In another blow to investor sentiment, South African miners have voted to strike at the world’s top three platinum producers. The strike action, scheduled to commence on Thursday, is expected to put the South African rand under more pressure and will hit over half of global platinum output. Workers want much higher minimum wages – … Read more
Even though most won’t realise it, millions of South Africans have a financial stake in the growing intolerance of criticism by the Chinese Government. Local media group Naspers owns 30% of China-based Tencent Holdings, an investment that currently ranks as one of the most successful in the modern era. Tencent, a Chinese version of something … Read more
If you have savings in a retirement fund, you most likely have a stake in bonds. These are traditionally regarded as safe investments that produce a steady income and are used to act as a counterweight to riskier equities (or shares) in an investment portfolio. Bonds, also called gilts, are a type of debt. In … Read more
It hasn’t been an easy time for the local aluminium sector. Major manufacturers have been blamed – unfairly – for the nation’s electricity supply crisis. And Pietermaritzburg-based beneficiator Hulamin’s share price has been under the cosh for years as global demand reflected poor economic conditions. But every dark night has its dawn. And for the … Read more
You may have heard your consultant or pension fund trustee taking about an asset management’s house view? Or a discussion about whether funds should be invested according to a value or growth mandate? These are investment philosophies. Steven Nathan, CEO of 10X Investments, and his team explain here why you shouldn’t take investment beliefs too … Read more
Retirement is a word that usually conjures up images of wrinkly grey-haired people sitting around with little to do in a communal lounge. But, the reality is many of us will leave formal employment long before we need to check in to an old age home. And, sadly, most of us will not have enough … Read more
Times Media took another big restructuring step today with the sale, for R75m, of wholly owned Nu Metro, the country’s second largest cinema operation after Primedia’s Ster Kinekor. Sales house Popcorn Advertising is part of the transaction. The new owner is KZN-based private equity company OneFiftyCapital, better known through its ownership of former Naspers-owned education … Read more
Financial journalism in 1980, when I joined the business, was a very different proposition to nowadays. The Internet, SENS, live prices and the tsunami of information we now take for granted was still almost two decades off. Print ruled and financial news was released to fit into newspaper deadlines. But some principles have endured. The … Read more
By Alec Hogg Andrew Bonamour (right), who switched his attention from investment banking to media when becoming the CEO of Times Media Group (TMG) a year ago, is off to a flying start in his new role. TMG was one of the best performing stocks on the JSE last year, its share price gaining 53%. … Read more
Some years back my pal Adrian Morris of EasySoft showed me how to pull performance data from his excellent Market Master stock market software. So I spent part of New Year’s Day at my iMac pulling the JSE’s key numbers for 2013. Yesterday we published the 25 Biggest Losers. Here are shares we all wish … Read more