Don't panic!

The reason why I am saying this is because it is too late! The dark clouds have been building in the world markets for a while now. We have written about it and we have read the predictions. So now that the panic is setting in, the frail rationality of human beings is collapsing in a heap.

If you were prudent in your investment planning, you will be in a position where you can sit on the sidelines because you will have enough cash to see you though this bad patch. If you are an investor of new money, you are buying assets at 15% less than a few months ago!

For the most part I think it is more negative sentiment than anything else. The main culprit of this negative sentiment is the continuing slowing down of the Chinese economy. This causes the further drop in commodity prices and lowering of oil prices.

This might continue for a while and I am sure that marginal companies and even economies will be wiped out. It is like a bush fire that burns hot and moves fast. It takes away all the grass but leaves the trees. As a South African investor, your offshore investments are protecting you against the worst because of the depreciation of the Rand (beautiful to see diversification paying off).

Just don't panic and sell your equity investments. Markets will bounce back one day and if you sell out now and put your money in cash, I can almost guarantee you that you will not get back into the market in time for the bounce.

Looking back at 2015 and thinking about 2016

Equities

I can almost copy the piece I wrote last year on the same topic. So far we have seen subdued equity returns in South Africa (3.75%) and the same can be said for the USA (1.52%) with France and Germany performing well. The growth in China is still faltering and the resulting effect of the weakness in commodity prices can be seen in the resource companies worldwide.

Anglo American               -59%

BHP                                    -25%

Anglo Platinum                -41%

Impala Plats                     -59%

Exxaro                               -55%

Kumba                               -79%

Lonmin                              -98%

The Resources sector on the JSE is down 37.5% year to date (30 November). As I mentioned at the beginning of the year, selecting the companies you want to invest in will be the critical thing to do. Ignoring the small cap companies due to their high risk profile, investing in the following medium and large cap companies would have made you a fortune:

Steinhoff                           36%

Brait                                   104%

PSG                                     111%

Naspers                             41%

SAB                                     43%

BAT                                    33%

Investing in the Financial and Industrial sectors of the JSE would have given you 5% and 15% year to date. The long and the short of it all is that investing in Equities is not the problem, the ability to select the right share or sector is the clincher.

Currency

As predicted the Rand is 24% weaker today than it was at the beginning of the year. I mentioned that the raising of interest rates in the USA would put pressure on the Rand and now that the increase is very likely in December, the Rand is collapsing. I wish I could say that the Rand should strengthen a bit but unfortunately there is another important factor that should be considered, the SA Government.

Government

In the Business Day of 26 November 2015, there is an article on the front page with the headline that reads “State loses R1bn amid poor controls”. It goes on to say that last year the State (using our tax money), lost R1.2bil due to “fruitless and wasteful expenditure”. Then there is an article on page 8 that reads “SA’s choice: populism or growth”. This article goes on to explain what the current government is doing to the country and I can understand why people are converting Rands to Dollars at R14.40 to $1 and getting out of SA Inc.

MTN and Volkswagen

There are 3 things that surprised me during the year and they were the severity of the Rand collapse, the collapsing of commodity prices and the third one was the shockingly bad management of big multinational companies like MTN and Volkswagen. Just taking MTN as an example. How can you not adhere to the laws of a country regarding the registration of SIM cards? As an investor, we trust the management of the companies we invest in to be honest and diligent. In the case of Volkswagen they actually tried to deceive the authorities regarding the emissions of their diesel engines.

Unfortunately MTN and Volkswagen are not the only companies who violated the trust of their shareholders, there are many more. So now we get into a situation where you can value a company and determine that it is a fantastic investment just to be wiped out by something management does.

Investing in Africa

Nigeria can only be described as a desperate nation when it comes to collecting revenue. After the collapse of the oil price and their currency, Nigeria is in serious trouble and the ridiculously big fine they have given MTN is proof of their desperation. They have also tried to get money from Standard Bank and so they will bleed the companies that actually contribute something towards their existence dry. And then we have to consider huge investments in Nigeria by SA companies like Tiger Brands which had to be written down to nothing due to the lack of profitability.

