Review: Mariusz Skonieczny's 'Why Are We So Clueless About the Stock Market?'

Are you clueless about the stock market? Or perhaps better, could you admit to being clueless? For myself, as much as I purport to know about businesses, the stock market frequently baffles the mind. Reflecting the investing world’s immediate hopes, fears, beliefs, and dreams, the movement of prices seemingly offers a window into the shallower parts of our soul. Even for the seasoned observer, the market’s waves of euphoria and despair cast him reeling for clues–a narrative, a story–that can explain and predict its moves.

In the midst of the storm, Mariusz Skonieczny of Classic Value Investors offers the interested observer a map—Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market? (Investment Publishing, 2009)

Written with the beginning investor in mind, Skonieczny provides a compact, readable introduction that teaches how to analyze financial statements, value businesses, discern competitive advantages, and scout for bargains in the stock market. Skonieczny also puts his tools to the test by surveying four excellent businesses with durable competitive advantages—Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNI), Thor Industries (THO), Wells Fargo (WFC), and Moody’s (MCO). These case studies alone are worth the price of admission.

Throughout, I appreciated Skonieczny’s persistent attentiveness to economic moats and competitive advantages. Following Pat Dorsey’s The Little Book That Builds Wealth (Wiley, 2008), economic moats derive primarily from four sources—a) intangible assets, like brands, patents, and regulatory licenses, b) high switching costs, like that enjoyed by Alcon’s (ACL) ophthalmological surgery equipment, c) network effects, enjoyed by services like Match.com, and d) cost advantages. While these four competitive advantages are rarely quantified on balance sheets, they provide a consistent tailwind for future business returns, particularly when measured over years and decades.

Of course, those same advantages—once fully utilized and recognized by the market—may encourage industry leaders into sloth. And sometimes the sleepy stumble and fall.

If I had one quibble with Skonieczny, it would be with his rather sanguine analysis of Moody’s. As we’ve worried about here and here, despite Moody’s regulatory imprimatur, network effects, and switching costs, their future looks much less certain than anytime since the 1930s. Whether too sleepy or greedy, Moody’s foray over the last decade into all manner of Wall Street’s structured financial products has tarnished its reputation, and perhaps more importantly, its cash flows. As late as 2007, structured finance ratings provided near half of Moody’s Investor Service’s revenues. And until the structured finance markets return (and assuming that they will), Moody’s will not be able to grow their earnings at the 10-20% that they—in the past—easily have.

All told, I enjoyed Why Are We So Clueless about the Stock Market? and would readily introduce it to family and friends interested in thinking about stocks as shares of a business.

Disclosure: None

Comments

[notsosmart:]

its all ponzi/casino with changing rules.what good is a book.chart,prediction etc when you have lying ceos & self serving boards?

Aug 16 12:36 PM

[yblarrr:]

Trust in the Market and Companies is gone!
We have all become daytraders, trying to not get burned by the
cooks that now inhabit corporate america

Aug 22 10:03 AM

[untrusting ...:]

Your comment is precisely the point. Recent article just pointed out average hold time of stocks has decreased from about 7 years a few decades ago to under 1 year at present. Seems it will decrease even more in the future, maybe even to as little as a month. Many informed "investors" now understand that the market and public companies have essentially become "rigged games" designed and run for the benefit of big market insiders such as Goldman, JPM, HFT's, etc. and for the executives/boards of public companies. Therefore it is entirely understandable why more and more investors are treating the markets as a giant casino/trading game. Also given that politicans and lobbyists are active participants in the "rigged game", is even more reason for the acceleration in the markets becoming the biggest casino/ponzi scheme in the world. One has to expect even more frequent major up/down cycles in the market over the coming years and probably even shorter in duration than those of the past 10-15 years. Seems as if trading will become the only way to make anything in the market going forward.


On Aug 22 10:03 AM yblarrr wrote:

> Trust in the Market and Companies is gone!
> We have all become daytraders, trying to not get burned by the<br/>cooks
> that now inhabit corporate america

Aug 22 03:11 PM

[Inflatormouse:]

As a buy and hold index investor - dollar cost averaging into large cap, small cap and international stock and bond funds - this is good news. More volatility will allow more frequent opportunities to rebalance into risky assets, which with a diversified basis should provide handsome returns to those willing to ride out shorter term cycles.

Aug 22 07:48 PM

[Michael Clark:]

The future is gone. Short-term trading is the only way. Because we don't trust the government, Wall Street, corporate governance...where can this all lead? The longer the economy withers the more the bitterness and cynicism will grow.


On Aug 22 10:03 AM yblarrr wrote:

> Trust in the Market and Companies is gone!
> We have all become daytraders, trying to not get burned by the<br/>
> cooks that now inhabit corporate america

Aug 23 06:39 AM

[Mr. Ed, Jr.:]

"Written with the beginning investor in mind....introduction that teaches how to analyze financial statements..."

I hope that chapter comes with a lot of caveats and warnings, such as "Don't try this at home". Financial statements are definitely not for beginners these days.

Aug 23 11:31 AM