Managing Partner, VRS (Valuation & Research Specialists)

VRS (Valuation & Research Specialists)

Managing Partner

Valuation & Research Specialists (VRS) is a boutique financial advisor with more than 17 years of experience in Corporate Valuation and Finance, and a diversified client base including some of the largest Companies in Greece.

Since 2002, VRS has completed more than 200 engagements in the areas of business valuation and financial analysis for more than 100 clients in a wide range of industries.

VRS has been honored to work with small and large private and publicly traded companies in Europe and overseas.

Boutique Financial Advisor

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul><li>The re-emergence of AI as a topic of hype, caution and investment contains, in equal parts, the re-discovery of a pre-existing technology, but now on steroids, plus all the excitement of the race among the top 5 techs to invest enough in order to dominate the field .</li><li>The 2000 Dot.com boom involved hundreds of IPOs of start-ups, all with the word “internet” in their names, except now the AI boom involves mostly buying up existing startups by the big Techs.</li><li>The re emergence of AI will undoubtedly change a lot of the ways in which data are used and monetized, it will make Google search far more client-friendly and it will step up the capacity of software to program themselves. </li></ul>

The re-emergence of AI as a topic of hype, caution and investment contains, in equal parts, the re-discovery of a pre-existing technology, but now on steroids, plus all the excitement of the race among the top 5 techs to invest enough in order to dominate the field .The 2000 Dot.com boom involved hundreds of IPOs of start-ups, all with the word “internet” in their names, except now the AI boom involves mostly buying up existing startups by the big Techs.The re emergence of AI will undoubtedly change a lot of the ways in which data are used and monetized, it will make Google search far more client-friendly and it will step up the capacity of software to program themselves. 

The “ AI Revolution” : A Cautionary Tale and Its Investment Consequences

Independent Research, US Dominant Players, Investment Talk

Investment Talk

Independent Research, US Dominant Players

Investment Talk is for readers who wish to learn about companies that are potentially outside of their own circle of research, as well as those who are longing to become part of a community of like-minded investors and learn more about investment research. I would describe myself as a long-term investor who typically takes a 3Y to 5Y outlook, before reassessing once that period matures. I follow the adage that one should research, reach a conclusion, and then verify and continue to hold so long as the thesis remains intact. My own investing style is one that seeks to find dominant players within their respective market who have shown signs of monopoly or oligopolistic behaviour, unlikely to be disrupted, in tandem with discovering market disruptors who have a high likelihood of disrupting their respective market. Equally (and weighted accordingly) I seek to discover more nuanced, misunderstood, situations with a shorter time frame.

<ul><li>You might have heard the news that Nasdaq Inc announced1 a “special rebalance” for the Nasdaq 100; an index which tracks the largest technology stocks across a range of America’s sectors.</li><li>This reshuffle seeks to <strong>“address overconcentration in the index by redistributing the weights”</strong>; specifically the weightings of the Big 7 <em>(Google, Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, Amazon, Tesla, and Meta)</em> who, together, account for ~54% of the index.</li><li>The rebalance will be based on the shares outstanding as of July 3rd, and changes are expected to be announced on July 14th; taking effect by July 24th2.</li></ul>

You might have heard the news that Nasdaq Inc announced1 a “special rebalance” for the Nasdaq 100; an index which tracks the largest technology stocks across a range of America’s sectors.This reshuffle seeks to “address overconcentration in the index by redistributing the weights”; specifically the weightings of the Big 7 (Google, Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, Amazon, Tesla, and Meta) who, together, account for ~54% of the index.The rebalance will be based on the shares outstanding as of July 3rd, and changes are expected to be announced on July 14th; taking effect by July 24th2.

The Nasdaq's Special Rebalance Is Not So Special

Independent Investment Research & Investor, Maverick Equity Research

Maverick Equity Research

Independent Investment Research & Investor

Independent Investment Research & Investor: value, dividend and growth stocks. Risk management & hedging for an all weather portfolio.

