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Book Notes: What I learnt about investing from Darwin

Notes 1. The need to reduce risks * 2 types of mistakes- We did some thing which we should not have done- error of commission or Type 1 error * We did not do something which we should have done- error of omission or Type 2 error 2. No leverage - COVID

ROCE: The Most Critical Indicator

Pulak Prasad of Nalanda Capital in his celebrated book - "What I learnt about investing from Darwin", explains through the work of Russian geneticists Dmitri Belyaev and Lyudmila Trut how investors can identify strong businesses with multiple good traits through homing one key trait which when selected brings

Polynomials

Polynomials in one variable and their degree : An algebraic expression involving only one variable in which the powers of the variable are non-negative integers, is a polynomial in that variable. Degree : The highest power of the variable in a polynomial is called its degree. Examples : * x + y + xy is a

Nykaa- A lesson in Vertical Commerce

Company Overview FSN E-commerce Ventures Ltd or Nykaa is a digitally native consumer technology omni-channel platform across beauty and fashion categories. The company is primarily e-commerce led with foray into EBOs. Industry The Indian retail industry is approximately at INR 100 trillion growing at the rate of 5% CAGR. Fashion

Acids, Bases and Salts

This is part of a series where I am explaining key scientific concepts to my nieces. I will tag these as LearningSeries. These notes are for our reference only. What is an atom? An atom is the smallest particle into which an element can be divided without losing its chemical

My Current Reads: May'24

1. Book: Framing business uncertainty by Sajal Kapoor - It describes the framework of transilience and antifragility amid unpredicatability, volatility and limpiness in Life Sciences 2. Article: Mostly Borrowed Ideas' deep dive on the semiconductor industry (Paywall) - It is one of the most lucid deep dives for an

The Proposal

My maternal uncle Nanu was a simpleton from village. He was my mother's second cousin but was very close to my grandmother. Nanu was gentle and kind hearted and had great empathy towards all alike; however, he had an annoying habit of being a know-it-all once he heard

Atoms

It is difficult to explain the vastness of the universe and the complexities to kids. I find the Feynman technique to be indispensable in this regards. It is a process to convey ideas using concise thoughts and precise language that even a six year old can understand. My nieces (who

Mental Models - 2023

These are a few mental models that I have found to be useful for leading a peaceful life- some of them have come through following certain great thought leaders, entrepreneurs and value investors who were all philosophers in their own way. 1. The Happiness Equation: I was hearing the amazing

Habit Formation

"Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up. Day by day, and at the end of the day-if you live long enough-like most people, you will get out of life what you deserve."- Charlie Munger Habit formation is difficult.

Remembering Piku & Rana.....

Couple of days ago, my movie buff friend and I started reminiscing Irrfan Sir's movies. We picked up one of his last ones - Song of the Scorpion. The magic was intact, though the film failed to entertain both of us. My friend made a comment that Hindi

Gullak- Heartwarming tales from the heartland...

The evolution of Indian serials from the 80s till most recently has been very fascinating. From the epic slice of life Wagle Ki Duniya, Buniyaad, Circus, Fauji to the comedies of 90s like Hum Paanch, Family Number 1, Shriman Shrimati, not to mention high on emotion K-soaps, the quality and

The joys of learning Physics

Recently, I stumbled upon a very popular video of Prof Walter Lewin, the beloved MIT Physics professor adored by all students. It rekindled the beauty of the subject and a harsh realization of what it takes to convey this beauty of the understandings of nature and the creator's

96 - Beyond Applause

C Premkumar's 96 whips you with emotions. Elevated by superlative performances, it is a simple tale of long lost love but the take is refreshingly unsentimental. The opening credits show the protagonist Ram (played by a superb Sethupathi) as a travel photographer on his solo sojourns. Ram captures