Chas Cocke of LB Partners discusses the psychological paradox required to succeed in concentrated portfolio management.
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Cocke: A $10 billion endowment likely paid $500M in fees in 2021
“I would bet that if you looked at a ten billion dollar endowment in fiscal year, 20, 21, it would shock me if they didn't pay at least Five hundred million dollars in fees in fiscal year, 20, 21. It wouldn't surprise me if it's even higher than that.”
Opinion
Cocke: Wall Street cap intro pitches prioritize marketability over fund performance
“I started to realize, you know, what's happening is the Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley's of the world are getting these guys in their cap intro department and they're creating their presentations for them, which it occurred to me what that really meant is th…”
Insight
Cocke: Small, tightly aligned investment units generate the best returns
“And it turns out that actually what I was very drawn to was a guy, a Bloomberg and a dog. And I actually think that is where the most special returns lie. And it doesn't have to be someone who has no team. But in small units where they are very, very synced up…”
Insight
Cocke: Quant strategies struggle to systematize businesses undergoing fundamental transitions
“That if you can find a business that is going through transition, where it's becoming a greater and greater business, but its perception lags, that type of opportunity set, I think, is really hard to systematize from kind of a quant perspective, where the busi…”
Assertion Partly supported
Cocke: UVIMCO allocated over 55% of its portfolio to hedge funds in 2002
“I got down there, and they had 55% in hedge funds, and it was going higher. Almost nothing in loan only, and the rest in privates.”
Insight
Cocke: Top investors gravitate to structures offering highest pay and freedom
“The best investors in the world are generally running structures where they can get paid the most, where they can have the most creative freedom, and where they can attract and surround themselves with the best talent and the best investors, and that, that mom…”