Who is the greatest investor of all times?

colsten

Cast your vote at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/investing/11046841/Poll-Who-is-the-greatest-investor-of-all-time.html

Gotta get some MSE nicknames into the next version of this poll

JustLikeThat

Noah! He floated his stock when the rest of the world went into liquidation

gadgetmind

I'd vote for John C. Bogle were he on the list. However, as he said himself "Beware of the stars".

jimjames

With the news today about Tescos lower profits and the subsequent fall in their share price, it makes an interesting comparison between Neil Woodford who sold out before this drop and Warren Buffett who bought in near the peak.

Maybe shows why Neil W has done so well long term.

eskbanker

I think someone a little closer to home may qualify - invest £100 in a consumer financial advice website and sell it for £87m, a pretty impressive return!

bowlhead99

jimjames wrote: »

With the news today about Tescos lower profits and the subsequent fall in their share price, it makes an interesting comparison between Neil Woodford who sold out before this drop and Warren Buffett who bought in near the peak.

Maybe shows why Neil W has done so well long term.

Well, Buffett originally bought before the peak and waited until the big drop on the Jan 2012 profit warning to add more (when it quickly slumped from over 400p to low 300s). He bought several extra billions of stock on that news as the potential value had just become significantly better than it had been for a couple of years. He has since taken some of that extra investment back off the table but retains a hefty stake.

I must admit to buying some more in early 2012 too (as 315p ish was a quarter lower than the 2010-11 levels and seemed an ok entry point for a long term hold). I've since now reduced a little in one account but I hold it in more than one portfolio, and at the current price I still like them better than Morrison.

You've right that Woodford is avoiding them, I think in the last update for his new fund he said he didn't like any of the big UK supermarkets. But then he and his investors are seeking yield, and as we mentioned in other posts/threads, the historic yield is not sustainable when they're reducing profits and need to invest in revitalization. Which was already anticipated by the market and explains why they have had a bit of a recovery since dropping 8% at opening bell with the "shock" RNS profit guidance today.

bowlhead99

eskbanker wrote: »

I think someone a little closer to home may qualify - invest £100 in a consumer financial advice website and sell it for £87m, a pretty impressive return!

Not a bad return But I think you'd have to classify that in the "best entrepreneur / inventor" category rather than best investor, then that certain someone would be up against Messrs Gates, Zuckerberg, Page/Brin and all those others who turned a product or a publicity engine into a fat stash of cash...

kidmugsy

Maynard Keynes did very well. I suspect that's unusual for an economist. But he was an unusually clever economist.

talexuser

Bernie Madoff? :rotfl:

Thrugelmir

colsten wrote: »

Cast your vote at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/investing/11046841/Poll-Who-is-the-greatest-investor-of-all-time.html

Gotta get some MSE nicknames into the next version of this poll

Probably someone we've never heard of........... Why share your success?