Marketplace Roundtable #47: Best Of Breed Investing With Julian Lin

Julian Lin joins the Marketplace Roundtable podcast to discuss his "best of breed" approach to investing high probability operators, as plays out on his Marketplace service, High Probability Investments. Lin aims for high median returns, which requires a focus on increasing the probability of an investment's potential. "What that basically means is I'm not going to choose the cheapest operator in the space," he says. "I'm probably going to pay up for the best of breed operator, even though they might trade at a premium valuation to peers."One common mistake investors make is to rely on valuation metrics for a margin of safety. A complete investment thesis focuses on the bigger picture, says Lin. "It's not the valuation that tends to ruin an investment thesis, it's really everything else -- bad management, high debt, bad financial results." Focusing on the best of breed operators is a good place to start.Topics covered:2:00 minute mark - Description of investment strategy3:15 - How do you choose investments?5:00 - Current view of the market6:00 - Other than valuation, what separates low from high quality?9:30 - Concerns about market/portfolio14:30 - What gives you confidence about your approach?16:00 - Favorite idea (SPG)29:30 - Probably of a Facebook breakup (FB)30:00 - Bullish on Amazon (AMZN)35:00 - Change of heart on Alibaba (BABA)Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices