Ballooning Valuations

Balance sheets are exact. The value on the left side precisely matches the right side. But do the books overall represent reality, where "value" is complex and floats up and down like a balloon?  

Let's illustrate the point: famous English anonymous artist Banksy sure knows how to make the value of an asset pop. 

Banksy’s Balloon Girl painting, a beautiful piece in a hefty frame was recently auctioned for ￡1m. But as the gavel struck, a hidden shredder in the frame started to do what shredders do: shred. In front of the assembled haut monde, the painting emerged as flimsy strips out the bottom of the exhibit.

Except that the shredder got stuck. As they do. So half the painting remained intact, behind glass, and half dangled in the breeze. 

Banksy probably wanted to make a statement about art (and human) values. In the process he created an unexpected new work called Love in The Bin. The irony was that instead of destroying the value of the asset to make his point, he inflated it.

The intrinsic value of any investment is determined… stop there. The point is, there’s really no such thing.  

It’s all in the eye of the gallery. There’s nothing you can absolutely bank on. 

Peter.

P.S. Pop me a note if you're inclined.