QAV America 15 – BHC – Dirty Drugs, Deeper Discount
This week on QAV America, Cameron delivers a doozy of a pulled pork on Bausch Health Companies (BHC), the scandal-riddled pharma beast formerly known as Valeant. From jacking drug prices to a multi-billion dollar loss for Bill Ackman, this company has a backstory filthier than a New Jersey motel carpet. But does all that stink mean it’s a value investor’s dream? We break down the history, the cashflow, the debt, and whether BHC’s rebrand is enough to justify a second look — or if it’s just lipstick on a particularly greasy pig.
QAV America 14 – Sasol: The Value of Dirty Money
In this episode of QAV America, Cameron dives deep into the murky, combustible world of Sasol (NYSE: SSL), a South African company built on the back of coal liquefaction technology born in Nazi Germany and refined under apartheid. It’s the kind of “anti-woke” fossil fuel juggernaut value investors might love—or love to hate. With Tony chiming in, they explore Sasol’s origins, tech, environmental baggage (they’re the world’s largest single emitter of CO₂), explosive safety record, and its appeal as a classic ugly-duckling value stock. They also tackle the ethics of ESG investing, ADR headaches, and Sasol’s brutal-but-effective cash-generating machinery.
QAV America 13 – Smartwatches, Smart Valuation
In this episode of _QAV America_, Cam and Tony dissect the fundamentals of **Zepp Health (ZEPP)**, a Chinese smartwatch manufacturer with aspirations well beyond step counters. They unpack the company’s evolution from low-margin Xiaomi contractor to an ambitious, vertically-integrated brand aiming to take on Apple — at a fraction of the cost. Cam walks through the business model, leadership, geopolitical hedging via a Netherlands HQ, and a potential future in AI-powered wearables. Despite being unprofitable, Zepp boasts positive operating cash flow, aggressive R&D spend, and a book value nearly five times its share price. Tony and Cam debate its merits as a deep value tech stock in a crowded, commodified market — with a few detours into Marx Brothers references and Cameron’s post-Kung Fu abs.
QAV America 12.2 – Self-Coups and Steel Stocks
Cam and Tony dive deep into the performance of the QAV USA portfolio, which beat the S&P 500 handsomely with a 28.5% return over the last 12 months. The highlight of the episode is a rich and surprisingly wild pulled pork on Korean steel giant POSCO (PKX), including its transformation from a state-owned dinosaur into a cash-gushing, lithium-investing modern behemoth. Cam throws in a history lesson on South Korea’s postwar dictatorship, self-coups, and assassinations, making this one of the more cinematic episodes yet. They also discuss the removal of the Z-score from the checklist, U.S. tariffs, Trump’s fluctuating relationship with Elon Musk, and why lithium is flashing a buy signal.
QAV America 11 – The Tesla of Oil Rigs
In this episode of QAV America, Cameron gives a pulled pork on Precision Drilling Corp. (PDS) — a Canadian oil services company building high-tech, remotely operated, even walking oil rigs. Think Tesla, but for shale fields. They cover the company’s innovative rig tech, impressive cash generation, and resilience through past oil busts, while also addressing its debt risks and why the market might still be gun-shy. Plus: updates on the QAV dummy portfolio (up 33% YoY), a breakdown of top performers like Willis Lease Finance (WLFC) and Foreign Trade Bank of Latin America (BLX), and a Tesla sticker that sums up the state of modern car ownership.
QAV America 10 – ORIX & The Japanese Conglomerate Discount: Value or Value Trap?
In this episode of **QAV U.S.**, Cameron and Tony dive deep into Japanese financial conglomerate **ORIX Corp (NYSE: IX / TYO: 8591)**—a sprawling, Berkshire-like beast with operations in leasing, insurance, private equity, energy, real estate, and even a baseball team. They discuss ORIX’s intriguing scandal history in Australia, its global diversification, and the tax nightmares of investing in PFIC-designated ADRs for U.S. citizens. The episode also covers the broader Japanese market dynamics (like stocks trading under book value), crude oil’s re-entry as a buy, and the nuances of applying the QAV system to ADRs with foreign currency reporting. As always, the show blends solid financial analysis with historical trivia, sarcasm, and irreverent humour.
QAV America 009 – Blame It on the Boogie
In this episode of QAV America, Cameron and Tony dissect the surprising fundamentals of Jackson Financial (NYSE: JXN) — a life insurance and annuities company that’s quietly throwing off “truckloads of cash” despite confusing accounting quirks. Cameron explores the company’s backstory (strangely has nothing to do with the Jackson 5), explains its spin-off from Prudential, and struggles to understand how interest rates and reinsurance affect its bottom line. Tony weighs in on debt management, actuarial complexity, and where annuity products fit in the spectrum of retirement options. They also touch on the controversial new U.S. tax on foreign investors (with implications for Aussie super funds), and deliver a performance update on the QAV U.S. portfolio — up a staggering 54% since inception. This episode is nerdy, weird, and funny as hell.
QAV America 008 – Huawei to Hell: Investing When the World’s Upside Down
In this week’s QAV episode, we sit down with the ever-dashing Tobias Carlisle, founder of The Acquirer’s Fund (ZIG, DEEP), author of The Acquirer’s Multiple, and deep value maverick, to dissect the state of value investing in the era of AI-driven hype. We cover the brutal cycles of deep value, AI vs. human decision-making in funds, the madness of quantum computing valuations, and how Toby’s trip to China left him unconvinced by the West’s collapse narrative. We also drill into oil, Ford ($F), and the implications of passive investing’s stranglehold on market direction. Plus, Buffett worship, civil war exit strategies, and why Americans don’t get Aussie piss-taking.
QAV America 007 – Tariffs, Towers, and the Telco Gamble in Africa
In Episode 7 of QAV America, Cameron and Tony unpack the rollercoaster of IHS Holding (NYSE: IHS), a telecom tower operator entrenched in the geopolitical chaos and economic turbulence of Nigeria and beyond. They dive into IHS’s financials, foreign exchange exposure, and growth prospects, all while navigating sovereign risk, coups, and currency collapse. Alongside, the duo discusses Trump’s new tariff threats, how macroeconomic noise distracts from fundamentals, and why ignoring the headlines might be the smartest investing strategy. It’s part deep dive, part reality check, and part investor therapy.
QAV AMERICA 006 – Blood on the Balance Sheet
In this episode of **QAV America**, Cameron and Tony dive into the volatile world of commodities, classic value investing strategies, and a surprising value opportunity in **Ford Motor Company (F)**. They unpack how iron ore and wheat commodities are back in a buy state, dig into Rich Pzena’s investing philosophy from a **Tobias Carlisle** interview, and debate whether Ford is a deep value play or a trap. With historical nods to **Cisco (CSCO)**, **GE (GE)**, and **U.S. Steel (X)**, the episode blends macro insights, personal investing war stories, and a no-BS breakdown of Ford’s financials and risks.