Knowledge Leaders

Spotlight: Will Shionogi’s R&D Machine Outrun the Flu? March 20, 2018

Posted by Knowledge Leaders Team in Knowledge Leaders, News

In the midst of the worst flu season in a decade, Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi & Co., Ltd. is making headlines for a new drug it says can kill the influenza virus in 24 hours with a single dose. Today, only a handful of treatments…

Why Financial Statements Don’t Work for Highly Innovative Companies March 14, 2018

Posted by Bryce Coward, CFA in Knowledge Leaders

Several weeks ago three professors from the Columbia and Dartmouth business schools recapped some of their work on accounting for intangible investment in a Harvard Business Review article. Their key finding, which builds on Professor Baruch Lev’s analysis in The End of Accounting, is that, “accounting…

Author Q&A: Daniel Pink on the Science of Timing and How Innovative Firms are Employing His Research March 13, 2018

Posted by Knowledge Leaders Team in Knowledge Leaders, News

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with author Daniel Pink to discuss his new book, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, now in its 8th week on the New York Times best-seller list. We asked Dan how financial advisors can benefit from the science of timing,…

GUEST POST: What Economic Recovery? Half of U.S. Companies Are Losing Money March 07, 2018

Posted by Baruch Lev in Knowledge Leaders

Baruch Lev is the Philip Bardes Professor of Accounting and Finance at the Stern School of Business, NYU. This article first appeared on the Lev End Of Accounting Blog and is shared here with his permission. We are inundated with great economic news: The stock market is at…

Navigating a USD Bear Market with Equity Factors February 27, 2018

Posted by Steven Vannelli, CFA in Economy, Knowledge Leaders, Markets, Portfolio Management

The US Dollar appears to have entered a new bear market. In this mid-quarter update, we analyze equity factors and their performance tendencies in recent USD bull and bear markets. Download the slides for Navigating a USD Bear Market with Equity Factors. Questions? Email us at investmenteam@klcapital.com.

Earnings Don’t Matter! December 06, 2017

Posted by Knowledge Leaders Team in Knowledge Leaders

Our long-time readers are familiar with the work of Professor Baruch Lev of the NYU Stern School of Business, whose research forms the basis for the Knowledge Leaders investment strategy. In his decades-long study of financial records, Lev first discovered a link between a firm’s…

Knowledge Leader Spotlight: Microchip Technology Inc., a Fundamental Analysis November 15, 2017

Posted by Bryce Coward, CFA in Knowledge Leaders

From time to time we illustrate our analysis of highly innovative companies in a Knowledge Leader spotlight. Today we look at Microchip Technology Inc. (MCHP), a highly innovative semiconductor manufacturer that produces programmable microcontroller products used in autos, computing and lighting, among many other applications….

International Equities are En Vogue, and Could Stay That Way November 08, 2017

Posted by Bryce Coward, CFA in Economy, Knowledge Leaders, Portfolio Management

Over the last decade US stocks have outperformed the global equity benchmark by about 35% and have outperformed in eight of the last ten years prior to 2017. But that may all be coming to an end. Indeed, so far in 2017 the United States…

Quarterly Strategy Update: Dynamic Undercurrents October 19, 2017

Posted by Knowledge Leaders Team in Economy, Knowledge Leaders, Markets

Since the start of this year, the US Treasury market is signaling a scenario of rising growth expectations and falling inflation expectations, as reflected by the various components that comprise interest rates. In this quarter’s strategy update, Portfolio Manager Steven Vannelli, CFA, explores the following:…

Quarterly Strategy Update: Structural Rotation July 20, 2017

Posted by Steven Vannelli, CFA in Economy, Knowledge Leaders, Markets

This quarter, we look at two important structural changes that appear to be underway: a normalization in US and European monetary policy and a normalization in crude oil inventories. We expect these two trends to have important ramifications for equity sector leadership trends. In addition, we expect…

Our Contrarian Call: A Bullish Thesis on the Energy Sector June 16, 2017

Posted by Steven Vannelli, CFA in Knowledge Leaders, Markets, Portfolio Management

Back in December 2016, we discussed our expectation for lower longer-term US interest rates, which we used to justify an aversion to financial stocks. This expectation played out. We also discussed our rotation into the resources sector. We suggested that sometimes rotations can be bumpy,…

Risk Management 101: Diversification (Easier Said Than Done) June 08, 2017

Posted by Steven Vannelli, CFA in Knowledge Leaders, Markets, Portfolio Management

There are three basic ways to manage the risk of an equity portfolio: Diversify, by owning a collection of stocks from different industries Hedge, by shorting stocks or equity futures Buy insurance, like buying an out-of-the-money put option. The essence of diversification is choosing assets…

