If you've ever watched The Big Short, chances are you know who Michael Burry is. He's the guy who figured out a bubble was forming in the US housing markets pre-2008. He also correctly predicted a market crash would ensue and made a ton of money shorting the housing market.
This week, he noted there are correlations between the bubble which formed in the housing market and Exchange Traded Fund... ››› more
It's been a tough few weeks for South Africa.
It all started when finance minister, Tito Mboweni, unveiled yet another bailout for Eskom. The R59 billion taxpayer band aid then spooked international investors and prompted announcements from ratings agencies Fitch and Moody's.
Both echoed the usual concerns about slowing growth, rising government debt and the inability of our policy framewo... ››› more
Gold's been a form of money, an investment and a store of value for almost as long as modern day man has walked the earth.
Some argue gold is a barbaric relic that no longer holds the monetary qualities of the past. They say paper currency, or electronic currencies such as Bitcoin, are the assets of choice.
But the fact remains that gold has been a very stable appreciating asset for centur... ››› more
It's been a big month for Bitcoin.
You see, investors and traders from all over the world have been waiting eagerly for the SEC to either accept or reject the Bitcoin ETF (VanEck SolidX bitcoin-exchange-traded-fund) proposal.
However, on 22 May 2019 Wednesday, last week the decision was once again delayed to 19 August 2019 for the final deadline.
This gives us the perfect opportunity ... ››› more
Last week, I explained the power of income investing.
And how it can boost the overall performance of your portfolio…even in the worst of times.
I also revealed (in short) some of the best ways to start generating an income for your portfolio.
Today I'd like to delve deeper into one of those income investments.
The reason why, is because they offer more income than a normal share... ››› more
The Rand has been one of the strongest EM currencies in the past few weeks, but the strength will be short lived. The Rand has been boosted by a dovish FED, an ECB trying to balance monetary policy and economic growth, and the easing of Trade War fears. But all the positives are fickle and cautious investors should be looking a few steps ahead.
Investors looking to diversify off... ››› more
Extremely wealthy people don't invest in ETF's. They don't buy properties from estate agent listings… They buy into private deals. They buy businesses before they even list on the stock market…
And, they typically do the opposite of what textbooks tell you to do…
They don't invest in hundreds of businesses and ‘diversify' their holdings by industry, country and market… They tend to... ››› more
Two weeks ago I posted an article where I made a prediction on where gold is more likely to be going next.
The target I said was $1,550. At the time gold was trading at $1,305 an ounce.
If you missed it, you can catch up at the end of the article.
Since then, I've been overwhelmed by the number of questions you've asked me about this article.
Whether I'm checking emails, presenting at ... ››› more
Please don't let your portfolio fall because of this single mistake…
In 2014, I got a mail from an investor:
“Francois,
I'm not investing in a single investment recommendation of yours again. I've bought Mr Price shares with my whole portfolio. And at the rate it's going now, I'll retire in a few short years.
I bought Mr Price at R136 in February, and now that it's August, the sha... ››› more
Right now, there are just north of 400 shares on the JSE.
Of these shares, investment funds only invest in the top 40, and perhaps the top 100… Only 161 shares are on the JSE All-Share index…
If you invest in a fund you're most likely investing in the JSE's Top 40 Index. Unit trusts simply don't deviate from the index too far, because that's the only way they can match the index perfor... ››› more
In a recent report from ETF.com data released shows that the US have had $250 billion worth of cash inflows into ETF's during 2017 alone!
According to an estimate by The New Yorker, around 20 percent of the market in the US is made up out of JUST ETF's.
And “When you factor in “closet indexing”—when individual or institutional investors pursue indexing strategies without declaring... ››› more
At times like this, gold and silver typically grab all the attention... And attract all the "safe" money. But there's another metal that could blast past both of these. That's because it has unique physical properties for which there is just no substitute - something its biggest consumers lose quite a bit of sleep over. It's 15 times more rare than platinum... and 30 times more rare than gold. Rea... ››› more
On most days, you read the financial news and more than likely, you'll read negative headlines.
Maybe it's a new crisis in the Eurozone; an “imminent bond crash”; or maybe it's the Rand crashing again.
Whatever it may be, it's no surprise to hear many investors keeping their cash away from the markets right now.
But as the saying goes, “out of crisis comes opportunity”. And today ... ››› more
Do you know that one of the strongest and largest banks in Europe is in big trouble?
Yes, Deutsche Bank struggles go way back to last year, when the company reported a loss of €6.8 billion.
And just recently, news came out that the bank faces a $14bn charge over mis-selling mortgage securities in the US.
But if you don't own Deutsche Bank's shares, why should you care?
Well, South Af... ››› more
The other day, while making my morning coffee, a work colleague asked me about an opportunity to earn an 11.5% return on a fixed-term bond investment.
And she wasn't talking about RSA Government Retail Bonds. She was talking about investing in a Participation Bond Fund, specifically the FedGroup Participation Bond Fund.
When you invest in a Participation Bond Fund, money is pooled with oth... ››› more
Thankfully, things have changed since the dark days of apartheid. The investment markets are certainly not racist, sexist or homophobic. If you have enough money, you can invest in anything you want. But the successes you achieve in the investment markets are based on the strategies you use, the opportunities you see and the risks that you avoid.
With that in mind, I want to introduce you to ... ››› more
Just imagine the shock I got when I read that, “59% of TFSAs have been opened at banks, and the majority of investments are in cash.”
Really? Cash investments? That really worries me.
Think about this…
Investing in a tax-free deposit account from the major South African banks will give a return between 6%-8%. But consider that inflation is sitting at 6.1% and not going to stop th... ››› more
When the results of the Brexit referendum came on Friday 24 June 2016, the rand fell more than 8% against the dollar. This was the biggest fall against the American currency since 2008.
The international impact of Britain's decision to leave the European Union is making it difficult for investors to figure out what to invest in next. If you're feeling confused, there is one market that still o... ››› more
It's simple, lending money to government is a guaranteed income bearing investment.
Most investors fail to recognise the value in this form of investing. Yet, it's hugely important if you want to bank more than just capital profits on your investments.
If you lend money to someone, you want to know that you're lending it to a person who can pay it back, along with the interest you charge.
... ››› more
In the last three weeks, one question constantly comes up in conversation with my friends, “What do you prefer, unit trusts or ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds)?”
My quick answer is always ETFs. But then I'm bombarded with follow up questions asking, “What's the difference and why do you like them so much?”
So, today, I want to put these questions to rest and explain once and for all, why... ››› more
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