Nigeria is not the only African country that has run out of money and are targeting profitable companies to bail them out. I will not touch investments in Africa with a barge pole at this stage but still I see companies investing Billions. The only logical explanation is that they are going for the “high risk / high return” scenario.

South Africa is also becoming desperate. Do not be surprised if your taxes are increased and demands made on your assets very soon.

Interest rates

We have seen another rate increase in SA. Inflation is not a problem and it seems like it will remain subdued due to the balancing effect of the low oil price (lower inflation) and the weak rand (higher inflation). It is difficult to justify the rate increases with a GDP growth rate of below 2% so it must be the way the Central Bank wants to protect the currency.

Politics

Jacob Zuma is an incompetent leader and now senior ANC members are talking openly about it in the newspapers. There are two Business day articles that come to mind. On 14 October Tito Mboweni touched on tender corruption as well as land reforms and nationalization. On 2 November Kgalema Motlanthe stated that the “Tripartite alliance is dead”. As I have stated before, there are many very clever people in politics, irrespective of party, who can turn SA from a suffocating endangered species into a thriving country.

So will Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma or Cyril Ramaphosa replace Jacob Zuma soon or will he be allowed to continue signing anti-investment legislation into law.

2016

If we end the year with the All Share index on the current level of 51 600, we can expect a better year for equities in 2016. If there is a stabilization in the commodity prices and the earnings priced into the star performers of 2015 comes through, we can expect an inflation plus 3% return before dividends. Rising interest rates will detract from investments in Bonds and possibly also some of the overpriced Property companies.

International equities might not outperform SA equities but on a risk adjusted basis due to the diversification properties thereof, I would strongly advise not to neglect this asset class. I have very little confidence in the ability of the Rand to strengthen under the current circumstances but stranger things have happened. I would continue investing according to a strategic asset allocation plan regardless of the level of the Rand.

Summary

Diversify, manage your cash requirements and stay emotionally unattached when investing in 2016.  Make sure you have no debt, be a bit more conservative when investing and make sure you know what you are investing in (or give it to someone who does). The word is becoming a tumble dryer. Just when you think you are up you tumble down again, just to be lifted up again. Remember to spend less than you earn and keep on beating inflation over time.

Blood in the mines!

South Africa is in a bit of a pickle......, only joking! We are in a HUGE pickle!!!

So the "sell in May and go away" worked this year. The Rand is at R12.90 to the $ and every mine company is down scaling faster than their share price is falling, which is VERY fast! If you are a South African investor, your only saving grace is the depreciation of the Rand against the US$ and other currencies. I have been pulling a 12% return on every US$ I bought at the beginning of the year without even getting out of bed.

Now we all know the bad apple is actually China. They just got up and left the party, leaving us all with a major headache. So our eyes turn towards Uncle Sam off-course! They have to get up and help us because we are not capable of being forward thinking and productive. No, we would rather demand wage increases twice the rate of inflation and working as little as possible for it. We would also rather squeeze as much out of the the few productive companies and entrepreneurs in South Africa than providing uninterrupted power to do business.

So here is the deal. If you want me to pay taxes, which will provide you with the funds to develop the country, then you have to provide me with a stable and reliable platform and, understand that if I have to pay more than what I can earn from running my business, then I will close the shop and go fishing.

"Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country"

So in the South African version of this quote the"your country" is replaced by "ZUMA"

We have to do it for ourselves until the government wakes up. Here are some things to remember:

• Newspapers only tell the bad of a story. There are always some positive as well.
• Cash is king for only a short period of time. It has a very short shelf life.
• Inflation is you target for investment returns, not your neighbor's returns.
• Never focus short term, you might live longer than you think.
• People want to spend money, invest in those companies that give them the opportunity.

Remember, things change for the better, always!

