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Investment Highlights
Shaker has created an outstanding investment track record since inception, October 1, 1991. Some of the highlights include:
- Shaker has outperformed the S&P 500 in seven of the last eight calendar years.
- Since inception, Shaker has outperformed the S&P 500 by 16.3% on an average annual basis.
- Shakers annual calendar return since inception has ranged from 12.7% to 98.5%.
- Shaker has outperformed:
in weak markets such as 1994 with a 20.9% return, in strong markets such as 1995 with 58.2% and 1999 with 98.5%, and in turbulent markets such as 1996 with 27.7% and 1998 with 33.6%.
Shakers Investment Philosophy and Process
Shaker analyzes stocks as if it were buying the entire business, with an emphasis on minimizing investment risk. The investment process consists of the following:
- Top-Down View
Shaker analyzes short- and long-term macroeconomic conditions to identify industries achieving above-average growth rates. This requirement reduces macroeconomic risk. - Identifying Superior Companies
Within a given industry, Shaker identifies dominant growth companies whose competitive positions are likely to strengthen further. This minimizes company-specific business risk. - Buying at the Right Price
Shaker insists on buying stocks at low prices relative to the future earnings growth rate and selling stocks that are overvalued relative to earnings. This minimizes the risk of large stock price declines due to market fluctuations.
- Portfolio Diversification
Shaker typically holds approximately 30-45 stocks in a portfolio. A typical stock position at cost ranges from 3% to 5% of the total portfolio. This reduces portfolio exposure to individual stock fluctuations.
- Tax Efficiency
Profits are often either deferred or of a long-term capital nature.