Although South African government bonds are less expensive than they were a few months ago, they remain overpriced and continue to offer little value to investors. This is according to value-based asset manager, RECM, which says that despite the...
US government shutdown: what it means for South Africans
Santhiran Naidoo,investment analyst at Glacier by Sanlam, explains what the possible US government shutdown is all about, and takes a look at how the current uncertainty in the US may affect us here in South Africa. For the past few weeks we have...
Three cheers for an extended Gautrain
Geoff Blount, CEO of Cannon Asset Managers, takes an early look at investment opportunities that are likely to arise from the extension to the Gautrain network. Unlike the scepticism that met the announcement of the initial 80 kilometres of the...
Select South African shares starting to look attractive
Wilhelm Hertzog, portfolio manager at asset management company RECM, looks at some South African shares that offer good value at the moment. For the first time in a few years, the South African market is offering up some exciting opportunities to...
Nguni customary law does not recognise the rights of an unwed partner
A landmark ruling raises the issue of a woman’s right to inherit outside of wedlock regardless of what Nguni customary law dictates, writes Mkhululi Ngxumza A married woman inherits all kinds of assets from her husband, her children, who may die...
What are the implications of China’s slowdown for South African investors?
David Leslie, MD of Belmont Asset Management in Cape Town, takes a look out how the slowdown of China's economy could affect investors in South Africa. China enjoyed average growth rates of in excess of 10% for the first eight years of the...
Recent JSE performance down to three stocks
Geoff Blount, CEO of Cannon Asset Managers, examines the recent performance of the JSE, and notes that much of the performance is due to just three stocks. We recently pointed out that, since January last year, the JSE has risen a superlative 38.7%...
African markets should continue to outperform
Although they have valuation levels similar to their counterparts in South Africa and the developed world, African markets offer superior prospects for growth, though it would be unreasonable to expect 50% a year going forward. Johan Steyn,...
Independent consumer organisation to be launched
The National Debt Mediation Association is re-forming as a non-profit, independent financial wellness organisation to assist indebted consumers. The National Debt Mediation Association (NDMA) has over the past five years provided assistance to...
How the Tax Administration Act affects your tax return
Tax season is in full swing and as you race to get all your documents in order, you should take some time to reflect on the Tax Administration Act and how it affects you. SARS extended power The South African Revenue Service will now have extended...
Previous Articles
So you think the rand can only get weaker?
Andrew Newell, Head of Business Development at Cannon Asset Managers, looks at reasons why the rand may surprise on the upside. After the recent sharp fall of the rand against the dollar and other developed-market currencies, our clients are asking us if the rand is a...
Old Mutual Savings Monitor: Reality hits
The latest Old Mutual Savings Monitor shows that South Africans are coming to terms with their new economic reality and taking control of their finances, but it’s still really tough to make ends meet. As households come under pressure from rising costs such as a...
The best-performing unit trust funds
With hundreds of unit trust funds to choose from, you may be at a loss as to how to decide which fund to invest your money in. The quarterly PlexCrown Fund Ratings highlights those funds that showed the best performance and also ranks the fund managers based on...
Township house price growth slightly ahead of suburbs
John Loos, property economist at FNB, analyses the trends in house price growth in South Africa, comparing the former "black townships" to those areas formerly known as "white suburbs". The areas formerly classified as "black areas" under Apartheid-era classifications...
Unclaimed benefits: do you know where your money is?
More than three million South Africans are owed more than R45 billion in unpaid benefits from retirement funds they have left already, according to unclaimedbenefits.co.za. In many cases when leaving a company, employees may not be aware of funds that have accrued to...
Customers are flexing their muscles, says Credit Ombudsman
Borrowers are invoking their rights against unscrupulous lenders and debt counsellors. A greater awareness by consumers around their rights when it comes to borrowing money has led to an increase in complaints related to non-bank credit transactions, with the majority...
Investec Asset Management remains positive on listed property
Neil Stuart-Findlay, portfolio manager of the Investec Property Equity Fund, shares his prospects for the listed property sector The listed property market has experienced some volatility over the last two months. Following strong gains of 35% in 2012, the SA Listed...
The most popular bank accounts
In recent ThinkMoney research, Capitec, FNB and Nedbank were revealed as the leading consumer bank accounts in South Africa. This was according to nearly 7 000 bank account reviews written by Thinkmoney users, who voted Capitec, FNB and Nedbank accounts as the most...
Riding out recent volatility
The so-called US Federal Reserve “taper tantrum,” fear of a credit crunch in China, and hot spots of unrest dotting the globe contributed to a sense of market panic that swept both stocks and bonds in June. One thing’s for certain: volatility hasn’t taken a vacation....
You need a strong stomach for your local assets
While a globally diversified fund may be first choice, most South Africans have the majority of their assets in South Africa. Chris Freud, portfolio manager at Investec Asset Management warns against a knee-jerk response by selling off local assets at any price as he...