Category: MARKET

Each year we are presented with our president’s State of the Nation address and the finance minister’s budget speech around the same time. The SONA is closely linked to how money is spent; it’s a powerful reminder for us to consider the close link between our lives and our budgets! Good finances begin and end with good budgeting – when you have a good budget and stick to it, you’re often 90 percent of the way […]

Every investor has their own unique style when it comes to the rigorous decision-making process that goes into what to include in their portfolio and how to weight it. January, with the fresh perspective that comes from a break and a new financial year pending, is often the ideal time to take a look at investment decisions from a new angle. One of the most useful ways to do that is the big picture look at […]

Swiss banks hold a certain cachet about knowing good from bad investments, and currently the hottest topic on their lips are ESG funds. ESG stock options – or, rather, ‘Environmental, Social and Governance sustainability’ – have been steadily gaining traction among investors in the last few months, emerging into something of a buzzword. Once considered a ‘hippie tree-hugging’ concept, ESG funds are having a moment in the sun (hopefully a sustained moment…). And, in December, they’re […]

December should be a time of peace, cheer and goodwill to all men. But, if you’re a South African investor, it’s the month that likely brings up residual trauma of some decidedly un-jolly happenings from recent years’ Decembers. Cabinet reshuffle. Nenegate. Steinhoff. What is it about the twelfth month of the year that turns the festive season into the silly season? If you’re understandably nervous this time of year as an investor, fear not. While no […]

People are often quick to comment on doom and gloom posts and add their voice, and with the current subdued economic outlook, there seems to be plenty to be grim about. But what if we looked at something, like inflation, and highlight a positive South African success story? “… Inflation??” you cry. Hear this out. When people speak of inflation, it’s often the villain of the financial story. It’s blamed every time we swipe our cards […]

They say to make hay while the sun is shining, but what about during overcast conditions? The current outlook for SA investors is not as stormy as it was two years ago, but it certainly isn’t clear skies. While we started the year filled with new optimism in a new president and the looming threat of state capture vanishing, other problems have remained. Thanks to Eskom, plummeting business confidence scores, policy uncertainty and a host of […]

It’s not always easy to see, but there are unexpected positives in South Africa’s current financial situation. Of all the segments of our population who could be grumbling, many would say that SME owners are right up there. Squeezed like the middle-class tax payers, but with the added brutal success figures of less than 10 percent after two years, SMEs seem to have it doubly rough. But could there be a silver lining? Things cost the […]

When it comes to coffee-shop conversations, little is said about the long game in the investment space – it’s often about which asset manager did well this year, what outperformed everything else in the last quarter… etc. But, if you’re an investor, chances are high that you’re saving for future events that have a five-year-plus event-horizon (as we all should!). Here are four thoughts for investors looking to improve their long-term results. If you’re feeling shaky […]

South Africans (and many others) sometimes suffer from an unbalanced bias when it comes to the United States: we assume that anything American is top-class. Certainly, when talking about the markets, South Africa’s indices and analyses are always about what America is doing. The dollar has, for a long time, been the most influential currency. However, this may not be for much longer. Investors are preparing for what’s becoming known as ‘de-dollarisation’. What is de-dollarisation? De-dollarisation […]

South Africa is an enterprising and entrepreneurial nation… which is why it’s interesting that it can be so tough to do business here. Of all new businesses started in South Africa, nine out of ten of them will close their doors within the first two years. Government grants are talked up but are thin on the ground, B-BBEE requirements are onerous and keep changing, and then there’s the red tape. Bureaucracy has been South Africa’s Achilles’ […]