Mint Equitymaster Investor Hour

Popularly recognised as a disciple of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, Mohnish Pabrai has a knack for picking multibagger stocks...across the world. Based out of the US, Mohnish has had great success in buying stocks following his simple approach – buy stocks that are selling so cheap that it almost makes no sense at all. And then, hold on to them for a long period of time. In this fascinating conversation, Mohnish also talks about selling stocks...and a whole bunch of other stuff, including giving away wealth. Towards the end we talk about inheritance. Mohnish shares a fantastic personal experience. Must listen...

If there is one fund manager who has grabbed the attention of investors over the last 10 years, it’s Rajeev Thakkar of PPFAS Mutual Fund. Rajeev walks his own path...which often turns out to be contrarian. His decision to invest in international stocks way back when, was only one such move. Then there were numerous other moves related to stock-specific and sector bets. The key is that over time, the outcome of his investment approach, which he calls first-principles investing, has worked out super well. Talking to him was a delight. I hope you make the time and listen to the entire episode.

Harsha Upadhyaya is a big believer in the India story. And he believes the way to go about making the most of it as an investor is to pick stocks using the Growth at Reasonable Price (GARP) approach. He also stresses the importance of what you don’t own. A potentially high-impact concept. In our conversation, we also discuss his framework for picking stocks, position sizing and asset allocation. And of course, we talk about how to detect and avoid fraudulent companies. Listen in...

Mahesh Patil is a veteran fund manager who believes in delivering a consistent performance. And to achieve that he has developed a framework for selecting stocks, which he shares in this episode. Mahesh also shares how he assesses quality of management...and how to detect fraud in a company. Listen in...

Vetri Subramaniam is one of India’s leading fund managers. In this episode of the investor hour, Vetri shares his thoughts on how to pick stocks and build a portfolio. He speaks at length about position sizing. And a bit about how to detect fraud in a company. For anyone wanting to get better at stock picking, this is a must listen.

Rajashekhar Iyer’s stock market journey has taken him from writing notes on stocks for a magazine to being recognized as a super investor. His unique investing style uses Benjamin Graham’s approach as a base...and to that he has made modifications to evolve a style that is time tested. This involves when to buy a stock, and when to exit. His approach to position sizing is extremely well thought through, and something investors should emulate. This fascinating episode is bound to make you think about how you could improve your own approach to stock picking, and portfolio building. Listen in...

Andrew Holland’s unique approach to investing helped his firm avoid losses in the great financial crisis, and then later during the peak pandemic scare in March 2020. The key behind these big calls? Get a global perspective...and when you don’t know, you exit. He does not like to lose money. He doubles down on this by having a hard stop loss in place. Not surprisingly, his “active” approach to investing, in contrast, to buy and hold, has delivered over a long period of time. While “active” is not everyone’s cup of tea, hearing Andrew will make you think about what you are missing. Listen in...

Vikaash Khdloya is the head of Asia’s largest REIT. What’s a REIT? Well, it’s a new investment opportunity that you should take note of. More on that in this episode. We also talk about what it takes to do well in residential and commercial real estate. And very interestingly, we get a unique insight into how MNCs are thinking about India as an investment destination. Listen in...

Sridhar Sivaram talks about the importance of macro when picking stocks, the power of position sizing and the criticality of overall asset allocation. Sridhar also discusses the story behind the (in)famous Morgan Stanley Growth Fund...what went right, and what went wrong. And Why! Sridhar also talks of Value vs Growth...what he has been preferring...and how his preference is starting to change. As always we cover a lot more ground. A must listen...

Chris Mayer, portfolio manager and the author of 100 Baggers, shares his stock-picking process, its evolution and why he believes the “old” Buffett stock-picking method may not work anymore. We dive deep into his approach to portfolio construction and asset allocation. Overall a master class on stock picking, portfolio construction and asset allocation. It’s unmissable. Listen in...

