Tag: PPS Investments

From 1 September 2024 South Africans with retirement funds have the option to participate in South Africa’s two component retirement system. Qualifying consumers with tax directives will be able to access approximately R100 billion in retirement savings.

ESG investing is a term that is often used interchangeably with sustainable investing and socially responsible investing. It began in the 1960s with investors excluding stocks or entire industries from their portfolios based on business activities such as tobacco production or involvement in the South African apartheid regime.

Staying calm amid market volatility is not easy, given the constant stream and access to news headlines and market updates. When investing, it’s important to keep in mind that stock markets will experience periods of sustained growth and decline, respectively.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. For investors, with 2020 still fresh in their minds, this year has been yet another case in point.

South Africa’s retirement fund legislation has undergone a series of changes since 2012 as part of government’s retirement reform process, which is aimed at ensuring that retirees make adequate retirement provision.

Equity markets have been under considerable selling pressure in 2022, as investors anticipate that stubbornly high inflation will cause central banks to raise short-term interest rates multiple times this year. At the same time, expectations for global economic growth have been revised downwards, following further disruptions to global supply chains on the back of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s strict COVID-19 lockdown measures.

Diversification within the asset management industry can be applied on different levels and can take many forms within an investment solution. With close to R3 trillion invested in collective investment schemes in South Africa, investors are already taking advantage of the diversification benefit on offer by unit trusts.

South Africa continues to produce skilled professionals equipped with the means to drive the South African economy. However, in the older age groups, the number of graduate professionals committed to a career in South Africa is diminishing.

The National Budget was characterised by the balance between social welfare expenditure and fiscal sustainability amid a disappointing outlook for GDP growth in South Africa. The estimate for GDP growth for 2021 was reduced from 5.1% to 4.8% and forecasted to grow at 1.8% p.a. over the next three years.

Markets continued their rally into the fourth quarter of 2021, with South African (SA) equities delivering its strongest calendar year return since 2012 (up 27.1%) and global equities since 2015 (up 28.8% in Rands).