The imminent closure of the tax amnesty coupled with the recent strength in the rand presents an almost unprecedented opportunity for investors to increase their offshore exposures, says Sasfin (SFN) managing director Alan Greenstein.
Although the rand had demonstrated surprising strength over the last 20 months, there is a growing consensus that the currency will weaken over the medium-term, adds Greenstein.
“This means there is a window of opportunity for investors to increase their offshore investment holdings, and they should do it now while the rand is strong. Another reason to act now is that the amnesty for those who contravened foreign exchange rules ends on 30 November.”
Global stock prices had rebounded strongly in recent months on evidence of improving economic fundamentals in the US. This further strengthened the case for offshore investment, says Greenstein.
Sasfin recently teamed up with LCF Rothschild Asset Management of Paris to launch an international fund targeting local institutions, intermediaries, high net worth clients and investors seeking international diversification.
LCF Rothschild is one of Europe’s top-rated asset management companies, and winner of several international investment awards. It will manage the fund, while Sasfin Frankel Pollak Securities has exclusive rights to distribute it in South Africa.
The Sasfin International Fund offers three portfolios with different risk profiles: low risk, balanced and dynamic. Each is an actively managed international fund, catering to a diverse range of risk appetites. All three portfolios will be managed by LCF Rothschild. The Fund’s objective is to preserve capital and achieve superior returns relative to the MSCI World Index in the case of equities and the JP Morgan Broad Government Bond Index in the case of bonds.
Greenstein says the fund is ideal for individual investors who have still have capacity in terms of their R750 000 foreign currency allowance, as well as those applying for the amnesty. The Reserve Bank recently announced that portfolio managers can invest up to 15% of discretionary retail portfolios offshore, on much the same basis as is currently allowed for wholesale portfolios. This presented another opportunity for investors to diversify internationally, says Greenstein. – I-Net Bridge