Alec Hogg: Investing in pet ownership boom
My first decade as a financial journalist was in an era when SA's investment universe was restricted to the JSE. Tight exchange control made it impossible to own a stake in a global company. So reporters (and investors) examined mining quarterlies or SA big company earnings reports in minute detail.
I was reminded how much the world has changed when reading Morgan Stanley's latest "Five Ideas" email. Stopping, of course, at Number 2 (above) as you'd expect of a Jack Russell owner, where the bank's analysts unpack a megatrend. In essence, young US couples are swapping kids for pets, ensuring 8% annual growth in an already 100bn industry.
That's a train worth climing onto. As there's no pet-exposed stock listed on the JSE, for a younger me this be of mere academic interest. No longer. A Google search, quickly surfaced a number of potential investments, including three pet-focused stocks highlighted in very relevant a Motley Fool article.
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