July
2010
|
Standard Bank -
Residential
Property Gauge 
(PDF) |
|
Momentum slowly gaining
traction
The recovery in Standard Bank’s median house price gained traction
in June, rising to R588 500 from R579 000 in May. In absolute terms,
this level corresponds to the median house price at the start of the
business cycle downswing in December 2007. June also marked the
fourth-consecutive monthly increase taking the median price 2.5% above
its level in June last year. In real terms, however, the property
cycle is around 2% below last year’s levels, an improvement from the
turning point of -12.3% y/y in April last year. Further confirmation
of improving demand in the middle-to-upper price brackets was obtained
in June, which along with last year’s low base, will translate into
steepening growth in a few months’ time. This, coupled with lower
envisaged inflation in Q3, should see real price growth at zero, if
not marginally positive. The upward momentum in the median property
price financed signals that loans in arrears are improving, freeing up
households’ income. In addition, the low interest rates are only now
beginning to take effect, as the initial spurt in household spending
in Q1, was largely cash-financed. The property cycle should recover
relatively firmly in the second half of the year, with the low base in
Q3 last year supporting this trend. ... more
|
May
2010
|
ABSA Bank -
Housing
Review 2010 Q2
(PDF) |
|
After contracting by a real
1,8% in 2009, the South African economy is forecast to grow by 3,3% in
2010. The expected better economic performance in 2010 will be the
result of the global economic recovery and rising domestic demand.
Financial conditions in the household sector improved somewhat towards
the end of 2009 and, despite high levels of debt, many households are
set to benefit from the economic recovery, which is expected to lead
to increased employment and household income this year. House prices
increased in all segments of the market in the first quarter of 2010,
while in real terms, prices still declined in some categories of
housing. The average price of affordable houses increased by a nominal
2,6% y/y to a level of R296 600 in the first quarter of the year,
while declining by 3% in real terms in the quarter. Middle-segment
house prices jumped by an average 9% y/y in nominal terms in the
three-month period up to March 2010, which brought the average price
to a level of R1 030 600 in the quarter. In real terms middle-segment
house prices increased by 3% in the first quarter of the year. ...
more |
|
ABSA Bank -
Property
Trends |
|
These brief publications
provide periodic information on trends in the residential
housing market, e.g: Property Investment; House Price Index; Building
statistics; House Price Index; Mortgage advances. |
 |
Sharenet - [SA]
share prices and trading |
|
Sharenet has
been providing JSE prices to South Africans since 1988 and has offered
Internet trading since 1999. Our experience in this market is
unrivaled – investors all over South Africa and the world have
relied on us for nearly 20 years as their primary source of reliable
financial information. |
|
 |
| |
FIN24.co.za
- Prices and markets (domestic and international) |
| |
Provides a mechanism for obtaining prices,
company reports and other information on specific stocks and warrants traded on the
JSE Securities Exchange. Information on currencies and the economy in
general is also provided.
NB You need to register (no charge).
Data on all the indices can be
obtained by signing up (free) as a user of the JSE
Website.
For information about indices see JSE
indices. |
| |
South African Futures Exchange - Market
Data and Statistics |
| |
SAFEX, which is now part of the JSE
Securities Exchange, provides the latest financial and
agricultural futures marked-to-market closing prices; data on
financial and agricultural trading provided through links to files, in
tabular form, that can be downloaded.
|
| |
Bond Market Exchange of South Africa - Bond
Market Statistics |
| |
The Bond Exchange of South Africa (BESA)
lists rand-denominated debt securities issued by central and local
government, public enterprises and major corporates.
BESA in collaboration with the Actuarial Society of South Africa has
launched a series of bond indices, known as the Total Return
Indices (TRIs).
Bond statistics are available on a daily and histotical basis.
