While the global stock markets rocked in choppy waves of unprecedented volatility in the last two weeks, Singaporean investors were probably busy following the campaigns of the current elections. This round to me seemed less interesting vs the previous cycles where we saw various tumultuous sagas involving CCTVs, sweet young things vs sweet young things, Dr Chee shouting at PM Goh like a gangster, Cheng San GRC (for those of us old enough to remember). This round we pretty much got to get excited only about this Titanic poster below.
For the un-initiated, this was an argument using the analogy of cruise ships. PM Goh liken PAP as a solid cruise ship with a final destination while WP is a gambling cruise ship sailing to nowhere. To which Mr Low replied that perhaps the more apt example would be comparing Singapore to Titanic, which sank. PM Goh then replied Singapore had been sailing for 50 years, while Titanic sank on its maiden voyage. Creative Singaporeans then created the poster. Who says we cannot innovate?
The Father of Value Investing, Benjamin Graham left this quote some 70-80 years ago: "The stock market is a voting machine in the short run but a weighing machine in the long run." Some things just don't change. We tend to vote with our hearts, not our minds. Hence we keep seeing actors, boxers, prominent people getting voted into government all over the world: Ronald Reagan, Manny Pacquiao, Arnold Schwarzenegger just to name a few. But what is really important in both elections and stock picking is really to see through the rhetorics and power acts to the essence and make rational choices.
In investing, that's about understanding and then selecting really strong businesses and buying them at the right prices. It's an art that would take a lifetime to master. Yours truly is still working on it after 10 years. In tomorrow's polling, it's another kind of selection, akin to giving a Facebook "Like", obviously, much more important and with serious consequences. So give it a good hard analysis as we would when we analyze and look at stocks.
A weighing machine will not lie. It tells you where you were before and where you are now. Humans take about 20 years to grow from 2-4 kg at birth to an optimal 40-80kg. Well, a lot of us continue to grow laterally, exponentially, massively after that but that's another topic. :) Both gaining and losing weight significantly are not easy manoeuvres. Changes will take time to be reflected. Hence the analogy that the stock market is a weighing machine. Over the long run, great companies see their stock prices follow exponential curves, mediocre ones fall flat or slope downwards. Nations follow the same paths.
Singapore's GDP growth follows an exponential curve
Singapore grew spectacularly in the last 50 years. It will be quite unlikely to repeat the same growth in the next 50 years. Nor do Singaporeans want that at the expense of lower quality of life. A lot of election topics revolved around the price we paid for our spectacular growth: foreign workers, MRT breakdowns, rising cost of living etc. But we do need to keep improving. Growth is the only way forward. It may not be economic GDP growth at 8% but we do need some form of growth: entrepreneurial or perhaps cultural or at the individual level (ie you and me) spiritual growth.
Our decisions tomorrow would decide the growth trajectory over the next five years. Will it be giving up some GDP growth for better quality of life, or continuing GDP growth at all costs or poorer growth in all aspects? It will be our choices!
Sing First Sing First Sing Sing First!
I CAN'T HEAR YOU!
SING FIRST SING FIRST SING SING FIRST!
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