Top Podcasts of the Week

Below is our “Top Podcast” list with our curator, Colby Donovan!

Today we have interviews with notable figures like VC investor Marc Andreessen & trader-turned-philanthropist John Arnold, Gavin Baker on the current market environment, and Jeff Shaw on how he’s gamifying the wine purchasing experience.

• The Knowledge Project with Shane Parrish: #129 Marc Andreessen: Interview with an Icon. a16z’s Marc Andreessen covers the changing power structures in society, his optimistic and pessimistic scenarios for the future of the Internet, how he distinguishes between the luck and skill of a VC partner, and his framework for decision making. See below for a list of his book recommendations. [January 25, 2022–81 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Website Link

• Invest Like The Best with Patrick O’Shaughnessy: Gavin Baker — The Cyclone Under the Surface. Baker rejoins O’Shaughnessy to discuss the current market environment and what he’s been right and wrong about since the onset of COVID. He walks through the state of growth stocks today, the convergence of public and private markets and the valuation differences between the two, and the transformation of the semi-conductor industry. [January 25, 2022–80 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Website Link

• The Long View: Michael Mauboussin: Finding Easy Games. Mauboussin is the head of consilient research at Counterpoint Global. In this episode, he emphasizes the benefits of not overspecializing and having a generalist approach to learning, the different sources of edge, and how the paradox of skill relates to the benefit of finding a ‘game’ where there is a lot of amateur participants (like the Chinese stock market, which has a large retail participation) is beneficial. Then he spends time talking about topics covered in the recently updated version of his book, Expectations Investing: Reading Stock Prices for Better Returns. The book examines accounting changes since the first version, the difference between price and value, and how to determine the markets’ expectations of a security. [January 26, 2022–55 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Website Link

• The Money Maze Podcast: US Equities: Overvalued and Over-Allocated? With C.T. Fitzpatrick, Founder and CEO of Vulcan Value Partners. C.T. Fitzpatrick explains the skills he acquired during 17 years at South Eastern Asset Management before founding Vulcan Value Partners in 2007, which now manages ~$20 billion. He shares his process for bottom up stock picking and finding high quality businesses. Then he covers the intricacies of analyzing different types of debt structures, portfolio construction, and the importance of temperament and discipline. He talks specifics with respect to his investment of Mastercard and how he adjusted his portfolio as COVID became a big issue. [January 27, 2022–48 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Website Link

• Behind The Markets Podcast: Wes Gray & Harris Kupperman. The first 5 minutes feature Professor Jeremy Siegel talking about the markets. Then Alpha Architects’ Wes Gray & Praetorian Capital’s Harris Kupperman join the episode. Kupperman talks about the “The Great Rotation” from what he calls ‘ponzi stocks’ to value stocks, which he believes will ultimately lead to the market staying relatively flat. He also talks about why he’s long commodities like oil and uranium and real estate, specifically in Florida. At the end, Gray talks about his white label ETF business, which helps advisers launch ETFs, and why he’s seeing so much demand for this product. [January 29, 2022–52 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Website Link

The Meb Faber Show

• #385: Startup Series — Jeff Shaw, Underground Cellar — Disrupting E-Commerce Wine Sales Through Gamification. Jeff Shaw is the founder of Underground Cellar, a new way to discover, buy, and store limited edition wines. Jeff begins by explaining where he got the idea to gamify the wine buying process. He shares how the company works — the process of buying the wine, the upgrade algorithm, and the logistics of storing the wine. He also  discusses how Mark Cuban turned him down multiple times, and how he leveraged that to get an investment from Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran. As a special offer for listeners of the show, visit Undergroundcellar.com and use the code MEB to get $100 off your first order of $150 or more. [January 24, 2022 — 53 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Website Link

• #386: John Arnold, Arnold Ventures — Why The Greatest Natural Gas Trader Walked Away To Pursue Philanthropy. John Arnold is arguably the best natural gas trader of all-time and now one of the largest philanthropists in the US, giving away almost half a billion dollars a year. In this episode, he starts by discussing his rapid rise at Enron and later launching his own fund, Centaurus Advisors, which posted eye-popping returns and led him to become the youngest billionaire in the US in 2007. He talks about the mindset that helped him become a successful trader, and even touches on the time he took the other side of Amaranth Advisors in a famous trade. Then he shares why, before the age of 40, he decided to wind down his fund, focus solely on philanthropy, and commit to giving away most of his fortune during his lifetime. He talks about some of the problems he’s tackling around public finance, election reform and health care, and what has both surprised and frustrated him along the way. [January 26, 2022–72 minutes] iTunes Podcast | Spotify | Google | Website Link

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONSMarc Andreessen (Co-Founder, a16z): 

1. The WEIRDest People in the World by Joseph Henrich

2. The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom by James Burnham

3. The Revolt of The Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium by Martin Gurri

4. The Ancient City by Numa Denis Fustel De Coulanges

5. The Square and the Tower by Niall Ferguson

6. The Organization Man by William H. Whyte

7. Orwell’s Revenge by Peter Huber

8. Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke

Jonathan Neman (Founder, Sweetgreen): 

1. Thinking, Fast and Slow: Daniel Kahneman

Good investing,Meb Fabertheideafarm.com