The Dog

The name of our business derives from Diogenes of Sinope, who was regarded as the most famous of the cynic school of philosophers.

In its modern guise, cynicism certainly has a valuable role in investing, primarily to peer through the spin that is a regular part of all aspects of the market.

However, we were more attracted to the philosophy of the ancient cynics which included:

• A focus on non-conventional thinking. Whilst we don’t profess to have all (or even many) of the answers, we would like to think our research offers a different point of view.

• A focus on the practical rather than the mere intellectual. In this respect we generally eschew the standard theoretical approach to finance, in particular models such as the CAPM and efficient markets.

We must admit, however, that on other parts of the cynic philosophy, such as rejecting pleasure, we are a little more lukewarm. If you want to learn more about the cynics visit: www.iep.utm.edu/c/cynics.htm

Whilst it may not be immediately obvious, our research products take the name not from the stocks we feature, but rather that the term cynic derives from the Greek word for dog. It is unclear whether this derivation was due to the fact that the leader of the cynics, Antisthenes, taught at the white dog Gymnasium, or that Diogenes himself was nicknamed "The Dog" on account of his lifestyle.