Economic moat

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An economic moat, often attributed to investor Warren Buffett, is a term used to describe a company's competitive advantage. [1] Like a moat protects a castle, certain advantages help protect companies from their competitors. [2]

Contents

History

As of 2012, Buffett had used the word "moat" in the Berkshire Hathaway shareholder letters more than 20 times since 1986. [3] The 2016 shareholder letter is the most recent letter to contain the word moat. [4]

Types of economic moats

Examples of some economic moats are network effect, intangible assets, cost advantage, switching costs, and efficient scale. [5]

Network effect: A network effect happens when the "value of a good or service grows" as its used by existing and new customers. [6] An example is Amazon. [7]

Intangible assets: Brand identity, think Nike [8] or Apple; patents; and government licenses are examples of intangible assets. [9]

Cost advantage: Companies that can keep their prices low can maintain market share and discourage competition. Walmart has cost advantage. [6]

Switching costs: Customers and suppliers might be less likely to change companies or providers if the move will incur monetary costs, time delays, or extra effort. [10]

Efficient scale: Companies that have a natural monopoly - or operate in markets or industries where there are few rivals - benefit from efficient scale. Utility companies are examples.

See also

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References

  1. Connolly, Gary (March 13, 2011). "Gary Connolly: Putting faith in moats risks ending up in mire". The Sunday Times. ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  2. Gallant, Chris. "What Is an Economic Moat?". Investopedia. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  3. Hough, Jack (June 19, 2012). "How to find 'wide moat' stocks". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  4. Buffett, Warren (February 25, 2017). "Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Annual Shareholder Letter 2016" (PDF). Berkshirehathaway.com. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  5. Duffy, Maureen Nevin (May 9, 2012). "Another "Wide Moat" ETF Tests the Waters". Institutional Investor. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  6. 1 2 Motley Fool Staff (2016-01-22). "What Is an Economic Moat?". The Motley Fool. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  7. Romanoff, Dan (April 1, 2021). "Amazon.com Inc". Morningstar.com. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  8. Swartz, David (March 18, 2021). "Extraordinary Challenges Led to Q3 Sales Miss for Wide-Moat Nike; Shares Expensive". Morningstar.com. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  9. Ganti, Akhilesh (March 21, 2020). "Economic Moat Definition". Investopedia. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  10. Grant, Mitchell (December 22, 2020). Kelly, Robert C. (ed.). "Switching Costs". Investopedia. Retrieved 2021-04-08.