<ul><li>1st chart shows us the 2023 % returns &amp; the holdings weightings while the 2nd table is a return attribution analysis which tells us exactly that 10.25% (1025 b.p basis points) are due to just 7 stocks, the M7 (Magnificent Seven) tech stocks: Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, Tesla, Meta/Facebook &amp; Google/Alphabet. Let that sink in!</li><li>The laggard are the following top 7 stocks: their weight is small in the index, but note the individual returns which are materially negative in 2023</li><li>To continues smoothly here, the S&amp;P 500 with the stocks above their 52-week lows &amp; below their 52-week highs: tech, AI, semiconductors and consumer discretionary are leading and hot, while energy, cruises &amp; travel cooled off in the last year</li></ul>

1st chart shows us the 2023 % returns &amp; the holdings weightings while the 2nd table is a return attribution analysis which tells us exactly that 10.25% (1025 b.p basis points) are due to just 7 stocks, the M7 (Magnificent Seven) tech stocks: Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Amazon, Tesla, Meta/Facebook &amp; Google/Alphabet. Let that sink in!The laggard are the following top 7 stocks: their weight is small in the index, but note the individual returns which are materially negative in 2023To continues smoothly here, the S&amp;P 500 with the stocks above their 52-week lows &amp; below their 52-week highs: tech, AI, semiconductors and consumer discretionary are leading and hot, while energy, cruises &amp; travel cooled off in the last year

The S&P 500 Report: Performance, Profitability, Valuation & Key Metrics - Ed #2

Research from Quam Securities, Quam Securities

Quam Securities Research

Research from Quam Securities

Quam Securities

Since its inception in 1986, Quam Securities Limited (Quam Securities) has grown to become one of the few mid-tier securities brokerages in Hong Kong with global execution capabilities for both private and institutional clients. It boasts a well-established network in Greater China including Taiwan and in major world markets through the Global Alliance Partners (GAP). Quam Securities is well-positioned not only to harness and drive business within the China Tonghai International Financial Limited but also between China and the world markets.

<div><div><div><div><ul><li>Despite shipment continued to fall y/y, all major markets experienced deceleration in decline.</li><li>DMs like US &amp; W Europe did better with more material deceleration, which helped Apple to solidify its market position.</li><li>EMs remained weak with APAC (ex-Jap &amp; China), CEE and MEA falling 17-20% y/y, which was a bigger headache to the Android camp, especially the Chinese players, among which, Xiaomi had relatively poorer performance.</li></ul></div></div></div></div>

Despite shipment continued to fall y/y, all major markets experienced deceleration in decline.DMs like US &amp; W Europe did better with more material deceleration, which helped Apple to solidify its market position.EMs remained weak with APAC (ex-Jap &amp; China), CEE and MEA falling 17-20% y/y, which was a bigger headache to the Android camp, especially the Chinese players, among which, Xiaomi had relatively poorer performance.

Smartphone – Global Vs China Decelerated Downtrends

Articles from Caixin Global, Caixin Global

Caixin Global

Articles from Caixin Global

Caixin is a media group dedicated to providing financial and business news through periodicals, online content, mobile apps, conferences, books and TV/video programs. Caixin aims to blaze a trail that helps traditional media prosper in the new media age through integrated multimedia platforms.

News from Caixin

Cross Asset Strategy

<ul><li>Apple /: In Depth: Long tethered to Apple, Chinese suppliers seek new options</li><li>GDP /: China’s first-quarter GDP grows 4.5% on pickup in consumption, industrial production</li><li>Banking /: Citic Bank promotes president Fang Heying to chairman</li></ul>

Apple /: In Depth: Long tethered to Apple, Chinese suppliers seek new optionsGDP /: China’s first-quarter GDP grows 4.5% on pickup in consumption, industrial productionBanking /: Citic Bank promotes president Fang Heying to chairman

CX Daily: Long Tethered to Apple, Chinese Suppliers Seek New Options

United States

Apple Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and accessories, and sells a variety of related accessories. The Company also offers payment, digital content, cloud and advertising services. Apple Inc.'s customers are primarily in consumer, small & mid-sized business, education, enterprise and government markets worldwide.

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Apple (AAPL US)

The “ AI Revolution” : A Cautionary Tale and Its Investment Consequences

The re-emergence of AI as a topic of hype, caution and investment contains, in equal parts, the re-discovery of a pre-existing technology, but now...

VRS (Valuation & Research Specialists)

The Nasdaq's Special Rebalance Is Not So Special

The rebalance will be based on the shares outstanding as of July 3rd, and changes are expected to be announced on July 14th; taking effect by July...

Investment Talk

The S&P 500 Report: Performance, Profitability, Valuation & Key Metrics - Ed #2

The laggard are the following top 7 stocks: their weight is small in the index, but note the individual returns which are materially negative in 2023

Maverick Equity Research

Smartphone – Global Vs China Decelerated Downtrends

Despite shipment continued to fall y/y, all major markets experienced deceleration in decline. DMs like US & W Europe did better with more material...

Quam Securities

CX Daily: Long Tethered to Apple, Chinese Suppliers Seek New Options

Apple /: In Depth: Long tethered to Apple, Chinese suppliers seek new options GDP /: China’s first-quarter GDP grows 4.5% on pickup in...

Caixin Global

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