Brian DeChesare

AUGUST 31, 2022

But before delving into the best candidates for these roles, typical trades, careers, and more, let’s start with the basic definitions: What is a Convertible Arbitrage Hedge Fund? If the stock price goes up or down by 10%, but the volatility stays the same, you might not earn or lose anything on the trade.

Banking

Musings on Markets

JANUARY 21, 2023

I will follow up by looking at the mechanics that connect stock prices to inflation, and examine why the damage from higher inflation can vary across companies and sectors. The Year in Review At the start of 2022, the S&P 500 was at 4766.18, up from 3756.07 at the start of that year. Stocks: The What?

Equity

Musings on Markets

AUGUST 5, 2023

As part of that obsession, since September 2008, I have estimated an equity risk premium for the S&P 500 at the start of each month, and not only used that premium, when valuing companies during that month, but shared my estimate on my webpage and on social media.

Risk Premium

Musings on Markets

JANUARY 5, 2024

I have also developed a practice in the last decade of spending much of January exploring what the data tells us, and does not tell us, about the investing, financing and dividend choices that companies made during the most recent year. Beta & Risk 1. Insider, CEO & Institutional holdings 2. Aggregate operating numbers 3.

Dividends

Musings on Markets

JANUARY 31, 2024

In my last three posts, I looked at the macro (equity risk premiums, default spreads, risk free rates) and micro (company risk measures) that feed into the expected returns we demand on investments, and argued that these expected returns become hurdle rates for businesses, in the form of costs of equity and capital.

Equity

Musings on Markets

JANUARY 12, 2021

I also start thinking about my passion, which is teaching, the spring semester to come, and the classes that I will be teaching, repeating a process that I have gone through every year since 1984, my first year as a teacher. Face up to uncertainty, rather than avoid or deny it : Uncertainty is a feature of investing/ business, not a bug.

Corporate Finance

Musings on Markets

NOVEMBER 9, 2021

As I have valued Tesla over the years, I have come to the realization that it is the most 'uncar-like" automobile company in the world, and its uniqueness shows up on two dimensions. Put simply, the company has been able to scale up more quickly, while reinvesting less in capacity, than any other automobile company.

Start-ups

Musings on Markets

JANUARY 24, 2024

As we start 2024, the interest rate prognosticators who misread the bond markets so badly in 2023 are back to making their 2024 forecasts, and they show no evidence of having learned any lessons from the last year. The Fed Effect: Where's the beef?

Treasury

Brian DeChesare

FEBRUARY 28, 2024

Fixed Income Research Definition: In fixed income research, finance professionals analyze companies’ debt issuances and make pricing and investment recommendations based on their outlook for each one. Rates: Is the “risk-free rate” truly risk-free ? What might cause a bond’s price to change?

Equity

Musings on Markets

JANUARY 19, 2022

In a post at the start of 2021 , I argued that while stocks entered the year at elevated levels, especially on historic metrics (such as PE ratios), they were priced to deliver reasonable returns, relative to very low risk free rates (with the treasury bond rate at 0.93% at the start of 2021).

Risk Premium

Musings on Markets

JANUARY 28, 2024

In this post, I look at risk, a central theme in finance and investing, but one that is surprisingly misunderstood and misconstrued. That said, and notwithstanding decades of research and debate on the topic, there are still wide differences in how risk is defined and measured. What is risk?

Risk Premium

Musings on Markets

JANUARY 8, 2022

To start the year, I returned to a ritual that I have practiced for thirty years, and that is to take a look at not just market changes over the last year, but also to get measures of the financial standing and practices of companies around the world. Happy New Year, and I hope that 2022 brings you good tidings! Sometimes, less is more!

Risk Premium

Equidam

APRIL 22, 2025

Venture Capital (VC) Financing: This is perhaps the most common context. 3] , [7] , [6] It sets a benchmark against which future fundraising rounds will be measured and helps investors assess whether the potential upside justifies the significant risks associated with early-stage ventures. [8]

Discounted Cash Flow

Equidam

APRIL 22, 2025

2] Startups typically lack significant historical financial data, often operate with negative profits initially, rely heavily on private equity or venture capital rather than traditional bank loans, and face a much higher risk of failure. [1] This premium rises when perceived market risk increases. [27]

Discounted Cash Flow