Contrarian Investor: The rebirth of value investing?

Revolution in stock analysis

I have always been curious about why some regard value investing as distinctly contrarian. What is not to like about a set of beliefs that emphasises the sense of buying a quality business at a decent price?

What constitutes the value mainstream is itself something of a moving feast and very much depends on who you talk to.   At the London Value Investor conference, a gaggle of hedgies, value managers and family offices were asked to vote on whether they were true deep value types who had imbibed Ben Graham, and stuck with the first true text, or whether they had strayed and become 'business franchise' types more in the mould of Warren Buffett, who looks for long-term and well-run businesses with a great quality franchise. The prospects for value versus growth investing in 2016 Contrar...