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Alexis Caude is the managing partner of Africa-focused investment firm Adenia Partners. In a recent interview with How we made it in Africa, he revealed how he invests his personal money.
Caude takes a somewhat conservative approach to his personal investments. He invests in the hospitality sector in Europe and the US, an industry he knows well.
He also holds gold and US equities, leaning toward value stocks rather than the technology-driven momentum category. When it comes to equities, he buys both index funds and individual stocks.
Referencing Warren Buffett, Caude explains that if one doesn’t have the time to study individual stocks, it is better to buy an index. However, he does buy individual stocks himself. “I also buy stocks directly when I think that I have an edge or when I think that I know the industry well,” he says. “Then I try to apply the same method that we do in private equity: analyse the return on invested capital, analyse the competitive positioning of the company, understanding the price [and] the future growth.”
Because he is also an investor in Adenia’s funds, he needs to keep liquid assets on hand to contribute capital every time the firm makes a new investment. For this reason, he holds Swiss francs, a currency he favours for its ability to retain its value.
His investments also include an art collection, which connects directly to his personal passion for painting.
Read our full interview with Alexis Caude: How this French serial entrepreneur started investing in Africa
