By Lourens Coetzee, an Investment Professional at Marriott Demanding equity valuations and a subdued outlook for growth in South Africa suggest investors may need to increase their offshore exposure to ensure an acceptable investment outcome....
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Bull market poised to turn bearish
Insight on dealing with a bear market from award-winning active asset manager Rob Spanjaard, of Rezco Asset Management. The bull market has been going for over six years and investment managers now need to moderate their risk in anticipation of a...
Two key ingredients for long-term company survival
Adrian Saville, CIO of Cannon Asset Managers, looks at how companies can overcome a poor business environment. How many JSE companies do you think beat the last downturn? Of the more than 1 000 companies surveyed in our research, just a handful of...
Invest for income
By Simon Pearce, CEO Marriott Asset Management Saving is rather like trying to lose weight: it takes effort and willpower, and is entirely up to you. People often ask me how much of their annual income they should save. I tell them that 30% will...
Five steps to sustainably grow your wealth
Middle and upper-class South Africans are earning more than enough to afford comfortable lifestyles, but they need to come to terms with the trade-offs required to ensure that their lifestyles are sustainable well into a long retirement. Andrew...
Tax-free savings options
Companies have been racing to capitalise on the tax-free savings accounts. We sum up what products have come to market so far. Financial product providers have by and large brought out two types of tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs): a basic bank...
Investing overseas: capital preservation in uncertain times
By Derry Pickford, Macro Analyst at Ashburton Investments (@AshburtonInvest) Two esteemed US Economics Professors, Maurice Obstfeld and Kenneth Rogoff called it one of the six great puzzles in macroeconomics: "home bias". Why do investors keep so...
BBBEE shares: the good, the bad, and the ugly
Patience is likely to continue to be rewarded, and volatility could open opportunities for those who missed the bus the first time to get onboard, writes Craig Gradidge. 2014 was another interesting year for BBBEE share investors and the year ahead...
The impact of lower inflation on investment returns
Dave Mohr, Chief Investment Strategist at Old Mutual Wealth, explains that investors with portfolios that include performance benchmarks that target inflation-linked growth should not be overly concerned about the possibility that their returns...
Asset classes: which were the top performers in 2014?
2014 was a risky year for the short-term investor. Some asset classes started out outperforming others in their category but ended up at the bottom of their class. Shaun Ruiters, head of strategy and client solutions at Sanlam Investments Retail...
Previous Articles
The four myths of market volatility
By Carl Roothman, chief executive of retail business at Sanlam Investments Nassim Taleb, renowned author and fierce critic of all who take comfort in statistics, once chose the snappy title of We Don't Quite Know What We are Talking About When We Talk About Volatility...
Fifteen investment tips for 2015
By Duggan Matthews, Investment Professional, Marriott Asset Management Invest for income and let the capital take care of itself. The value of a business is based on the income or earnings it can generate. Only through increasing its income can the value of a business...
The JSE: mind the gap
The JSE continues to trade at record levels alongside a depressed South African economy. David Leslie, a director of Belmont Asset Management, explains the logic behind this apparent contradiction. It’s no secret that the South African economy is on shaky ground owing...
All companies are “average”
Geoff Blount, Managing Director of Cannon Asset Managers, argues that over the long term, company performance tends to be average and is driven more by economics than other factors. As humans, we generally like to think we are above average, especially corporate...
Money market funds are not completely risk free
The fallout in South African money market funds from the collapse of African Bank is a timely reminder that these investments are not completely risk free. Small capital losses have sparked big runs on money market funds in other markets. Investors should be sure to...
Be careful of over-diversifying your investments
The mistake many investors make is to try and spread their investments across too many funds due to the fear of missing out on performance. Levy writes: I have saved R190 000 and intend investing R20 000 in the Satrix MSCI World Equity index feeder fund; R20 000 in...
Sanlam Private Wealth’s must-have stocks for 2015
If you managed not to blow your entire December bonus on festive-season shopping and holidays, then you might be looking for some investment opportunities. This list of must-have stocks for the year ahead is a collaborative view from a range of business leaders within...
Ideas on how to invest your December bonus
Victor von Reiche, Senior Investment Manager at Cannon Asset Managers, suggests some stocking fillers for those who wish to invest wisely over the festive season. The best investment opportunities reside in places where others aren't looking. In practical terms, this...
How does one invest in dividends?
Understand the difference between investing and trading. Sidwell writes: I read your article entitled "Using dividends to earn an income". I'm currently one of the many people who in fact invest for "share prices". Investing in share prices is easily accessible; one...
Japan remains compelling global investment
Urvesh Desai, Portfolio Manager and Strategist for Old Mutual Investment Group's MacroSolutions boutique, outlines why he believes Japan is still a very positive investment story. By reducing investment exposure to Japan based purely on two quarters of negative GDP...