Category: MARKET

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 […]

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 […]

There is ample research to show that December is by far the most financially stressful time of the year for most people. Spending pressure is more emotionally charged than almost any other time of the year. Luckily, December need not be all doom and gloom for your wallet. Like many situations that seem at first […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

August is traditionally about celebrating women, but we believe every month should honour the strong ladies that make our world go around. Here, courtesy of Investec, are five inspiring tidbits of advice to fire you up for slaying the rest of your work week. Like a (woman) boss. Learn from your mistakes – and everything […]

2019 has been a financially hard year for many and for South Africa. Investors in particular, have seen low returns in a high-risk (election) year after several lean years. In financial climates like this, many panic and thoughts of losing money can lead to impulsively pulling out of investments. In the words of Warren Buffett: […]

September celebrates National Wills Week, a reminder to us all about the importance and necessity to create a Last Will and Testament. According to recent statistics, only 30% of South Africans have a will – which means that we have to be talking about this a lot more! We have seen countless movies and TV […]

There is a lot of good financial advice out there which goes something like this: ‘you know that money you don’t use every month? Well, take R50,000 and invest it in X now, and you’’ be happy later.’

Sound familiar?