Insights

How did Costco become the third largest retailer in the US without spending a dollar on advertising? Investment manager Matthew Gerlach looks at the secrets behind an enduring success story. 

Microsoft’s announcement of an AI-powered search engine and browser has raised questions for Google and its dominance of search. Despite these developments, we believe Google is more than well-equipped to fend off Microsoft’s challenge. 

The Midwest has long been synonymous with industrial manufacturing. On a recent two-week trip to “America’s heartland”, visiting 20 companies, investment managers Laura Clark and Lindsay Scott were struck by the strong and unique sense of culture at various headquarters, factories and facilities.

While Japan might be set to break free from its deflationary shackles, our positive view on a variety of leading Japanese companies derives more from our bottom-up fundamental analysis than from hopes about the country’s economic transformation.

In late 2022, Investment Manager Paul Loudon spent two days with Nestlé understanding its future growth plans as well as the more immediate steps being taken to maintain its leadership in still challenging economic conditions.

Shareholder proposals are a growing feature of proxy voting season. While in many ways we welcome this increased shareholder scrutiny, too often what appears a reasonable objective on paper fails to withstand closer inspection.