January 2011       Issue 1

The Value Investor Digest is a listing of the most interesting articles and reference material on value investing we come across, providing you a brief synopsis and a link to the original source. We will publish this periodically as we collect relevant material.  If you come across anything that you think we should include in future updates, please send them to us.

Warren Buffett on the secret of his success

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MEcjgvT2FA
This is a 6 minute clip, in which Warren Buffett talks about what he thinks have been the key ingredients and building blocks of his success.  It’s a good introduction to Buffett, in which he sets out the advantages of starting out early (he started reading investment books when we was 7 years old), the fact that you don’t need a 160 IQ (130 will do) and the inspiration he drew from Benjamin Graham.

Vitaly Katsenelson’s recommended booklist – 2010

http://contrarianedge.com/2010/11/09/recommended-book-list-2010-part-1/
Some of you may have read Katsenelson’s interesting book, Active Value Investing; in this article the author lists some of the best books that relate to Value Investing.

Warren Buffett interviewed by Carol Loomis

http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/10/05/n_buffett_MPW.fortune/
This is a 40 minute interview in which Buffett covers, in typically lucid fashion, a broad range of topics:  the state of the BRK operating businesses, the challenges in the Euro zone, inflation, Wall Street, China, the gifts (ties!) he has received from Barack Obama and his long-term confidence in the US economy; he even throws in some amusing marital advice.  He is interviewed by Carol Loomis, the Fortune financial journalist who edits his annual Shareholder letter and who is on the panel that selects the public’s questions at the AGM.
[Thanks to David Lau for forwarding this]

Why Some of the strongest firms disappointed investors

http://www.morningstar.com/cover/videoCenter.aspx?id=352549&SR=EVZ128
Author and analyst, Pat Dorsey, of Morningstar contrasts the 10 year performance of three stocks, Cisco, J&J and Yum Brands to illustrate in a very simple way the importance of Margin of Safety and buying value.

Joel Greenblatt at the Value Investing Congress

http://www.valueinvestingcongress.com/downloads/p10/greenblatt/formula_investing_video.php
This video of Joel Greenblatt presenting at the recent Value Investing Congress in New York, explains the underlying basis for and continued success of the “magic formula” in the “Little Book that beats the market” and illustrates just how psychologically difficult it is to consistently apply the formula over time.   It is worth downloading the PDF of the presentation before you watch the video.