With the US stock market now entering its 9th year in a bull market phase, it’s probably a good idea to reflect on some old age wisdom, which is nicely explained in the following quote; Bull markets are born on
Dammed if you don’t
Market irrationality requires cool heads
“Be greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy” Warren Buffett The big financial institutions have just released their economic forecasts for 2018 and what do you know they are extremely bullish with a consensus view of
Don’t be ‘herd’ investor, take a risk and score!
A recent Credit Suisse report revealed the best performing stock market since 1900 to be none other than our own ALSI. Hard to believe considering all the turmoil SA has been through over the last 116 years or maybe that
There is no “holy grail” secret to making good investments
I was invited to spend a full day with arguably South Africa’s top asset manager; you go there with very high expectations hoping to get all the answers. These are the guys with the enviable track- record of consistently beating
How best to survive doldrums
The doldrums are noted for calm periods around the equator when the winds disappear, trapping sail-powered boats for periods of days or even weeks. There are many stories told of sailors going completely crazy while desperately hoping for wind and
Foreign investment headwind
It is interesting how Rand weakness seems to negatively affect our collective psyche and overall sentiment, notwithstanding that most South Africans probably don’t understand the full implications of currency weakness. Maybe it’s our fears of becoming a banana republic like
Don’t follow the short-term herd
The problem with having written this column for 15 years is that you eventually start sounding like a broken record, for millennial readers that is those vinyl black things in a cardboard box in the garage. The thing about successful
Bulls and Bears in the money game
I have not yet seen the movie “The Revenant” for, which Leonardo DiCaprio won the Oscar for Best Actor, but I have been told the scene when the bear attacks him is excruciating to watch and goes on forever and
Crazy Investor Behaviour
The following is a quote from a Bloomberg article titled “China’s Tech Stocks Enter Bear Market as Rally Leaders Punished.” “The correction makes as little sense from a fundamental point of view as the way up,” said Mikio Kumada, a
Reversing a Trailer
“It’s like reversing a trailer”, is one of the best analogies for following your intuitive thinking when it comes to investment decisions. You have to “turn” the other way to go in the “direction” you want. This week I want