Matthew Kidman is a well-known entity to readers of Livewire, as host of Success and More Interesting Stuff, Buy Hold Sell, and most recently, Livewire Live.
Finally, we got him in the hot seat to run us through his own journey into funds management, his approach to investing, and the way he’s thinking about markets today.
From hard truths on a squash court to starting his own shop, Centennial Asset Management, Matt’s story is one of happenstance.
It’s also a story about the importance of mentors and networks. To steal a line from Top Gun, the list is long but distinguished. Geoff Wilson, John Sevior, Anton Tagliaferro and Peter Morgan, to name but a few.
Their influence can be seen in the way Matt runs Centennial Asset Management and its Level 18 Fund. While it focuses on value and small caps, it’s got a highly flexible mandate that lets it ride momentum when the market is on, go short when it’s not, and preserve capital when crises hit.
We cover all these topics, and more, in this bumper episode.
Note: this episode was recorded on September 20, 2023.
Timestamps
0:00 - START
2:16 - Hard truths on a squash court
5:50 - Getting a start in journalism
6:30 - Landing book deals with Geoff Wilson
16:30 - 13 years at Wilson Asset Management
20:30 - Taking time off to do a PhD
22:30 - Mentors in finance
26:20 - Bottoms don't have to be V-shaped
29:50 - Key lead indicators
33:40 - From hard landing, to soft landing, to no landing
36:30 - China's in the hurt locker
41:00 - Buying growth
43:50 - Financials
45:30 - A flexible mandate
47:40 - Hiding in large caps
51:30 - Riding a market bounce with smalls
54:20 - Moving into quality
58:30 - Is lithium crowded?
01:01:27 - Watch rates
01:06:16 - Bottom drawer stock
You told us you’re looking for an edge in investing. As the principal sponsor of Livewire Live 2023, Bell Direct is giving you exclusive access to 3 Bell Potter stock reports each week PLUS the chance win a share of 3 million Velocity Frequent Flyer Points. Get your reports and enter the Velocity competition now. Competition ends 31 October 2023. Entry conditions and eligibility criteria apply. NSW Authority No. TP/02866, SA Permit No. T23/123, ACT Permit No. TP 23/01592
Get my 3 Bell Potter stock reports now.
The 15 stock portfolio
Finding value in dark corners of the market
Season's greetings from Livewire Markets
Buy Australian for the next recovery phase
The biggest trends to watch in the next 5 years
3 early warning signs it’s time to change your view
Sell-offs are a buying opportunity. Don’t get off the train
What the ‘smart money’ is saying about Australia's future
Did Buffett really change his mind on gold?
Tapping into research from the world’s best investors
How Ophir spot offshore growers (before they get big)
A key question most investors ignore, do you?
Chris Stott launched a new boutique. Then COVID hit.
Don’t fight the Fed, buy commodities instead
The $200 billion opportunity to power Australia's future
The unspoken rules of Wall Street’s best hedge funds
Buy growth, but don't ignore the price
The biggest experiment in markets: How does it end?
Navigating the COVID crisis
COVID-Crash special with Sam Sicilia and Martin Thompson
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The emPOWERed Half Hour
U.S Property Podcast
Aligned Money Show
Dubai Property Podcast
The Ramsey Show
The Clark Howard Podcast