by Kodjo Adadevoh

Created on: June 25, 2008   Last Updated: December 25, 2009

Any measure of an investor’s prowess must include the length of time for which the investor has made successful investment decisions, the ability of the investor to preserve principle and the quality of investments. Great investors have a knack for spotting diamonds in the rough. Great investors identify  macro and micro economic themes that have the potential of creating investment opportunities. They are capable of identifying stocks that are significantly undervalued.

Warren Buffett, CEO and chairman, Berkshire Hathaway [BRK.A] is one of the greatest value investors. Warren invests in companies that trade at significant discounts to their intrinsic value. Warren Buffet has managed to grow the stock price of BRK.A from $6,675 in December 1990 to a respectable level of approximately $98,750 today for the class A shares. Warren is undoubtedly the greatest value investor alive today.

George Soros managed the Quantum Fund for close to two decades, and in this time, he generated average annual returns of 30%. George Soros gained international recognition when in 1992 he took a bet against the British pound. His investment of $10 billion dollars generated a profit of  $1 billion in one day. George Soros's approach to investing is based on a keen understanding of broad economic trends, which has gotten him into highly leveraged positions in bonds and currencies.

Carl Icahn is the chairman and president, Icahn & Co. Mr. Icahn’s investment strategy involves the purchase of minority interests in companies that are experiencing financial problems, or are out of favor. Icahn then influences the decision of the company through board appointments and acquisition and merger decisions. Carl Icahn has a very unconventional style and tends to select companies that many investors shy away from.

Bill Gross is the chief investment officer of Pacific Investment Management Co., which he helped found in 1971. Bill Gross is often referred to as a bond guru; he has managed to produce an average return of 8.3% over the last ten years. Bill Gross over the years has demonstrated his ability to predict the effect of macroeconomic trends on investments and as results has managed to provide decent returns for his investors.

Eddie Lampert runs ESL investments. His style of investment has been described as value investing; he tends to focus on the retail sector and buys between 5 and 15 stocks. His style of investment has often been compared to Warren Buffets

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