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The Long-Term Stock Exchange Opens for Business

blog.ltse.com

181–190 of 561 posts

Re: The Long-Term Stock Exchange Opens for Business

#181
what incentives do companies have to be "long term focused" in a market environment that has become highly frothy and speculative due to central bankers?

when investors will buy anything that whiffs of growth and executives can raise debt for cheap and raise secondaries easily no one on either side is exactly clamoring for a "long term" focused exchange right now.

Re: The Long-Term Stock Exchange Opens for Business

#183

It's pretty awesome. Which was harder - building a stock exchange, or getting someone to read a whole book? With the benefit of hindsight, which of the following would you say is the biggest predictor of growth in equities prices: everything else, greater buying, less selling, brand, liquidity, or previous prices?

What makes you think I ever did the latter ;)

In all seriousness, there’s no comparison. A regulated national securities exchange is one of the harder kinds of startups you can attempt.

I’m pretty sure that over the long run equity prices are a mirror of the fundamental value creation that companies do by serving customers. The problem is that this can become distorted “longer than you can stay liquid” as the old saying goes

Re: The Long-Term Stock Exchange Opens for Business

#184
post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We require companies that list with us to adopt corporate governance that aligns their behavior and incentives to the long term. I know that doesn’t sound super sexy but we believe this is a high-leverage point for reforms We will have more to say on reforms that relate to reading in the future, but we don’t limit the ability of “tourists” to trade in and out of stocks as normal.

>We require companies that list with us to adopt corporate governance that aligns their behavior and incentives to the long term. I've heard many a company say one thing and act another. How will this be different? Will delisting be the repercussion of short termism?

I think part of the idea is between reporting requirements & articulated statements about what goes into that reporting, by failing to report or failing to live up to those goals, you get to use the existing teeth (and defenses) associated with investment fraud. For any constructable issue rather than just purely quarterly financials, you can hold the company to account, and protect decisions that might be for some new goal in their bylaws [but also might appear against an immediate short-term financial gain].

My insight from watching Eric give a talk about the exchange:

https://longnow.org/seminars/02020/feb/24/long-term-stock-ex...

Re: The Long-Term Stock Exchange Opens for Business

#185
post #181

what incentives do companies have to be "long term focused" in a market environment that has become highly frothy and speculative due to central bankers? when investors will buy anything that whiffs of growth and executives can raise debt for cheap and raise secondaries easily no one on either side is exactly clamoring for a "long term" focused exchange right now.

No one? At least a few people are clamoring for it, surely?

There are some investors and companies that tune out the noise and try to make lasting change, making a dent in the universe, that kind of thing. I think they could use financial infrastructure to support their ambitions. Seems pretty simple to me

Re: The Long-Term Stock Exchange Opens for Business

#186
post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We require companies that list with us to adopt corporate governance that aligns their behavior and incentives to the long term. I know that doesn’t sound super sexy but we believe this is a high-leverage point for reforms We will have more to say on reforms that relate to reading in the future, but we don’t limit the ability of “tourists” to trade in and out of stocks as normal.

Given that companies like Uber, which are not only unprofitable but don't even have a clear path to profitability at any time horizon, trade at fairly high valuations, what's the basis for the belief that investors are irrationally focused on short-term results? Should Uber actually trade at higher valuations than it does today? Why isn't some rational subset of investors capitalizing on this opportunity?

I don’t think multiples are the issue. The question is: are companies set up to support a philology of long-term decision making? Talk to almost any middle manager in any public company in America if you are confused about whether this is the common case today

Re: The Long-Term Stock Exchange Opens for Business

#188

I don't have any questions, I just wanted to mention that I think you're changing the world more than most people realize.

Thank you! I don’t mind being misunderstood for long periods of time, that kind of goes with the territory. But still, it’s nice to get a shot in the arm every once in a while

Re: The Long-Term Stock Exchange Opens for Business

#190
As we're seeing right in our face on the West Coast of the US right now, climate change is going to continue to get worse, affecting the globe at least as much as the pandemic and for much longer unless we take serious action now.

Does the LTSE structure support companies oriented towards developing rapid climate solutions that will pay off in the longer term, but not at the rate of typical venture investments? If this isn't a focus, why not?

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