Time is running out for easy money

Well, it has been running out for a while now. Yesterday I wrote an investment note to some of my clients with direct equity portfolios and advised them on a few shares we should buy at target prices, rather lower than the then live trading prices. Today we are almost at those target prices after a rather steep drop in the South African shares.

The thing is, the countdown started when the US Fed stopped lowering interest rates in the USA. Now the Fed is looking at hiking interest rates in September or October. The long and the short of the story is that rising interest rates will be negative for most shares.

Now the question is: What do I do?

I think one should consider the following:

You already have an equity investment:
If you have been in the market for a while you have made good money. If you are still a longer term investor (5 yrs +), then do nothing. Yes, just sit on your hands! Trying to time the market will cost you.

You have new money to invest:
If you want to be an investor for the longer term and you want to invest on a monthly basis, then start now. There is no reason why starting later will work better cause we might see the markets go higher before they go lower.

If you have a single Lump Sum to invest, the safest option will be to invest a portion now and leave some for later in the year. Perhaps the first rise in rates will not have such a negative impact because everybody knows it will happen, BUT, maybe there will be a better buying opportunity later in the year.

You are a shorter term TRADER
I will take some profits on shares that have performed well and build up the cash position. Set a lower target price that will be fair value and start buying back when the share gets there.

Consider this:
The old adage is "sell in May and go away". So the markets are usually weaker from May till November but now the markets might get a double whammy if interest rates are hiked in September.

We might have seen the best returns 2015 has to offer!

Time to choose your friends carefully

If I can use the analogy of friendships for shares, 2015 will be a year where having 500 friends will not serve you well. You will have to go for quality instead of quantity!

2014 gave us the following:

South African JSE All Share :   +7.70%
USA S&P 500:                              +11.40% in US$
Cash in SA:                                   +5.00%
Rand against US$:                      Rand weakened 10%

Like with friendships, shares will serve you well until they don't. We have had a fantastic run over the last 5 years (JSE up 108%, the S&P up 138% in Rand) and listed property did even better. But now we are at a point where some of our friends turned their backs on us. This can clearly be seen when we look at resources shares like Kumba, Sasol, Anglos, Exxaro, BHP etc.

2015 will be a year where we will have to analyze the value of our friendships and make sure they are not just superficial tag alongs while the going is good. We will also have to evaluate the change in value, meaning we might find that friends that seemed to disappoint us in 2014 might offer value in 2015!

South Africa will battle the incompetence of our political leaders and we will continue the downward spiral of load shedding, budget deficits, corruption and imaginary repatriation of wealth. The one pillar of strength, SARS, is also faltering and what a disaster this can become. Like I predicted for 2104, we will struggle to beat inflation on the JSE. The Rand will remain under pressure and the only positive will be the lower oil price which will counter the falling Rand and protect us from rising inflation and hence interest rates.

USA will continue the strong growth and provide the stability in a faltering world economy. It is just insane to have the 10 year Bond yield trading at below 2% and this cannot carry on for much longer. The share market has performed very well but now the earnings will have to support the elevated prices or we can see poor returns from the US equity markets as well. Watch out for the first interest rate increase, it will drag the market down!

Europe is back in recession and deflation is looming. If the EU cannot stop the slide in economic growth, we will enter a game with new rules and as with any uncertainty or unknown, the markets will become negative. Europe can be the place where individual stocks perform because they have been beaten so badly.

China will have to come back to the party. This is a friend that South Africa depended on so much but with the slowdown in its growth and thus the decrease in their demand for our resources, they have abandoned us.

So in 2015 I believe that we will once again see a share market with lots of ups and downs, where individual companies will perform well but on average you will not get a lot of joy. Cash will be king in the short term and used to buy into share weakness. If we get lucky and the Rand strengthens to say R10.50 to the $, buy $ and take it offshore. Wait for weakness and buy international shares.

We live in a world where things can swing both ways. We cannot take all our money off the table and become fearful, but we can also not become a blind believer and invest all our money. Remain a long term investor and be patient. However, choose your friends carefully!

