market folly

Catching up on a few more notable 2012 annual letters, we turn next to the Sequoia Fund run by Ruane Cunniff & Goldfarb.  An investment of $10,000 at inception in 1970 has grown to over $2.89 million as of the end of 2012.  They returned 15.68% in 2012.


Key Takeaways

- They currently don't see many compelling investment opportunities.  Began 2012 with 21% cash position, ended the year with 16%

- "In the fourth quarter of 2012, we were modest net sellers of equities for the first time since 2008, in response to specific situations at several of our portfolio holdings."  They exited Target (TGT) and Becton Dickinson (BDX).

- "Valuations for stocks are heavily influenced by interest rates, and particularly by the risk-free rate of return on 10-year and 30-year United States Treasury bonds. Relative to the current return on Treasury Bonds, stocks continue to be quite attractive.However, the current risk-free rate of return is not a product of market forces.  Rather, it is an instrument of Federal Reserve policy."


Top Holdings At 2012 Year-End

1. Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX): 11.6% of assets
2. Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A): 10.9%
3. TJX (TJX): 7.5%
4. Fastenal (FAST): 5.6%
5. Mohawk Industries (MHK): 4.0%
6. Idexx Laboratories (IDXX): 3.2%
7. Advance Auto Parts (AAP): 3.1%
8. Precision Castparts (PCP): 3.1%
9. Rolls-Royce (LON:RR): 3.0%


Embedded below is Ruane Cunniff's annual letter from the Sequoia Fund where they go into detail about some of their positions and overall market views:




For more on this fund, late last year we posted up why Ruane Cunniff likes Valeant Pharmaceuticals.