|
|
Sharenet - Prices of SA listed
bonds/gilts |
|
A single table
provides
the code, name, yield and all-in and clean prices of
bonds listed on the Bond Exchange of South Africa. |
|
ACI
- Association of
Collective Investments |
|
The
Association of Collective Investments (ACI) is the body representing all
collective investments (eg unit trusts) management companies. The Association
provides, inter alia: unit trust classification; a unit trust directory;
performance statistics; news and events; codes of practice; and information on
the industry and education. |
|
FindanAdvisor.co.za
- South
African Directory of financial planners and financial advisors |
|
FindanAdvisor is
an online directory of: Financial Services Board (FSB) approved
financial advisors, financial planners, Certified Financial Planners (CFP
s) and investment, retirement and insurance brokers. It is an
independent directory and not affiliated in any way to any financial
institution or product house. All listed Financial Advisors are
accredited with the FSB. |
|
July
2008
|
HB Falkena -
Notes
on Wealth Management
(PDF 600KB)
|
|
Every level of wealth creates
its own specific problems. Although many people may think that a
million dollars would solve most of their problems, millionaires
themselves know better. For instance, the rich are generally more
status sensitive than the not-so-rich and the not-so-dignified. Status
anxiety is then a painful consequence, resulting in many sleepless
nights, as one either eats well or sleeps well. Even if status is not
a major driving force, most of the rich would like to know,
nonetheless, whether they are losing ground to other millionaires in
their race for ever more wealth. And then there are all the other
familiar questions of the rich, such as: where to draw a line between
wealth and happiness, or between ethical and unethical business
practices; whether current savings are sufficient to ensure an
appropriate standard of living after retirement; how financial assets
should be invested and fund managers managed; and how to engage in
philanthropy later in life. |
January
2008
|
ABSA Bank - Sectoral
Financial Ratios, 1998-2007 |
|
Financial ratio analysis can be used
to compare the performance of one company with that of another in the
same sector, or to compare a company with the entire sector in which
it operates, or even to compare various sectors with each other, as is
the case in this publication.
Financial ratios are
calculated for each of thirty-seven JSE sectors over the
past ten years, except for the banking and life assurance sectors. These ratios are divided into six
categories: asset structure; funding structure; solvency
and liquidity structure; profitability structure; trading
activity structure; and share statistics. |
|
September
2006
|
Absa
Economic Research - International Asset Management: A
South African Perspective 2006/2007 |
|
|
For
years, South Africans were forced to keep their investment funds within
the country's borders. Since 1994, the gradual relaxation of exchange
control regulations has meant that risk and return could be optimised
far better by exposure to the vast international markets instead of
only local markets.
However, the global investment markets are fundamentally more complex
than the local markets, because new factors have to be considered. For
instance, currency and sovereign credit risks have to be faced
virtually from the outset. Moreover, tax arbitrage, and therefore the
role of tax havens (i.e. offshore financial centres), has to be
carefully considered.
Although there are some fundamental differences between local and
global fund management, these differences should not be exaggerated. In
the case of both types of funds, the ultimate goal is to obtain an
optimum mix between risk and return. An extreme view is that all
portfolio optimisation techniques work according to the same basic
principles, namely that tomorrow will be like yesterday and that the
potential impact of hazards can be successfully minimised through asset
diversification.
This publication addresses certain key aspects that serious
international investors should have a knowledge of. These include their
investment horizon, the risk-return trade-off, asset allocation and the
importance of a reference currency, benchmarks and tracking errors, and
various aspects pertaining to managed portfolios.
The analyses presented are based on modern
portfolio analysis techniques and use data of the major industrial
countries up to the end of 2005S. |
|
April
2006
|
Banking
Association SA - Research
into Housing Supply |
|
The Financial Sector Charter
commits Financial Institutions to provide some R42 billion towards
housing by the 31 December 2008, of which the vast majority is
expected to be applied to mortgageable loans for housing units for
households in the affordable housing sector (households with a maximum
income of R7500). However, research conducted in 2005 by the Banking
Association found that even with access to housing loans, there is
very little affordable housing for prospective borrowers to buy –
the research puts the shortage at about 650 000 affordable housing
units, and reveals that only about 15 000 houses costing less than
R200 000 are delivered annually. Simply, developers aren’t
interested in delivering houses in a market where the risks are high
and the returns are low. The banks argue that one of the major
challenges facing South Africa is how to make the low cost housing
market attractive to developers. |
|
|
Cliffe
Dekker Fuller Moore - Privatisation in South Africa |
|
The
stated policy of the South African Government is to privatise certain
state-owned enterprises. This policy presents a unique opportunity for
investors to become involved in established core businesses in South
Africa. Naturally, it is essential that any such investment is
structured appropriately and that due regard is had to the various
regulatory requirements of the South African legal system. An
introduction to these requirements is provided as well as a
comprehensive overview of the areas of interest and concern to any
investor. |
| |
SA Chamber of Mines - Key mining economic indicators |
|
Provides, inter alia, international precious
metal prices on a daily basis. Spot
gold prices in various countries. Prices of silver,
platinum, palladium, antimony, iridium and rhodium.
