --> 01:19:18,240 Speaker 1: get together with them. Of course I exercise and all that, 1270 01:19:18,320 --> 01:19:22,600 Speaker 1: and and um like hiking and all that. But but 1271 01:19:22,680 --> 01:19:26,439 Speaker 1: to me, the most fun and even connects my family 1272 01:19:26,439 --> 01:19:30,240 Speaker 1: and everything is the world of ideas. I mean, and 1273 01:19:30,479 --> 01:19:33,640 Speaker 1: that's what's so great about being a professor. Uh, you 1274 01:19:33,760 --> 01:19:37,200 Speaker 1: essentially are told do what you want. Um, you have 1275 01:19:37,240 --> 01:19:38,600 Speaker 1: to come out with something once in a while, but 1276 01:19:38,680 --> 01:19:41,719 Speaker 1: do whatever you want every once in a while. Educate 1277 01:19:41,760 --> 01:19:44,320 Speaker 1: the kids if you can. But also I actually do 1278 01:19:44,439 --> 01:19:48,320 Speaker 1: love teaching too, So the teaching is really exciting to 1279 01:19:48,360 --> 01:19:50,600 Speaker 1: me and stimulating. So it's a it's a it's a 1280 01:19:50,640 --> 01:19:53,760 Speaker 1: great combination. So so I thought that I'm a workaholic, 1281 01:19:54,600 --> 01:20:00,160 Speaker 1: because I'm really not a workaholic. But it's about the 1282 01:20:00,200 --> 01:20:02,400 Speaker 1: most fun you could have. And even when I talked 1283 01:20:02,400 --> 01:20:07,519 Speaker 1: to my sons, for example, and uh, it's all we're 1284 01:20:07,560 --> 01:20:10,599 Speaker 1: talking about economics all the time, and it's an exciting 1285 01:20:11,560 --> 01:20:15,439 Speaker 1: area and not only just economics about but about um, 1286 01:20:15,479 --> 01:20:18,400 Speaker 1: the universe or whatever, you know, talking about all these ideas. 1287 01:20:18,400 --> 01:20:23,040 Speaker 1: So the world of ideas is really fun. Quite quite 1288 01:20:23,439 --> 01:20:27,400 Speaker 1: um quite charming. Um. So you mentioned teaching. If a 1289 01:20:27,520 --> 01:20:30,320 Speaker 1: millennial or a recent college grad came to you and 1290 01:20:30,800 --> 01:20:34,439 Speaker 1: asked for career advice about the world of finance, what 1291 01:20:34,560 --> 01:20:37,599 Speaker 1: sort of advice would you give them, Well, it starts 1292 01:20:37,640 --> 01:20:40,880 Speaker 1: with follow your passion and follow your interests. Of course, 1293 01:20:41,040 --> 01:20:46,040 Speaker 1: don't just try to maximize money here the um and 1294 01:20:46,120 --> 01:20:49,960 Speaker 1: if if they they're gonna be likely successful if they 1295 01:20:49,960 --> 01:20:52,920 Speaker 1: are following their passion, so so that that's definitely what 1296 01:20:52,960 --> 01:20:56,920 Speaker 1: I would tell them to do. Uh. Fortunately, finance is 1297 01:20:56,960 --> 01:21:01,720 Speaker 1: a pretty well paid profession, so most people end up 1298 01:21:01,760 --> 01:21:05,680 Speaker 1: doing reasonably well. And uh that maybe that's not I'm 1299 01:21:05,680 --> 01:21:08,360 Speaker 1: glad that happens, because I guess at all worked out 1300 01:21:08,360 --> 01:21:14,160 Speaker 1: great for me. So and and and our final question, 1301 01:21:14,560 --> 01:21:16,479 Speaker 1: what is it that you know about the world of 1302 01:21:16,520 --> 01:21:20,960 Speaker 1: investing today that you wish you knew forty years ago 1303 01:21:21,040 --> 01:21:23,519 Speaker 1: when you were coming out of your NBA program and 1304 01:21:23,560 --> 01:21:27,040 Speaker 1: just getting started. And that question I'm not going to 1305 01:21:27,160 --> 01:21:30,320 Speaker 1: really answer the way you asked it, because in fact 1306 01:21:30,680 --> 01:21:36,920 Speaker 1: I did know, uh, And the whole idea of coming 1307 01:21:36,960 --> 01:21:41,360 Speaker 1: out of understanding what equilibrium is and how prices are 1308 01:21:41,439 --> 01:21:47,520 Speaker 1: formed and our version and how starting with market efficiency 1309 01:21:47,560 --> 01:21:52,160 Speaker 1: and so forth. That really changed my life and how 1310 01:21:52,240 --> 01:21:56,760 Speaker 1: I approach everything and made everything easier. So you were 1311 01:21:56,920 --> 01:22:00,360 Speaker 1: fortunate to figure out at the beginning of your career 1312 01:22:00,800 --> 01:22:03,920 Speaker 1: what a lot of people don't figure out until towards 1313 01:22:03,960 --> 01:22:06,160 Speaker 1: the end of their career. Yes, so it's not like 1314 01:22:06,240 --> 01:22:07,880 Speaker 1: I don't I don't know what to tell you about 1315 01:22:07,920 --> 01:22:10,400 Speaker 1: what I didn't know, because I actually did know these 1316 01:22:10,439 --> 01:22:14,840 Speaker 1: important concepts and they actually had wonderful I watched a 1317 01:22:14,920 --> 01:22:18,479 Speaker 1: wonderful impact on me. Well, that's quite fascinating. Roger Ibbotson, 1318 01:22:18,560 --> 01:22:20,840 Speaker 1: thank you so much for being so generous with your time. 1319 01:22:21,280 --> 01:22:23,960 Speaker 1: We have been speaking with Roger Ibbotson. He is a 1320 01:22:24,000 --> 01:22:27,519 Speaker 1: Professor uh in the Practice Emeritus of Finance at the 1321 01:22:27,640 --> 01:22:31,280 Speaker 1: Yale School of Management, as well as founder and chairman 1322 01:22:31,320 --> 01:22:35,160 Speaker 1: of Ibbotson Associates and chairman and chief investment officer of 1323 01:22:35,360 --> 01:22:40,160 Speaker 1: Zebra Capital Management. We love your comments, feedback and suggestions. 1324 01:22:40,160 --> 01:22:43,560 Speaker 1: Be sure and write to us at m IB podcast 1325 01:22:43,840 --> 01:22:46,799 Speaker 1: at Bloomberg dot net. Check out some of the other 1326 01:22:46,920 --> 01:22:51,000 Speaker 1: two hundred and forty eight such previous conversations that we've had. 1327 01:22:51,479 --> 01:22:53,000 Speaker 1: If you look up an inch or down an Inch 1328 01:22:53,080 --> 01:22:57,120 Speaker 1: on Apple, iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, Bloomberg dot com, wherever final 1329 01:22:57,160 --> 01:22:58,960 Speaker 1: podcasts are sold, you can see the rest of all 1330 01:22:59,000 --> 01:23:02,439 Speaker 1: of our previous com stations. I would be remiss if 1331 01:23:02,479 --> 01:23:05,240 Speaker 1: I did not thank the crack staff that helps put 1332 01:23:05,280 --> 01:23:09,439 Speaker 1: this podcast together each week. Um Medina Parwana is my 1333 01:23:09,560 --> 01:23:14,639 Speaker 1: producer slash audio engineer. Taylor Riggs is our booker. Attica 1334 01:23:14,760 --> 01:23:18,680 Speaker 1: val Bron is our project manager. Michael bat Nick is 1335 01:23:18,680 --> 01:23:21,719 Speaker 1: our head of research. I have to thank Charlie Palett 1336 01:23:21,800 --> 01:23:24,960 Speaker 1: this week for giving us his desk and his UH 1337 01:23:25,280 --> 01:23:29,439 Speaker 1: recording studio because of my snaff who with daylight, savings 1338 01:23:29,479 --> 01:23:33,839 Speaker 1: time and the UK. I'm Barry Retults. You've been listening 1339 01:23:33,880 --> 01:23:36,400 Speaker 1: to Masters in Business on Bloomberg Radio