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/ 10 December 2007
From the beginning of September to the end of November there were 26 new listings on the JSE — a whole mixed bag of them, too. The performances of the various listings is a reminder to investors that everything that lists is not necessarily a good investment. But if you choose your companies well it is an opportunity to get in at the beginning of a successful growth of a company.
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/ 7 December 2007
The end of the year is a good time to examine your finances, but this year take some time to review your domestic worker’s retirement plan. For many households domestic workers form the backbone of the support structure and it’s important to ensure they are provided for when they retire.
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/ 3 December 2007
Passive investing allows investors a low-cost route to the equity market. Because the investment usually tracks an index, there are no active management fees. However, investors still need to be astute to ensure they do not pay through the nose. Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are becoming increasingly popular, with nine ETFs listed on the JSE and two more coming on to the market next week.
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/ 27 November 2007
Virtual bank Wizzit, which provides low-cost cellphone banking to lower-income earners, has received major backing from the World Bank. IFC, a member of the World Bank Group which provides finance to commercially viable businesses that promote development, has signed an agreement to take a 10% equity stake in Wizzit.
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/ 26 November 2007
Boardroom politics and reshuffling happen all the time, usually because of personal differences or conflicting strategic visions. In the past two years there have been numerous chief executives who have resigned for "personal reasons" or "to spend more time with the family". These reasons are often used as euphemisms by executives who no longer see eye to eye with the rest of the board.
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/ 19 November 2007
New listings on the JSE have more than compensated for private equity take-outs of major South African companies — and now there is speculation that cellular giant Vodacom might make its debut on the JSE. At the beginning of this year private equity was the buzzword with asset managers concerned about the delisting of large companies, such as Edgars, Consol and Alexander Forbes, which would affect the number of listed companies and liquidity on the JSE.
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/ 7 November 2007
In one day I received three emails telling me I had won money: the first, from international payment company PayPal, informed me that someone I had never heard of had paid me 000; the second told me the United States Internal Revenue Services owed me money — even though I have never been a US taxpayer — and the third said I had won â,¬550 000 in the Spanish Lottery.
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/ 7 November 2007
Discovery has launched its investment arm, Discovery Invest. The company has produced an array of innovative retirement and savings products, but the one that stands out is the Annuity Integrator, which is part of its Retirement Income Plan. If one has risk cover through Discovery, this package would enhance retirement income.
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/ 7 November 2007
Recent inflation figures have raised fears that we might possibly see a further rate hike in December. With the prime lending rate at 14% compared with 10,5% 18 months ago, borrowers are starting to feel the pinch, while savers are feeling cash flush. Maya Fisher-French shares some financial strategies to consider.
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/ 5 November 2007
The listed property sector has rebounded strongly and is now at the levels prior to the sell-off on the back of the interest rate hike in October. Despite higher interest rates the listed property sector is up 38% on last year, confounding analysts who expected softer capital returns in the present environment, writes Maya Fisher-French.