Wednesday, March 12, 2014

John Mauldin's Outside the Box: Seth Klarman: Investors Downplaying Risk “Never Turns Out Well”

Today’s Outside the Box is unusual in that it isn’t an original document but rather a summary of a client letter from one of the greatest investors of our generation, Seth Klarman, who is also one of the more reclusive – he rarely speaks in public or grants interviews. He is known for his very deep value investing style and willingness to pursue value where others get very nervous. 
This last year he returned $4 billion cash to his clients (from a fund in the $30 billion range). Not difficult for a hedge fund, you may say, but this is what a good value investor does when there aren’t many opportunities. He won't have any trouble raising cash if he decides he wants more at some point, as his fund is easily in the top-performing bracket by almost any measure. Some refer to him as the Warren Buffett of his generation. 
I think the author of the piece you’re about to peruse, Mark Melin, did a pretty good job of giving us the highlights and a little color from what is really a thought-provoking letter from Seth Klarman.