In episode 31 of Stocks Neat, Portfolio Manager Gareth Brown and CIO Steve Johnson discuss Nvidia’s unprecedented rise, the recent Guzman y Gomez IPO, current investor sentiment and macroeconomic concerns. They examine the future competitive landscape of the AI chip space and Guzman’s plans for global expansion. Moving onto the whiskey tasting, the…

In episode 30 of Stocks Neat, Portfolio Manager Harvey Migotti and CIO Steve Johnson discuss recent portfolio performance including which surprise sectors have started contributing in 2024. They cover a wide range of topics including AI related companies, China worries, and overlooked opportunities in sectors such as European financials. The conver…

In episode 29 of Stocks Neat Co-Portfolio Manager Gareth Brown and CIO Steve Johnson discuss several investing maxims, and how these might apply to portfolio positioning in prior and current markets. Topics covered include cleaning portfolios to include only high conviction ideas, selling when you can, maintaining cash in the portfolio, how to depl…

In episode 28 of Stocks Neat Co-Portfolio Manager Gareth Brown and CIO Steve Johnson discuss the prospect of price gouging in major Australian industries, the role future Competition Policy has to play, and the potential implications for investors. The topic of competition problems in Australia has garnered increased publicity in recent times, driv…

In episode 27 of Stocks Neat Co-Portfolio Manager Gareth Brown and CIO Steve Johnson discuss the recent performance of small caps and the psychology of investing. Understanding the psychology of ourselves and others can go a long way to helping us navigate through life. Markets and investing is no different. Understanding this can enable us to avoi…

In episode 26 of Stocks Neat Co-Portfolio Manager Harvey Migotti, Analyst Nicholas Plessas and CIO Steve Johnson sit down to discuss the year just passed in markets, most notably a strong rally in uranium and the small cap recovery at the end of 2023. The uranium story grew throughout 2023 with the spot price increasing through the year. This was d…

For our holiday edition of Stocks Neat, Alex Shevelev, Portfolio Manager of the Forager Australian Shares Fund, is filling in for Steve and Gareth and he’s joined by a special guest, Will Lopes. Will is the CEO and Managing Director of Catapult (ASX: CAT) which has been an investment of the Australian Shares Fund for a number of years. With origins…

In the latest episode of Stocks Neat, Steve Johnson and Harvey Migotti discuss what they learned on their recent trip to the US and Japan. Their trip started in Chicago at an industrials conference, which gave the pair a temperature check on what is happening in the US economy. Then, Steve and Harvey visited Tokyo to meet with a few companies under…

In episode 23 of Stocks Neat, Co-Portfolio Manager Gareth Brown and CIO Steve Johnson sit down to discuss the opportunities available for investors in the current interest rate environment, following our CIO Letter, "Reasons to welcome the death of TINA”. In October, yields on US Government 10-year bonds hit 4.98%, a level not seen since the mid-20…

In episode 22 of Stocks Neat, Co-Portfolio Manager Harvey Migotti and CIO Steve Johnson sit down to discuss the growing interest in uranium, with the spot uranium price up almost 10% since the start of August and 27% so far in 2023. It has been a tough period for uranium investors over the last few years, with no new mine supply and rock bottom pri…

In the latest episode of Stocks Neat, Steve and Gareth discuss the recent news surrounding the GLP-1 inhibitor drugs taking the world - and stock markets - by storm. Originally used to treat Type-2 diabetes, clinical trials have shown GLP-1 drugs may be highly effective in causing weight loss. While the most common form of the drug requires regular…

In episode 20 of Stocks Neat, Co-Portfolio Manager Gareth Brown and CIO Steve Johnson sit down to explore the global economic outlook, its goldilocks nature, and its implications for investing. Switching from their usual whiskey, Steve and Gareth opt for a coffee as the conversation kicks off with a reflection on the past year's positive investment…

In the latest episode of Stocks Neat, Co-Portfolio Manager Gareth Brown joins CIO Steve Johnson to shed light on the commercial property industry and the broader issue of unlisted assets, particularly focusing on Australia's super funds and their refusal to recognise the real value of some of their unlisted assets. The second topic they explore is …

After some time on the sidelines, Co-Portfolio Manager Gareth Brown is back in the hot seat, joining CIO Steve Johnson for the latest episode of Stocks Neat as they delve into lessons from the recent Berkshire Hathaway meeting. They reflect on the meeting’s evolution over decades, how size has impacted investment decisions and the increasing conser…

Co-Portfolio Manager Harvey Migotti joins CIO Steve Johnson as they delve into the world of American investing in the latest episode of Stocks Neat. Harvey shares his insights on the critical lessons learnt from investing in the US market over his career, including the high liquidity and capital allocation priorities and how competitive the investo…

