News & Views

News & Views

Sedona (Sep 2021)

In his new commentary, Kopernik CIO Dave Iben summarizes many of his thoughts on the current inflationary environment and gives examples of how this has benefited value investors. They now figuratively have the wind at their backs.

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29 Palms (Jul 2021)

In his newest commentary, Kopernik’s CIO Dave Iben draws inspiration from Robert Plant and the deserts of Morocco to discuss the Fed’s printing press, the Cantillon effect, and the value Kopernik is finding in scarce, undervalued, useful assets.

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Calypso's Market (Dec 2020)

With so much anxiety about the current euphoria in the market, we thought it was a good time to send out a little stocking stuffer with some of our thoughts. In a nutshell, we reach back into Greek mythology to explain why we believe that people are buying great companies but at the wrong prices. Of course, some are buying hopes and dreams at ridiculous prices as well, but that is a story for another time. More importantly, in our opinion, the real-money making opportunities lie elsewhere. This gives us hope as 2020 merges into 2021. Wishing you a Happy and Healthy New Year.

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Making Plans for Nigel (May 2020)

Our most recent commentary explores why the "Big Brother" interpretation of the British post-punk band XTC's song "Making Plans for Nigel" reminds us of the inevitable increase in angst that is being felt, in no small part due to a decade of QE monetary policy. One can only imagine what will eventually be felt as a consequence of QE-infinity. We discuss how our current era of palpable angst is similar to that of the late 1970s, which was the cyclical end of a period of high inflation, of big government, and the bull market in commodities while also the beginning of a super cycle in stocks and bonds. While the current era is likely another major inflection point in the markets and the end of all those cycles, the silver lining is that the valuation divide between expensive and attractively-priced stocks has probably never been this wide, making it a great time to be a bottom-up, value-conscious investor.

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The Call of the Wild (Mar 2020)

In our latest commentary, we look back to the great Jack London novel The Call of The Wild as a parallel to the herd mentality dominating the current investment environment. Following a dozen years of post-Global Financial Crisis policy designed to transfer wealth from financial assets to real assets, investors who are operating in panic mode are buying and selling the wrong assets. This has created incredibly cheap buying opportunities and, with that, a favorable environment for value investors.

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Misunderstandings Present Great Opportunities (Jan 2023)

In his latest commentary, Kopernik analyst and co-portfolio manager for the International Strategy, Mark McKinney analyzes and compares how the current developed world’s characteristics such as inflation, excessive deficits, censorship and politicized economic decision-making are looking more like emerging markets. This begs rethinking the prevailing rules and risks applied in the valuations of both. Is the valuation premium awarded to developed markets for so long still warranted? Or do emerging markets with sizable discounts offer better investment opportunities due to the misunderstood risks?

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Kopernik Perspective: A Differentiated Approach to ESG (July 2022)

In this whitepaper on ESG, Kopernik’s investment research team provides an update to our March 2021 webinar on the same topic. In summary, ESG is important, complex, and nuanced. This whitepaper will give an update on how we think about the current ESG environment, provide examples of the types of ESG risks we are evaluating, and explain how we integrate ESG risk into our valuation process.

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Managing Geopolitical Risk in a Global Portfolio (July 2022)

In this whitepaper, Kopernik’s investment research team builds on our April 2022 webinar about geopolitical risk, breaking down our process and examples of both successes and losses in emerging markets. Evaluating geopolitical risk has always been a key factor in our global investment process. As global crises have made our role as investment manager more crucial than ever, our mission of being independent thought leaders could not be more pertinent.

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Fear is Good (July 2022)

In his latest commentary, Kopernik analyst and co-portfolio manager for the International Strategy, Mark McKinney, compares today’s U.S. market to the tech bubble of the late 1990s and 2000s. He also gives examples of the many “mini bubbles” that have already burst under the surface of the bigger names in the index. Lastly, there are some thoughts on the US Dollar, inflation, and gold.

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The Greater The Suffering, The Greater The Peace (Jan 2022)

In his latest commentary, Kopernik analyst and co-portfolio manager for the International Strategy, Mark McKinney, compares the actions of the U.S. Federal Reserve and the resultant inflation and choppy investment environment to the dangerous aspirations of villains in Hollywood spy films and how Kopernik is actively managing our investments through “the greater suffering.”

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Lord make me green…but not yet (Nov 2021)

In his latest commentary, “Lord make me green…but not yet”, Kopernik Analyst Steve Rosenthal discusses a range of factors that handicap “net-zero” emission pledges around the world. While this ambitious goal will hopefully materialize, there resides a paradox in achieving it at the rate and extent we want/need.

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In it to Win it Podcast - Featuring Alissa Corcoran - February 16, 2023

Deputy CIO Alissa Corcoran sat down with Steve Barton, host of the In It to Win It podcast, to discuss value investing, inflation, emerging markets abroad and analyze the trends in commodities such as gold, platinum and uranium. Listen to Alissa’s full interview here.

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Bloomberg TV - Featuring Alissa Corcoran - January 11, 2023

Kopernik Deputy CIO Alissa Corcoran appeared on Bloomberg TV to discuss commodities—specifically the supply of real assets like copper, the advantages of investing in gold, and the favorable gains Kopernik has seen in the energy sector. Alissa’s full interview with Bloomberg can be found here starting at 26:33.

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CFA Society of Dallas-Fort Worth | Charterholder Chatter interview with Dave Iben - November 3, 2022

Kopernik CIO Dave Iben recently sat down with Paul Olschwanger of Wendell Rhoads Consulting for an episode of Charterholder Chatter, sponsored by the CFA Society of Dallas-Fort Worth. Dave spoke to Paul about the progression of his investment career, what’s to come for the future of value investing, and why to Kopernik, volatility is opportunity.

You can listen to Dave’s full discussion on the CFA Society Dallas/Fort Worth Charterholder Chatter website or by clicking play in the player below.

 

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BBN Bloomberg TV - Featuring Alissa Corcoran - November 3, 2022

Kopernik Deputy CIO Alissa Corcoran spoke with BNN Bloomberg TV about recent market trends, rising interest rates, value investing, and emerging markets. Watch Alissa’s full interview here.

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Bloomberg Markets: The Close - featuring Alissa Corcoran - September 16, 2022

Our Deputy CIO Alissa Corcoran spoke to Bloomberg TV about global commodities, taking advantage of volatility, and the benefits of value investing. Watch Alissa’s interview here, beginning at 23:50.

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The Wall Street Transcript Interview with Dave Iben: Find Better Bargains by Investing Outside the U.S.

Our CIO Dave Iben was recently interviewed by The Wall Street Transcript, where he discussed Kopernik’s investment philosophy and why companies in emerging markets are compelling for investors looking to construct a more diversified portfolio. Read the full interview here.

 

 

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