Market Insights

Growth Versus Value: Historic Patterns of Cyclicality

After a decade where the dramatic outperformance of growth stocks left many value investors scratching their heads, the recent rise in interest rates has poured cold water on high-flying tech stocks and helped swing the pendulum back to value stocks. In particular, the financial sector, which...

Potential Market Implications of the “Blue Ripple”

The following blog is an excerpt from our Q4 client letter that was written in late January 2021. We believe the information around industrial production, inflation and bond yields remains as relevant as ever and we hope you find this piece helpful.

Growth stocks dominated over their value brethren...

Do People Really Understand What’s in an Index?

Have you ever been researching a stock and noticed that it has no P/E ratio? This is usually because the company is unprofitable and thus has no earnings to use as the denominator within the ratio. Current examples of well-known companies with no earnings include Snap (maker of Snapchat), Uber,...

Industry Spotlight: Insurance Distribution

Insurance is generally sold “direct” by insurance companies’ paid employees or sold via agents/brokers also known as third party distributors. The economics of an agent/broker are very attractive. They charge a commission/fee for their services (typically a percentage of the premiums) and do not...

[PODCAST] The Path to Value Investing with PM Steve Labbe

After graduating with a degree in mathematics and pursuing a job as a teacher, Steve Labbe could have never predicted he would spend the next 16 years working for a sell-side research firm and eventually become a portfolio manager at Prospector Partners.

Like many people, his non-traditional...

Reddit Traders and Things That Remind Us of the Dot-Com Bubble

If you were working in the investment industry during the late 1990s, what were some of the most excessive, unreasonable market events you remember? Here are some that may jog your memory:

• Mark Cuban’s Broadcast.com (known as AudioNet prior to the name change), which primarily streamed...

[PODCAST] The Prospector Flavor of Value Investing with PM Jason Kish

On a daily basis, investors are exposed to a lot of numbers and a lot of information, but it should be known that portfolio evaluation goes beyond just the stats.

Why the Rally in Bank Stocks Can Continue, Part 2

In part one of our blog series Why the Rally in Bank Stocks Can Continue, we discussed the improving clarity on loan losses and reserve levels, and we began examining the potential for cost saves. This week, we continue where we left off.

Cost Savings

Another way we expect banks to capitalize on...

Why the Rally in Bank Stocks Can Continue, Part 1

We recently published a blog entitled Banks in 2008 Versus 2020: This Time Part of the Solution, in which we contrasted the role banks played in the Global Financial Crisis versus the COVID-19 pandemic. We view banks as part of the COVID solution, evidenced by facilitation of the PPP program. With...

Prospector Partners Quarterly Commentary: Reflecting on Q3 and What Could Lie Ahead

Current Market Environment

The benchmark S&P 500 continued its charge higher during the third quarter of 2020, despite significant increases in COVID-19 cases and certain states such as Florida, Texas, Arizona and California seeing major outbreaks. The market remained focused on the reopening of...