In episode 16 of Stocks Neat, Co-Portfolio Manager Gareth Brown joins CIO Steve Johnson, all the way from London, to delve into the Silicon Valley Bank bankruptcy and the broader issues of regulation, moral hazard, and the importance of creative destruction for economic growth. Steve and Gareth explore the issues of solvency and liquidity in the ba…

In this episode of Stocks Neat, Co-Portfolio Manager Harvey Migotti joins CIO Steve Johnson to discuss the recent January rally and what it could mean for future returns. They also share insights on how investors can protect themselves from being too conservative and missing out on potential gains. Special guest Liam Shorte, @SMSFCoach on Twitter, …

In the latest episode of Stocks Neat, Steve Johnson is joined by Senior Analyst Chloe Stokes as they delve into the topic of market short-termism. They discuss notable examples of corporate blunders, including the struggles of Walt Disney and the potential threat of ChatGPT (an AI-driven natural language processing tool that has grown in popularity…

In the latest episode of Stocks Neat, which is our final episode of 2022, Steve and Gareth are discussing small-cap stocks and why they might be an interesting place to be investing in 2023. Small-caps have been hit harder than the rest of the market, so many are already looking very cheap as we head into an expected recession. There is no new whis…

In the latest episode of Stocks Neat, Steve and Gareth talk all things M&A. They discuss the best and worst deals they have seen, as well as what to look out for when assessing whether a merger or acquisition will have long-term success. As a first for Stocks Neat, we have a guest interview. Grant Webster, CEO of Tourism Holdings New Zealand, is in…

In this episode of Stocks Neat, Steve and Gareth talk about how the tech bust has finally hit the likes of Alphabet, Microsoft and Meta, with some very low growth rates coming from these tech giants that have outperformed for decades. They also chat about the impending Musk takeover of Twitter, including the open letter of demands written by Twitte…

In this episode of Stocks Neat, Steve is joined by Alex Shevelev, Senior Analyst on the Forager Australian Shares Fund, to discuss the potential decline of consumer spending as mortgage payments and non-discretionary price rises begin to bite, and how the consequences of this might affect some businesses more than others. They also consider common …

Who said value investing means crappy businesses? It’s something we've pondered recently off the back of some questions around our own investment style. In this episode of Stocks Neat, Steve and Gareth discuss a bit of the history behind value investing, how index funds have reshaped the game, and Forager’s own approach. Before we get to that thoug…

In this episode of Stocks Neat, at a more important time than ever, Steve and Gareth remind listeners that they're only ever seeing a tiny percentage of a company trade hands. In fact, the valuation of a company and the price one pays for it can be very different. The guys also consider what’s driving the magnitude of the current market moves and s…

In June's episode of Stocks Neat, Steve and Gareth discuss a 100-year Austrian bond issued in 2017, before diving into the market commentary around a recession and how it might be different from others. And after Forager’s recent office move, the guys also chat about the concept of shared office spaces. Our whisky of choice this month is something …

In this episode of Stocks Neat, Gareth Brown and Steve Johnson discuss the electric vehicle revolution and a topic that’s really gotten under Forager’s skin: the scourge of stock-based compensation. And for this month’s tasting, Gareth shares a single malt from The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, interestingly named "A Maple Syrup Mountain Spring" - do…

In this episode, CIO Steve Johnson is joined by whisky-naysayer (and Forager's Senior Analyst) Chloe Stokes to discuss the bid for Twitter, social media monetisation, and finding control in volatile markets. Chloe also shares her experience as a younger investor and reveals the stocks (and burgers) currently on her watchlist. We'd love your feedbac…

Haven’t travelled in a while? Then join Steve Johnson and Gareth Brown in Chicago for an episode of Stocks Neat, as they taste-test an American bourbon and recap their research trip in the US. Tune in as they reflect on the impacts of inflation and supply chain disruptions on businesses in the US, and the potential impact of the war in Ukraine on t…

In this episode of Stocks Neat, Forager’s Steve Johnson and Gareth Brown taste-test a Tasmanian classic and answer the question: is whisky really a worthwhile investment? Featuring Tamikah from the Forager team, they also chat tech stocks, offer an update on Magellan, and discuss the drama at Lark Distilling Co. We'd love your feedback. If you like…

It's Friday, so grab a drink and tune into the latest episode of Stocks Neat to hear Forager’s Steve Johnson and Gareth Brown chat small-cap stocks and reveal their take on the Magellan saga over a dram from Corowa Distilling Co. They also explain why the adult brain is more like a Kia Sportage than a Ferrari, and marvel at the story of a man who t…

Grab a drink and tune into the first (official) episode of Stocks Neat, as Forager’s Steve Johnson and Gareth Brown taste-test a dram from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society and talk travel, Omicron and share markets in 2021. They also reveal some of the lessons they’ve learned over the past year and the investment ideas they’ve changed their minds on.…