Quarterly Update: Knowledge Leaders Strategy April 20, 2017

Posted by Steven Vannelli, CFA in Economy, Knowledge Leaders, Markets

In this quarter’s Knowledge Leaders Strategy update, we discuss our work in four areas. 1. The state of global innovation: After 52 years, Moore’s Law is alive and well with the number of transistors per chip still doubling every two years. Since semiconductors are the general…

Getting Back to Basics: A No Frills Review of the State of Corporate Innovation April 18, 2017

Posted by Bryce Coward, CFA in Economy, Knowledge Leaders

As investors, it’s easy to get caught up in headlines about things like Snap’s $23bn market cap or Tesla overtaking Ford and GM to become the most valuable US auto maker. While well-intentioned and interesting, that sort of narrowly focused news coverage gives the impression that innovation…

Moore’s Law: Knowledge Economy Firmly on Track April 07, 2017

Posted by Steven Vannelli, CFA in Economy, Knowledge Leaders, News

Last week, Intel executives took the stage in San Francisco to report to an audience of analysts, investors and media that Moore’s Law is alive and well. What does this have to do with our investment process and the Knowledge Effect? Everything. Moore’s Law and…

Disclosures

The information presented here is for informational purposes only, and is not to be construed as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, securities. Some investments are not suitable for all investors, and there can be no assurance that any investment strategy will be successful. Hyperlinks may be included in this message that provide direct access to other internet resources, including web sites. While we believe these links are to reliable sources, Knowledge Leaders Capital has no control over the accuracy or content of information contained on these sites. Although we make every effort to ensure such links are accurate, up to date and relevant, we have no control over pages maintained by external providers. The views expressed by these external providers on their own web pages or on external sites they link to are not necessarily those of Knowledge Leaders Capital.

The information listed on this blog is for example purposes only and should not be construed as the investment Advisor’s opinion or investment outlook. As of the most recent quarter end, the named companies may have been held by the investment Advisor. For full information including additional policies and full disclosures on the Advisor, please visit our website KnowledgeLeadersCapital.com.

An investor cannot invest directly in an index. Any reference to Index performance does not represent the performance of any investment product offered by Knowledge Leaders Capital, LLC. The performance of client account may vary from the Index performance. Index returns shown are not reflective of actual investor performance nor do they reflect fees and expenses applicable to investing. The Index data is the property of Knowledge Leaders Capital, LLC, which has contracted with SolactiveAG to calculate and maintain the indexes.

The launch date of the Knowledge Leaders Knowledge Leaders Developed World Index (Bloomberg ticker KNLGX is 7/1/14 and the base date of the index calculation is 3/31/2000. The launch date of the Knowledge Leaders Emerging Markets Index (Bloomberg ticker KNLGEX) is 9/2/14 and the base date of the index calculation is 4/1/2005. The launch date of the Knowledge Leaders International Index (Bloomberg ticker KNLGINX) is 8/15/16 and the base date of the index calculation is 3/31/2000. The launch date of the Knowledge Leaders United States Index (Bloomberg ticker KNLGUSX) is 8/15/16 and the base date of the index calculation is 3/31/2000. The launch date of the Knowledge Leaders Developed World ADR Index (Bloomberg ticker KNLGAX) is 9/13/16 and the base date of the index calculation is 3/31/2000. The launch date of the Knowledge Leaders International ADR Index (Bloomberg ticker KNLGINAX) is 8/30/16 and the base date of the index calculation is 3/31/2000.

The returns of the Index prior to the launch date are based on applying the rules in effect as of the launch date retroactively to historical periods to and including the base date. Results are not based on an Index that was maintained in real time. The pre-inception performance results of the Index are hypothetical returns which have been compiled by Knowledge Leaders Capital. The performance results are based upon a hypothetical model. Hypothetical performance results may have inherent limitations, some of which are described below. No representation is being made that any account did or was likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those shown. One of the limitations of hypothetical performance results is that they are prepared with the benefit of hindsight. There are numerous other factors related to the markets in general or to the implementation of any specific trading strategy which cannot be fully accounted for in the preparation of hypothetical performance results and all of which can adversely affect actual trading results. These returns should not be considered as indicative of the skills of the investment adviser.To obtain additional index methodology and constituent components, please visit KnowledgeLeadersCapital.com.

Companies are selected for “Spotlights” based on high levels of innovation activities in their industries and illustrate innovation being employed across all sectors and geographies. Spotlight selection is separate from stock selection by the investment team. Spotlights are not necessarily representative of investment opportunities and can be selected regardless of investment performance.