Sumeet Nagar’s amazing track record in the smallcap and midcap space is no fluke. He has a solid decision-making process on which stocks to buy, how much to buy, and, equally importantly, when to sell. Host Rahul Goel digs into each of these aspects. They also talk about asset allocation, on India’s prospects, and new-age tech stocks. Listen in...

Nithin Eapen is a long-term crypto investor. Surprising as this may seem, it’s true. Apart from being a successful crypto investor, Nithin’s other strength is that he can explain all things crypto in a way that you can make sense of it. So, if you want to learn about the world of crypto...how it works, how scams happen and how you can try and ride it, this is a must listen. Tune in NOW!

Mihir Vora is a ‘growth at a reasonable price (GARP)’ stock picker. He is always thinking where he can find growth...and how he can get to ride it in a way that ends in potentially large profits. Fortunately for his investors, he does this quite often! I talk to Mihir about his journey, his GARP approach, and as always about portfolio construction and asset allocation. Listen in...

Nilesh Shah is perhaps one of the best debt fund managers India has ever had. Not only did he rack up great returns, Nilesh once told investors in his fund to redeem their monies as the future was likely to be bleak. That’s quintessential Nilesh for you. Always focused on his investors. Nilesh is a big believer in the India story. As he puts it, India’s GDP grew 10x in the last 25 years. And he believes that a 10x will happen again. Listen in to understand how to play this opportunity...

It’s not for no reason that Vijay Kedia has a cult-like following in the Indian stock markets. He has had a string of massive successes, right from 1991...and as a result, has scripted the classic rags to riches story in the stock market. Vijay buys cheap stocks and he tries to buy them at the right time...the reason for his success is something else. He bets Big. With a big B. Vijay and I talk about his journey...successes and failures in stock picking. And of course, we spend considerable time talking about portfolios and position sizing. A must listen...

Manish Sabharwal knows what makes the Indian economy tick, and what could make it tick a whole lot faster. He is after all the person who is providing a key input for that growth i.e. people! Manish believes that China’s pivot has brought forward global interest in India...and the fact there is no scalable alternative, makes the India story even more enticing. This among others is a key reason why he thinks that the next 20 to 25 years could be India’s moment. All we need to do is grab it...and for that Manish offers a 5-point action plan. Listen in...

Devina Mehra’s claim to fame recommends HDFC Bank stock at an adjusted price of less than Re 1. But that’s nowhere even close to the successes she has racked up over her career. She founded First Global, which is today one of India’s most successful global research firms. Along the way, she has had a string of successful calls including recommending Amazon in 2001. Her biggest contribution may be the thoroughness with which she researches a stock (which has evolved into a human plus machine process). Listen in to a fascinating conversation where we discuss all this, and our usual favorite topics of portfolio construction, portfolio sizing, and asset allocation. It’s a must-listen...

Pankaj Tibrewal’s approach to picking stocks, constructing the best portfolio and his focus on management trust (he has kept notes for 20 years now to help assess this) creates a framework that works wonders. He applies this in the context of an India which is taking off. His explanation for why India is really set for better times is both convincing and realistic. For anyone wanting to become a lot smarter when it comes to the stock markets...and wiser when it comes to understanding the India opportunity, listening to Pankaj is a must...

Samit Vartak’s journey to becoming one of the top money managers in India is fascinating. A chance encounter with a friend, the stock market bubble of the late 90s and a consulting job converted him from a small-town person who could not even speak English, into what he has become today. A very successful erudite fund manager. Samit and I talk about the importance of picking the right “businesses” to invest in, about India’s strengths and also his thoughts on dealing with the wealth he has generated. Listen in...

Talking to Gautam Baid, author of the Joys of Compounding, is both inspirational and thought-provoking. He went from working a night shift at the hotel reception, to becoming one of the most widely followed money managers. Sheer hard work and grit led him to perfect a style of stock picking and portfolio building that has worked wonders in the last several years. Gautam and I talk about his approach, and also about India and, of course, compounding.