Horton wrote:VVS, ur a Buffett fan, you should know what I'm talking about.....the business should be both predictable and consistent. That obviously doesn't mean straight line.....but thanks.
No, no, no...
Buffett does NOT necessarily favour predictability... He just wants to be compensated for the certainty...
He says that he does not mind LUMPY returns (not straight-line) as long as the OVERALL return is above average... Coz Buffett is willing to wait. In my case, these are AGRICULTURALS unless there is a fundamental shift e.g. giddy + baba decide to raze all forests & grab farms claiming ancestral right!
BH's largest business is INSURANCE which is for the most part 'unpredictable'...
Certainty: A matatu will hit your car. Guaranteed!
Unpredictability: When? Leo? Kesho? Kesho Kutwa? 2011? 2012? 2030?
So BH will 'provide' for the inevitability/certainty but when makwere becomes transport minister... the chances will increase...
So BH (insurance) wants a premium that reflects the certainty coupled with actuarial tables or smarts...
Greedy when others are fearful. Very fearful when others are greedy - to paraphrase Warren Buffett