“Gold is the universal language understood by all nations.” (George Herbert) Just a few weeks ago, the gold price climbed above $2,500 per ounce for the first time in history. This has once again got South Africans talking about the attractiveness (or otherwise) of gold as an investment. Gold is probably one of the easiest…
By JP Landman This political research note was prepared by JP Landman in his personal capacity. Landman is an independent political and economic analyst, and the opinions expressed in this article are his own and do not reflect the views of Nedbank Group. Why is electricity a game-changer? Antonio Gramsci had it right: ‘The crisis…
This political research note was prepared by JP Landman in his personal capacity. Landman is an independent political and economic analyst, and the opinions expressed in this article are his own and do not reflect the views of Nedbank Group A young friend expressed her dismay about what she had seen and read in the…
The concept of “emigration”, as recognised by the Financial Surveillance Department of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), has been phased out, with effect 1 March 2021. National Treasury has indicated that the reason for this regulatory change is “to encourage South Africans to keep their ties with the country”. The phasing out of emigration…
Dear Clients, Firstly, I must send thoughts and prayers to those who have lost loved ones and livelihoods in the wake of the recent protests. I am not writing this as an expert, but rather as a committed optimist. For the story of humanity, is a story of optimism… While writing this, I am listening…
In 2001, Eskom was named as the global power company of the year at the Global Energy Awards hosted by the Financial Times in New York. The utility was commended for its technological innovation, effective maintenance, and low-cost electricity. In the two decades since then, however, a lack of maintenance, rampant corruption and deliberate maladministration…
SPACs, or ‘Special-Purpose Acquisition Company’, are the latest investment frenzy as investors ranging from hedge funds to everyday investors, rush to access these speculative assets in the hope that they might be investing in the next Tesla or Amazon. SPACs are essentially publicly traded companies that have no operations and hold nothing but cash. They…
Listed property was the top performing local asset class over a period of 15 years from 2002 through to the end of 2017, outperforming the broader equity market by 5% per year over that period. The outperformance was driven by a range of factors: the listed property businesses being managed more professionally, the benefits of…
This is a story about what the frenzy of crowds can do when sufficiently organized and have little to lose. In January 2021, GameStop shares soared almost 2500%, or 25x your initial investment. Share prices rarely make headline news, but this time was different. The apparent driver being a group of trash-talking, meme busting millennials…
