For years, many in the West have admired the ability of the Chinese Government to push through policies that would never fly in a democratic country. This has allowed them to build structures like the Three Gorges Dam.
This hydroelectric project is the world's largest power station and provides about 10% of the country's electricity. But it also required the relocation of over 1 million people.... ››› more
US bond markets recently went into inversion. This is when short-term interest rates are higher than long-term interest rates.
And what this can mean is a recession is around the corner. In this case, markets are anticipating a recession sometime in the next 6 to 24 months.
But, even if you don't look at such a “technical” indicator, it should be clear the risk of recession is high.
T... ››› more
In the modern age things always seem to happen quickly.
A few weeks ago, I explained how the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and the associated sanctions could potentially lead to a shift in world order. It seems this is happening far more quickly than I expected.
We have now seen firm commitments from European countries to massively increase their defence spending. We've also seen tangible ... ››› more
It's very hard to make sense of markets right now.
On the one hand, it's crystal clear the economy is in a mess. Unemployment is even higher than the worst of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. The damage done by lockdowns cannot be easily undone.
On the other hand, governments have pumped unprecedented amounts of money into the system and the market seems to be on an unstoppable rise. J... ››› more
Warren Buffett has a famous quote: “Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.” As with many great quotes, there's a great deal of wisdom packed into those few words.
And today, I've found the opportunity that perfectly puts Buffett's quote into practice.
Here are its features:
1- Your capital is tied up for a maximum of just three years
2- You stan... ››› more
Unless you live under a rock, you'll know global markets have fallen dramatically over the last few days. Many major indices are now in bear market territory, having fallen more than 20% from highs. Some sectors, like energy, have fallen even further.
It's total carnage out there!
But, if you're a regular reader, you can't say we didn't warn you about this…
Firstly, as many of my reade... ››› more
Many analysts have predicted 2020 will be a choppy year for investors, but NO ONE could have anticipated a threat like the Coronavirus. And, although many of you have likely heard of the disease, I believe most people are yet to understand its implications.
According to most estimates, this appears to be a very infectious sickness (twice as high as a normal flu) with a moderate death rate (l... ››› more
Recent poll numbers show that President Trump has lost some serious favour with his core constituency.
I can't say I'm surprised.
The trade war has hit American farmers hard. With the Chinese increasing tariffs on US agricultural goods, Chinese customers are no longer buying them.
And that means that Trump needs to act - and fast - if he wants any chances at securing a second term in t... ››› more
The rand has only just broken back below the key R14/$ level and I can tell from the client flows going through our treasury desk, many South Africans are once again keen to get money out of the country.
The USD/ZAR exchange rate was well over R15/$ just a few weeks ago.
This means, the rand has firmed up around +7.75% in the last month-and-a-half. Put another way, that's about a year's wo... ››› more
Warren Buffett has many great investment quotes, but perhaps my favourite is “Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget rule No. 1”. This has never been more applicable than now. The world is about to become a far more uncertain place for investors as a series of political and economic events threaten to derail the global economy.
Number one on the list of threats is the US-Ch... ››› more
The JSE was one of the few markets that ended last week lower. The Rand strengthened on the back of China being more passive in the “Trade War”. Commodity prices also pulled back last week causing the resources sector to impact the market performance. We've given up all the recent gains and are back in buying territory.
SA equities are cheap when you compare the median P/E ratio of the All... ››› more
April is almost over, and I can't believe this is only my second structured product pick for 2018.
Originally, I planned to introduce at least one structured product per month, but the financial markets have just not played ball.
And, given the nature of these products, I would rather send you nothing than introduce you to a product that didn’t meet my stringent criteria.
You s... ››› more
What if I told you that you could make 35% growth off an investment even if the market only rises by 10%, 5% or even as little as 1%?
What's more, you are protected on the downside. If the market drops 10%, 20% or 30% you get ALL your capital back!
And, you can do this by getting exposure to the fastest growing markets in the world?
Almost sounds too good to be true.
But it's possi... ››› more
As we enter 2018, many people are looking to diversify their portfolios.
Normally this would be an ideal time to invest offshore, but unfortunately offshore markets are at record highs. So it's difficult to find any value.
At the same time, staying in cash is not viable with global inflation edging up slowly.
So how can you diversify offshore without putting too much of your money at ... ››› more
Over the last couple of months, you may have heard about structured products and why they're an attractive investment class.
I've been writing about them for MoneyMorning since March.
But I've not had a chance to recommend one until today…
Let me explain why.
New Release: ‘Double your Money’ Stock Play Book for 2018 by Francois Joubert
This structure... ››› more
It's important to not panic when it comes to making investment decisions. You need to weigh up your options and plan accordingly. Nenegate caused a stampede for the exit that saw many investors concerned as they watched the Rand recover.
There are a few products that you can invest offshore through that will provide you with capital protection in hard currency. This would be appropriate for in... ››› more
Regular readers will know I'm quite a fan of structured products.
The combination for capital protection and market related returns are very attractive in the current economic environment. Especially with international markets posting new all-time highs while downside risks to your portfolio seem to grow daily.
Over the last year or so, I have always been able to find one or two products e... ››› more
Imagine turning on the TV and finding the following Infomercial:
We are giving you the opportunity to invest in the S&P500. It is the world’s premier equity index, dwarfing the JSE. Receive dollar based returns while getting exposure to some of the world's largest and most innovative companies including Apple, Berkshire Hathaway and Caterpillar.
But that’s not all, we also gi... ››› more
Since my last article on the subject of structured products I have received a number of enquiries from readers asking for more information. Due to the overwhelming response I decided to do this follow-up article and go over the most frequently asked questions.
First, for those who may not have read the original, here is a brief recap. I discussed a currently available structured product with ... ››› more
As it stands, we are at the tail end of an eight-year bull market and, by most estimates, markets in the developed world are massively overpriced versus historical levels.
When we have seen such conditions in the past, global markets almost always fell dramatically within a year or two.
Adding to this risk is the fact that the US Fed, the European Central Bank and a number of other central ... ››› more
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