Donna Block : Share World
International markets. Global markets. Sounds pretty awesome, huh? “Sure,” you say, “but I live in Bloemfontein or Johannesburg or Cape Town. What in the name of Nelson Mandela’s undershorts does all this have to do with me?”
Good question.
Ever since South Africa began relaxing exchange controls it has been theoretically possible for all South Africans to become players in world markets, investing in stocks in London or buying bonds from New York or Tokyo or anywhere but South Africa. Theoretically, anybody can take their money and, as long as it doesn’t exceed R400 000, play the offshore markets. But that’s only in theory. Reality is another matter.
Before I go any further, its important to talk about why someone in their right mind may even want to do these things.
The most obvious reason is that it’s not a bad idea to diversify your investments. The point of diversification is to create a mix of investments, both foreign and domestic, that don’t move in step with each other so that when one suffers the others don’t.
So, if you have South African bonds or a few shares on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange it’s not a bad idea to counterbalance those with, say, some British Telecom stocks or a few United States bonds. Earnings in hard currencies are also a good way to make your rands go further.
The mix depends on the individual’s tolerance for risk. For example, if you were invested in some US government and corporate bonds, they would have offset some of the losses in the stock market here. When the value of stocks were going down, the value of the bonds were going up.
Right now, one local portfolio manager says he is only 50% invested in stocks and 15% to 20% in overseas funds. The rest he keeps in cash “waiting for the right opportunity”. That’s his investment mix.
Now back to reality.
Although it’s now possible to do some of these things, most investment houses in South Africa are not geared to accommodate the individual investor who wants to plonk his limited but hard-won funds in a few stocks in the United Kingdom or New York.
Should you decide that you want to invest overseas, most large insurance companies, brokerage firms and banks offer unit trusts. You put your money in and a portfolio manager manages it.
Unit trusts have their advantages. You can invest as little or as much as you want although there is a minimum amount, generally pretty small. The trusts are professionally managed; they can be aggressive or conservative in their approach. They are by their very nature diversified. But once you put your money in, that’s it. You have no control over how the money is handled.
The only way to have control is to pick your own stocks and bonds, but to buy single issues of foreign instruments in South Africa is difficult.
Most brokerage and private banks steer away from trading individual shares overseas because of problems in converting currency and the minimum requirements of the brokerage firms they do business with.
Even if you are fortunate enough to be able to take R400 000 offshore, you will find banks balking at the idea of buying individual stocks. Profit margins are very small and they find that it is much more cost effective to buy unit trusts for the smaller investor.
(That’s right, even with R400 000 to invest you’re a “small investor”. Depressing, huh?)
Nevertheless, if you are determined to buy those 100 shares of Microsoft, a few shares of Disney or maybe some US bonds, there are ways to do it.
One simple option is to open an account with a discount broker. It’s actually as simple as turning on your computer and logging on to the Internet.
There are a large number of brokerage houses that will open accounts online. There are no restrictions to prevent someone from investing overseas provided that they stay within the exchange-control limits and comply with any tax liabilities that may be incurred.
But there are also some big dangers with doing business over the Net. First, most discount brokers do not offer advice; they are merely order takers who will complete your transaction.
So while they will have market updates and information on their websites and e-mail options for questions, you had better know what you are doing. There is no one at the other end of the ether to advise you on when to buy or sell.
If you want to deal with a living, breathing human being who will give advice, full-service brokers are also available, but there may be some additional charges in dealing with them.
But above all the most worrying problem for the Internet investor is the number of unscrupulous firms offering financial advice and deals that sound too good to be true.
They will promise the world, take your money and deliver nothing. And because most of the time these companies are nothing but puffs of smoke in the nether regions of the Web, there is no recourse.
According to Gerry Anderson of the Financial Services Board, there have been a lot of scams and cons related to investments over the Internet and the board has been swamped with complaints of rip- offs.
So if something catches your fancy, do your homework before committing any cash. Stop, think, and if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Anderson recommends calling the board in Pretoria first. They are happy to check out your query and let you know if the company is reputable and legally doing business.
Investors around the globe are in the same boat and they are beginning to realise that if they don’t have a plan of action to survive the tough times they’d better get one.
For most people, professionally managed global funds or unit trusts have produced the best results in the long run.
For those wanting to manage their own portfolios the option, while cumbersome, is available. Be patient, find the right investment for you and look before you leap.
Gerry Anderson and the Financial Services Board can be reached at (012) 428-8119