London Metal Exchange prices for copper, aluminium and nickel. |
|
March
2003
|
ABSA Bank - Game
Ranch Profitability in South Africa |
|
Over the past few years game
ranching in South Africa has become increasingly important in
economic, tourist and ecological terms.
Game ranching has many facets, for example, biological, ecological,
tourist and financial factors have to be taken into account. This book
focuses on the economics of game ranching, addressing game management
issues together with financial implications.
The aim is to determine the financial viability of game ranches of
different sizes in different regions.
Also see:
|
 |
J du P Bothma
(ed) - Game
Ranch Management |
Fourth edition,
2002, Published by Van Schaik
This book is one of the most important reference works on southern
African wildlife.
Contents
 | Part I: General guidelines |
| Part II: Game ranch planning |
| Part III: Animals and their characteristics
|
| Part IV: Diseases and parasites of wild animals
|
| Part V: Animal management and utilisation
|
| Part VI: Habitat management |
| Part VII: Participating in rural development
|
|
Investment and trading books
|
 |
Robert Colby
- The Encyclopedia of Technical Market Indicators, Second Edition |
| Provides an
alphabetical and up-to-date listing of hundreds of important market
indicators. It defines what each indicator is and explains the
philosophy behind the indicator. This second edition is comprehensive,
covering virtually every indicator. |
 |
Mark
Douglas - Trading in the Zone |
| Presents a way
to gain a winner's mindset of specific beliefs and attitudes which are
needed to make profitable trades and experience consistent success in
the electronic trading markets. The psychological side of trading is
the most critical to a successful trader. |
 |
Jack Schwager
- Stock
Market Wizards: Interviews with America's Top Stock Traders |
Schwager
pioneered the "interview" format trading guide, selecting
the best candidates, asking the right questions, paring down their
answers into useful, easy-to-apply concepts and practices. He gets the
top names in the field to reveal their personal techniques across a
wide range of trading disciplines.
This is the third book in the
series and covers new traders who've been interviewed. This third book
complements the first, Market
Wizards, and the second, The
New Market Wizards. |
 |
Michael
Covel - Trend
Following: How Great Traders Make Millions in Up or Down Markets |
| Written for all
professional and individual investors seeking more effective profit
strategies, this title should be ideal for individual traders who
self-manage their portfolios or for the individual investor searching
for a new type of investment advisor. |
|
|
Alexander
Davidson & Alexander David - How
to Win as a Stock Market Speculator |
| Reveals the
secrets of making money as a stock market speculator. Offering trading
methods for up and down markets, the guide equips the reader to trade
like a professional, showing which financial instruments to use, and
how to limit losses and maximize gains. Stressing the point that money
management is the key to success, Davidson casts a professional eye
over the choices traders must make: whether to go for CFDs,
spread-betting, covered warrants, options or just straightforward
share trading. He reveals how to profit from simple technical analysis
and how to read between the lines in company accounts. There is also
advice on how to get in early and make money through take-over
speculation. |
|
The above books and others available from Kalahari.net
|
 |
Michael
Coulson - An
Insider's Guide to the Mining Sector:
How to make money from gold and mining shares |
| The
prospect of instant riches gives the mining sector an obvious glamour.
And when the mining sector begins to run it can be an awesome sight
and the excitement generated can be every bit as seductive and heady
as that which enveloped markets during the internet boom. But due to
the counter-cyclical nature of many mining stocks, they can also offer
a valuable refuge when stock markets turn down. In this book, Michael
Coulson gives a masterly overview of the sector, explains both the
rewards and the pitfalls of investing in mining shares and argues
convincingly that mining should once again form a core sector for all
investors. The book is for anyone interested in mining, and
particularly mining as an investment. |
|
Jim Cramer - The
Street.com
Managing money with an open hand is hard. But, Jim
Cramer is so committed to helping people learn that he created a
charitable trust portfolio to show investors how and why he makes
trades. For over 10 years Jim Cramer was a successful hedge fund
manager and now he writes for RealMoney.com. Over the years he has
developed a strict set of investing disciplines that have helped all
kinds of people be successful through any market. He created a service
called Action Alerts Plus, which allows people to follow along as he
makes his own trades.
Investors can request a free 14 Day Trial of Action Alerts Plus. |
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|
