ARTICLES ARCHIVE
A selection of articles from our weekly newsletter.
2009: This is not a battle, this is war - Bulls versus bears
In the one camp we have the BEARS (the doom and gloom artists who firmly believe that we will linger for many years in this mire, and see no solution), and in the other camp, we have the eternal BULLS who firmly believe that current Federal Reserve and other central bank stimulus packages, as well as government interventions such as TARP in the US, are non-negotiable imperatives to stave-off a prolonged Japanese-style depression.
The Real Market -
April 2008
We are now well into the 2008 investment year, and are still seeing much turmoil emanating from the Sub-Prime crisis which hit the USA during 2007. Will this ease over time? If history repeats itself year after year, we can obviously make the comment that YES, the markets will improve, but we do believe that this debt crisis runs a lot deeper than what some pundits may believe. Which brings us to another issue which is very pertinent, and that is: WHAT IS “THE REAL MARKET”?
The Year in review - and the year ahead -
January 2008
And so the 2008 year begins, and it is not a pretty sight at present. As many of you will have picked up already, the past 6 months has been pretty dismal across the board, with all funds not really showing any significant gains. We have seen the broader JSR-Overall Index give us a grand -1.05%, with Financials offering -12.8%!! It also does not look like the debt crisis is over, and with the US potentially heading into recession, we could well see a 12 month return by June 2008 of anything from 0% - 10% (if we are lucky)!
Zimbabwe Report - July 2007
Instead of the usual global report, maybe we need to have a look at our closest neighbour and see where this is heading. There's been some speculation that the Zimbabwean dollar will be replaced by the rand in a plan to save the collapsing Zimbabwean economy. Let's look at the root causes of the Zimbabwean hyperinflation, and then at the viability of the "plan".
While Relaxing - October 2006
A client recently read an article in the Huisgenoot magazine about the tax-free nature of provident funds, and challenged the author. The scary thing is that this particular publication has one of the highest circulations in the country, as many of the articles in this magazine also generally appear in YOU and Drum, so the combined readership could be anything up to 600 000+ people.
Change is as good as a holiday!
Now don't panic, nothing has REALLY
changed, other than we can now duly (and proudly)
display our Financial Services Board certificate in our
reception room. What does this mean ?Well, in real
terms, nothing more than what we always have had, except
that we had to re-register with the FSB under the FAIS
and FICA bills, thus confirming that all partners are
registered CFP's (Chartered Financial Planners).
"ACTS"
The "Collective
Investment Schemes Act" came into effect on the 1st March 2003 on
the back of the FAIS bill in October 2002 and the FICA bill on the
first of February this year. In addition, we saw the FSB (Financial
Services Board) regulate that, as of 1st January 2003, persons who
wished to move Living Annuities from one underwriter to another now
had the power to do so. A plethora of new acts etc., but
what do they all mean to you, the investor ? Read on...
Is long term investing important
So this was not the best year we have ever experienced (as our "Returns"
indicate), but in global terms, also not the worst. The question is: What
do we (you) need to take into account when looking at these performance
figures ?
WARNING !!!
Guaranteed funds are NOT what they always portray. Once again, a major institution
have provided a client with a product which has not lived up to expectations through
some rather strange marketing. This article could get me into trouble, but then again,
that is what we are here for !
Equity Markets
Equity markets continue to fluctuate at an unprecedented rate, leaving the poor
investor gasping breath. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel, or is that
another freight train hurtling along to smash us down even further ? No-one really
knows, obviously, but there are some positive factors.
What the heck do we do?
In a market that is suffering daily from blood on the floor, many questions are
being posed as to "what the heck do we do?" Even if you aren’t posing the question,
you must be lying in bed at night wondering about all of this – if you are not, then
you either don’t know where you have invested, or are a lot tougher than I am ! Either
way, I thought it would assist to give you some of the more common questions being
asked, with our reactions to them. Enjoy..
Brantam Funds
All though much of this information is catered for throughout the
website, we continually get quizzed on exactly how our portfolio’s
have been created and why. We thus felt it prudent to try and do a
synopsis (although a lengthy one) on the basic structure of the funds.
Read on...
De-mystification of Retirement Funds
Retirement Annuity, Living Annuity, Preservation Fund, Linked Life Annuity - all very fancy titles, but what do they mean ??
There appears to be massive confusion surrounding the various
terminology when discussing retirement, and just what they all
actually mean. This article will endeavour to clear that up for you !
Brantam Range of Funds increases
Although the global suite of funds were officially launched in November 2001,
we felt it prudent to hold back on the announcement of same whilst performing
a few acid tests to iron out the bugs that always preside over these things !
We can now proudly launch an exciting new series of globally located
portfolio's to the public..
Market Volatility in Perspective
Where are we headed to over the next few years in world markets ?
A difficult call to sure. Much is said in the press about "bull"
and "'bear" markets, but what the heck are bulls and bears ? How
does one treat them going forward ? Questions; Questions; Questions.
Herewith some insight in to the Bulls and the Bears.
Stonewall International
I have been severely chastised by my peers for being a wee bit
too brash with my reporting of our recent returns, and in hindsight,
must agree. Heck, what was I thinking about when I bragged about
returns of 22 % + in this market ? Still, on the back of what we
feel to be relatively good performance, we are proud to announce the
launch of our offshore range of portfolios. We are very excited
about these, and hope you find them as interesting as we think they
are.
Man are we hot or WHAT!
That sounds a little bit like bragging, does it not ?
So what – the Brantam team
have, once again, delivered some stunning results, so let them brag.
Question is – how does one go about getting these results ? How much
is flook and how much is skill ?
The RMB GUARANTEED FUND which did not work!
So you thought that
your money was safe out there in the hands of major financial
institutions who offer you guarantees ? Think again dear investor –
all is NOT a bed of roses !
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