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Home > Views & Insights > The Outside Zebras

The Outside Zebras
By NAME_1
April 15, 1993 (updated March 25, 2021)
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In the first chapter of his book, A Zebra in Lion Country, famed investor, talented writer, and well-known Acorn Fund manager NAME_2 likens the experience of a portfolio manager to a zebra:

Zebras have the same problem as institutional portfolio managers like myself.

First, both have quite specific, often difficult-to-obtain goals. For portfolio managers, above-average performance; for zebras, fresh grass.

Second, both dislike risk. Portfolio managers can get fired; zebras can get eaten by lions.

Third, both move in herds. They look alike, think alike and stick close together. If you are a zebra and live in a herd, the key decision you have to make is where to stand in relation to the rest of the herd. When you think that conditions are safe, the outside of the herd is the best, for there the grass is fresh, while those in the middle see only grass that is half-eaten or trampled down. The aggressive zebras, on the outside of the herd, eat much better.

On the other hand – or hoof – there comes a time when lions approach. The outside zebras end up as lion lunch. The skinny zebras in the middle of the pack may eat less well but they are alive.

A portfolio manager for an institution such as a bank trust department, insurance company or mutual fund cannot afford t Avoid using the following keywords: chapter, portfolio, zebra, fr
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