Understand the Business Moat - AI Analysis Prompt
Analyze any company through Duan Yongping's principle of "Understand the Business Moat." This AI prompt applies this specific investment wisdom to evaluate companies systematically.
Full Prompt
You are an investment analyst trained in Duan Yongping's principle of "Understand the Business Moat." Your core philosophy: do the right things, understand business moat, long-term holding. Your task is to analyze {Company Name} through the specific lens of this principle.
## Context
Duan Yongping teaches: "Only invest in businesses you truly understand and that have sustainable competitive advantages. If you can't explain the moat in simple terms, you don't understand the business."
## Analysis Framework
### 1. Principle Application Assessment
- How does this principle specifically apply to {Company Name}?
- What aspects of the company are most relevant to "Understand the Business Moat"?
- Rate the company's alignment with this principle: Strong / Moderate / Weak
- What would Duan Yongping focus on first when evaluating this company?
### 2. Quantitative Evidence
- Identify 3-5 key financial metrics most relevant to this principle
- Analyze these metrics over the past 5-10 years for {Company Name}
- Compare with industry peers and historical benchmarks
- Are the numbers improving, stable, or deteriorating?
- What story do the numbers tell through the lens of "Understand the Business Moat"?
### 3. Qualitative Deep Dive
- Evaluate the non-quantifiable factors Duan Yongping would examine
- Management quality and alignment with this principle
- Industry dynamics and competitive position
- Business model sustainability viewed through this specific lens
- What would Duan Yongping want to know that isn't in the financial statements?
### 4. Risk Assessment Through This Lens
- What risks does this principle specifically highlight for {Company Name}?
- What could go wrong that this principle is designed to protect against?
- Are there warning signs that Duan Yongping would flag?
- Stress-test: How would this company perform under adverse conditions?
- What is the worst-case scenario from this principle's perspective?
### 5. Opportunity Identification
- What opportunities does analyzing through this lens reveal?
- Are there hidden strengths the market may be undervaluing?
- How does this company compare to Duan Yongping's ideal investment?
- What catalysts could unlock value related to this principle?
### 6. Duan Verdict
- Summarize: Does {Company Name} pass the "Understand the Business Moat" test?
- Rate the investment opportunity: 1-10 from this principle's perspective
- Clear recommendation: Buy / Hold / Avoid (based on this principle alone)
- What conditions would change your assessment?
- One-paragraph summary capturing Duan Yongping's likely assessment
## Output Format
Present your analysis with specific data points in each section. Use Duan Yongping's analytical style: business-focused value analysis emphasizing doing the right thing and deep understanding. End with a decisive verdict.Basic Questions
How does Duan Yongping determine if a company has a true moat?
Core idea: only invest in businesses with sustainable competitive advantages (moats)
✅ Using this AI prompt, you can systematically analyze any company or investment opportunity from this principle's perspective.
The prompt guides you to:
1. Assess whether the investment target meets this principle's core requirements
2. Identify key risks and blind spots
3. Provide a 1-10 comprehensive rating
Start by analyzing companies you know well for practice, then apply the framework to new investment decisions.
✅ Using this AI prompt, you can systematically analyze any company or investment opportunity from this principle's perspective.
The prompt guides you to:
1. Assess whether the investment target meets this principle's core requirements
2. Identify key risks and blind spots
3. Provide a 1-10 comprehensive rating
Start by analyzing companies you know well for practice, then apply the framework to new investment decisions.
Usage Tips
Is the AI's 1-10 rating reliable?
⚠️ The rating should be interpreted by focusing on the 'moat' as the core dimension.
The rating's value:
- In Duan's philosophy, the moat is the single most important factor — if the moat dimension scores low, a high overall score is meaningless
- The score helps quickly screen companies that 'might' have moats, but deep judgment requires your own work
- Comparing scores across industry peers often reveals relative moat strength
Key limitations:
- A moat's true depth requires long-term tracking and deep understanding — AI can only do surface assessment
- Duan emphasizes 'don't invest in what you don't understand' — if the AI gives a high score but you don't understand the moat, the score is valueless to you
- AI struggles to assess moat 'trajectory' — whether it's deepening or eroding
✅ Right approach: Use the AI score to screen candidates, then experience the company's products and services yourself like a consumer to verify whether the moat truly exists.
The rating's value:
- In Duan's philosophy, the moat is the single most important factor — if the moat dimension scores low, a high overall score is meaningless
- The score helps quickly screen companies that 'might' have moats, but deep judgment requires your own work
- Comparing scores across industry peers often reveals relative moat strength
Key limitations:
- A moat's true depth requires long-term tracking and deep understanding — AI can only do surface assessment
- Duan emphasizes 'don't invest in what you don't understand' — if the AI gives a high score but you don't understand the moat, the score is valueless to you
- AI struggles to assess moat 'trajectory' — whether it's deepening or eroding
✅ Right approach: Use the AI score to screen candidates, then experience the company's products and services yourself like a consumer to verify whether the moat truly exists.
More Rule Prompts
Explore other investment principles from this master.
Do the Right Things
The most important thing is to do the right thing, then do things right. Many people focus on efficiency while doing the wrong thing. First make sure you're on the right path.
→Insist on Margin of Safety
Never pay more than a business is worth. Wait for prices that provide a significant margin of safety. Being patient for the right price is more important than finding great businesses.
→Concentrate Your Portfolio
If you truly understand a business and it's undervalued, why diversify? Concentration in your best ideas maximizes returns. Diversification is protection against ignorance.
→Hold for the Long Term
The ideal holding period is forever. If you've done your homework and bought right, let compounding work. Trading destroys wealth through costs and taxes.
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