BN Portfolio Update: Live trades on Shyft, Strategic bets in AI leaders, and SA value picks

In this BizNews Share Portfolio webinar, Alec Hogg executes live trades, doubling down on Alphabet and Meta while exiting underperforming ETFs and Anglo Platinum. He explains why Google’s Gemini AI, YouTube’s dominance, and Meta’s unmatched user base make them long-term winners. On the JSE, the portfolio shifts funds into Afrimat, Lesaka, Pick n Pay, and Sabvest - with insights on mining’s cyclical challenges, the Anglo spin-off, and why patient investing in undervalued local stocks could deliver outsized returns..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here.The auditorium doors will open for BNIC#2 on 10 September 2025 in Hermanus. For more information and tickets, click here..Watch here:.BizNews Reporter.The latest BizNews Share Portfolio webinar, hosted by Alec Hogg with support from Stuart Lowman, delivered both fresh insights and live trading action. For the BizNews community, the session underscored two clear themes: confidence in US technology leaders Alphabet and Meta, and a strategic reshuffle of South African holdings.Exit from underperformersHogg opened the session with candour about changes to the portfolio. The long-standing Research Affiliates ETF, once backed by compelling theory, failed to deliver. Initially punted as a way to benefit from companies falling out of major indices, the ETF lagged for years, at one point down 25%. Even after clawing back losses, the underperformance was clear, prompting its sale.Closer to home, Anglo American and its spin-off Valterra Platinum were also sold. Mining, Hogg reminded attendees, is cyclical - a point emphasised in recent MiningWeb discussions with expert Peter Major. Anglo’s rationalisation drive under CEO Duncan Wanblad has merit, but with little excitement in the diamond and platinum businesses, the portfolio’s capital was redirected elsewhere.Doubling down on tech giantsThe biggest move came in the US sleeve of the Shyft portfolio. Hogg confirmed that proceeds from the ETF sale would be reinvested into Alphabet (Google) and Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp).Alphabet’s strength, he argued, lies not only in YouTube - the world’s largest content platform - but also in its Gemini AI. While other AI players trade on inflated multiples, Alphabet’s forward price-to-earnings ratio of just 19 looks undervalued. With Google Search still growing revenue despite AI disruption fears, and Google Cloud expanding rapidly, Hogg sees Alphabet as poised for a breakout.Meta, meanwhile, remains unmatched in its scale. With WhatsApp used by over two billion people, Instagram boasting another two billion, and Facebook still commanding three billion users, its “gorilla effect” is undeniable. Hogg noted that while Meta’s virtual reality bets floundered, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pivoted cleverly into AI, bringing top talent into the company. For the BizNews portfolio, Meta is a long-term keeper.South African value playsOn the JSE, the portfolio saw four local counters boosted with additional investment: Afrimat, Lesaka, Pick n Pay, and Sabvest.Afrimat, under CEO Andries van Heerden, is working to turn around its newly acquired cement plant in Lichtenberg. Lesaka continues to grow as a key fintech player in South Africa’s informal market. Pick n Pay, despite market scepticism, is - in Hogg’s view - undervalued when compared with its Boxer stake alone. And Sabvest, run by veteran investor Christopher Seabrooke, trades at a price-earnings ratio of just 4.5 while growing at 20% a year.A Portfolio that doubledReflecting on the journey, Hogg reminded participants that the BizNews portfolio - launched in 2022 with $30,000 - has now doubled in value in rand terms. The global portfolio, started at $200,000, sits above $1 million today. For Hogg, the lesson is clear: disciplined, long-term equity investing transforms wealth.“This is about backing businesses that change the world,” he concluded. “Alphabet, Meta, ASML, Afrimat, Sabvest - these are the companies with imagination and execution. They are the future.”

BN Portfolio Update: Live trades on Shyft, Strategic bets in AI leaders, and SA value picks

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