Time is running out for South Africa

The clouds were hanging low over the skyscrapers in Manhattan as I ran to the United Nations building to cast my vote in South Africa's first democratic election. It was a joyous day for me and millions of people around the word and the honeymoon has begun.

In January 1995 I started working for a small wealth management company, specializing in retirement funds and we made a killing. Why? Because the inevitable rounds of re-distribution of wealth and opportunities have begun. Previously advantaged employees of any state or semi-state institution, or even where the business conducted by a private enterprise involved the government, were retrenched and re-employed on a contract basis for double their previous salary.

People with years of experience and post graduate degrees were replaced by people with no experience and a limited education. This "re-balancing" was inevitable because of the ridiculous situation created by the apartheid regime.

The one question I always asked my clients was "but is your replacement sustainable?" To me it seemed like the new government was building a house of cards. They were recklessly using the state funds and flood of new international financial aid to implement a socialist structure, making good on promises made to friends of the "struggle" and greasing the palms of strategic partners.

My clients always told me that what the government was doing amounted to "window dressing". They were working twice as hard under contract because they had to do the work as well as train the new "employee". What concerned me more was that my clients were all top management. They had to run departments which would have had a devastating effect on the economy, public services and productivity if they were to collapse.

Now, in 2014, 20 years after the joyous day, I can't open a newspaper, listen to the radio or watch the television without being told that another high ranking government official or even minister has been suspended for falsifying his or her CV. That somebody in a management position or a senior member of the ANC executive does not have the doctorate they claim to have. The courts have proven that people running our country have been involved in corruption. The arms deal worth Billions of Rands enriched many people close to or in the government. I shudder to think how much money our leaders are going to pocket for the latest Nuclear Power deal with Russia for Trillions of Rands! Our Public Protector seems to only have a knife in a gunfight.

So it is sad to see the end of the honeymoon. It is clear that just window-dressing will only get you 20 years of joy. Where the political will is not present, the champagne will run out and your guests will return to their own homes, not thinking twice about the mess they have left behind for the host to clean up.

The bottom line is that it is fine to have a president or minister who can't do the job, as long as they listen to their advisers who can! Things can turn around for SA, we just need the political will!

The tide is turning for shares.

When the USA started their quantitative easing program, shares throughout the word started rising at a dizzying pace. To give you an idea, look at the following figures:

• S&P500 index in the USA went up 40% in $ terms over the last 20 months
• All Share index in South Africa went up 32% in Rand terms over the last 20 months

And this is only over the last 20 months! Before that we had a good 2009, 2010 and 2012. In short we have been enjoying a 5 year party as far as equity returns go and it was all funded by low interest rates.

Now the tide is turning and interest rates in the USA will start going up in the not too distant future and many emerging economies like South Africa have already started increasing interest rates. If you have ever wondered what the trigger will be for the party to come to an end, then this is it!

For the USA the effect will be that share prices will come under pressure as free money find its way to interest bearing products or even just to reduce debt and in South Africa the effect will be even worse with international investors selling their SA shares, converting the Rands into US$ to take back home which will put further pressure on the Rand to weaken.

So what do we do?

Firstly, if you haven't invested in equities over the last 5 years then sorry, you have missed the boat. Secondly, investing in passive equity products like index trackers might be the wrong thing to do. In a world where the trend is down, you have to apply your mind and analyze the individual companies to determine the value at the current price.

For South African investors the benefit of investing in companies that earn the majority of its income abroad will be the Rand hedge quality of the share (as the Rand depreciates).

To sum up:

• The party is over, you will have to work for your return.
• Cash is king over short term but poison over 5 years plus term. You can not time the market!
• Don't be shy to invest offshore or in CHEAP Rand hedge shares if you are a South African investor.
• If you have participated in the stellar returns of equities over the lat 5 years and your short term funds have been depleted, re-balance your portfolio by taking some profits and building up your cash buffer.

I can see a carefully selected equity portfolio outperforming cash and beating inflation over the next 5 years but what about the next 2 years? I don't know but DON'T BE GREEDY!!