In the state-owned enterprises (SOE) sector, it's hard to find entities that are financially sustainable and largely delivering on their service delivery mandate. The Airports Company South Africa SOC Limited (ACSA) is one candidate which has, in large part,...
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept - it's already reshaping how we live, work, and invest. So, it's fitting that this year's IRFA Conference places AI at the heart of the conversation around retirement, savings, and investment....
As South African pension funds continually refine their approaches to long term sustainability, the role of ESG considerations is increasingly in the spotlight. Globally, ESG frameworks are evolving, from more stringent disclosure rules in the EU to ideological...
When coal mining comes to mind, water is typically not the first element that is associated with the industry. However, in South Africa, particularly in regions like Mpumalanga, coal mining operations face an ongoing and complex challenge with water...
South African investors have necessarily limited their exposure to global fixed interest bonds over the past several years for two primary reasons: unattractively low yields and the 25% offshore asset restriction for retirement portfolios under Regulation...
To date, 2024 has been another year of surprises in global financial markets, with global equities managing to outperform expectations across many markets. The MSCI World Index (developed markets) returned an impressive 11% over the six months to 12 June 2024 despite...
South African investors have historically been underexposed to global listed infrastructure. However, changes to Regulation 28 of the Pension Funds Act could open the opportunity set for investors seeking to diversify into this unique asset class. The...
Contrary to what many pundits had anticipated, most equity markets ended 2023 in strong positive territory. Investor confidence and sentiment were lifted by the increasing belief that interest rates had reached their peak and a US recession seemingly averted, with...
David Knee, Chief Investment Officer, M&G InvestmentsDespite the unexpectedly challenging year 2023 has proved to be so far for South African assets, investment managers have not gone rushing for the exits to seek “safety” offshore. Many view local assets as...
Sandile Malinga, Co-Head of Multi-Asset, M&G InvestmentsIn the current conditions, diversification in portfolios is especially valuable, and attractive opportunities are presenting in the widely diverging real yields and valuations we are seeing between countries,...