The Fundamental Five – A Simple Guide to Picking the WinnersTo find shares that will raise your pulse rate and perform well above the market average, you need to focus on five fundamental issues... A Way Out of the QuagmireThe current economic model has done little to address inequality or poverty in SA. Fortunately, someone, somewhere, seems to have realised this.Are you a gambler, trader or investor?Are you a gambler, trader or investor? Take the test to discover your investment approach. Investing – For All the Days of Your Life Link your investment strategy to your life-cycle. Though people at different stages may have portfolios of the same assets, the mix (or weighting) of each type of asset should be different...To diversify or not to diversify Diversification has so profoundly influenced investment analysis and portfolio management that every conventional investment portfolio is now sufficiently diversified to remove or reduce the specific risk associated with an individual stock.Activist Investors: Locusts or creators of value?When the CEO’s of the big three U.S. auto makers arrived in Washington in February, hats in hand and looking for a government bailout, they arrived in three separate corporate jets. The uproar over this extravagance at a time of crisis, for both the companies and the global financial system, led Barrack Obama to move more quickly and brutally than any hedge fund to remove Rick Wagoner as the boss of General Motors.

Daily Equity Report

EndgameTue, 20 Dec - 11:50
John Mauldin recently wrote a book called “Endgame” which is about the end of the debt supercycle and how it changes everything. I found it to be a very interesting read. One of his first arguments why Europe and most of ...

10 things to look for before you invest in a company (Part 2)Continuing from last month’s article, find out about the five quantitative aspects of a company that you should investigate before investing.The Return of FearAnyone who thought that the €750m IMF-EU bailout would calm markets has had a rude awakening… PoliticalViewsI was convinced the madness related to next year’s municipal elections would only start after the 2010 World Cup, but it seems to have started already.What Did Goldman Do?The SEC suit against Goldman Sachs and the senate hearings conducted on 27th April are highly contentious matters. Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate investigation, stated that the accusations against Goldman “bring into question the whole function of Wall Street”. Fighting Your Way to Financial Fitness I’ll never forget my first credit card. It arrived one day in the post, an unexpected gift from my bank. I was surprised and secretly pleased; it seemed to confirm my belief that I was headed up in the world, an acknowledgement that I was becoming a man of substance.10 things to look for before you invest in a company (Part 1)Being clear on the types of companies in which you want to invest is vital – it will help filter over four hundred shares down to a shortlist of serious investment possibilities.3 reasons why YOU can outperform fund managersWhen deciding which shares to add to your portfolio, who do you trust more – yourself or somebody else? Models of Risk and Return: What we know, and what we need to know Do we “want more from our investments than a reasonable balance between risk and return”?PoliticalViewsKhoza has always been known for his footbal credentials, what with being the chairperson of the 2010 Local Organising Committee and the big boss of Orlando Pirates. But in recent weeks, his business involvement and his political connections have also come to the fore.Precognition, intuition and the art of investing Should you trust your instincts, or should you act only on the evidence of your rational analysis?How to research like a proAs an investor, when you hear that ‘commodities are running’ and ‘property is booming’, do you rush to buy shares? Or do you worry that you’ll ‘miss out’ on the commodities run or the retail revolution?PIIGS don’t flyConcern around the rapid deterioration of the finances of the US, UK and Japan has been temporarily overtaken by sovereign crises in Dubai and now the weaker Eurozone members, the “Piigs” – Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain.Political ViewsWhy is the media so pre-occupied with Julius Malema? Why do journalists, including myself, write reams and reams about everything he says?Inflation expectations in 2010Even though the CPI might well again pop out of the target band for the next month or so, there is limited upside risk to inflation in 2010.Planning to be a successful investorAnyone who is serious about success needs a plan – failing to plan is planning to fail. The investor’s plan should be centred on helping him to decide which stocks to buy, when to buy them and when to sell.Choice: Is too much a bad thing? The opportunity to choose enriches our lives, and if some choice is good, more must surely be better. But is this really the case? Recent research suggests just the opposite...The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Investors How can we ensure that we swell the ranks of the investors and avoid the dreaded “speculator” category? We have identified seven key actions that effective investors should consider before parting with their cash. CEOs – who pays when they play?Since the global financial system imploded in 2008, governments and shareholders have had their knives out for CEOs and their exorbitant salaries.The 6 things you should teach your children (or spouse, friends, yourself) about wealthLearning to save is probably the most important thing you can teach your child about wealth. It is not only prudent to put something away for a ‘rainy day’, but it also encourages children to save for a large costly item instead of buying it on credit.Biases and Rules of Thumb – Mental Pitfalls that Trap the Best of Us One of the biases that severely affect our ability to make rational predictions and decisions is known as “anchoring”: the tendency of human beings to focus too heavily on a single piece of information when making forecasts. Research has shown that this tendency can have powerful and often damaging effects on our investment decisions.How Big is Your Investment in the Ultimate Currency? The developed countries of the world are facing a disturbing paradox: as levels of prosperity rise, levels of misery are rising even faster. Tal Ben-Shahar, a young Israeli psychologist who teaches the most popular course at Harvard University, believes we err by chasing wealth. We should instead be focusing on what he calls the “ultimate currency”...Inflation 101 – A Guide for the Perplexed In the long run, inflation is essentially a monetary phenomenon. It occurs if the amount of money circulating in the economy grows faster than the gross domestic product...Introducing....Sharenet MobileLive share prices or indices sent to your cell phone. Besides offering monthly subscriptions for JSE data, Sharenet also offers a ‘pay-as-you-use’ option, where you can have information sent to your cell phone via SMS, anywhere in South Africa. Learn to earn on the stock exchangeIf you want to begin trading on the JSE and are looking for guidance, or you want to brush up on your stock exchange knowledge, Sharenet College offers a 27-module Stock Exchange Course that equips you with the relevant skills and information to help you navigate the equity markets and make wise investment decisions. Quickstream: Keeping an eagle eye on your portfolioIf you like to keep your finger on the pulse of the stock market, Quickstream may be just the programme for you. With a customised view of your portfolio, you can put through a trade and watch movements in your share picks as they unfold. Share Market Indices - An ExplanationA share market index is intended to give investors an idea of the overall movement in prices of a group of shares. An index can literally include all of the shares traded on a stock exchange (e.g. such as the JSE Allshare Index), or can represent a selection of just some of the shares (e.g. the JSE Top40 index). Charles Petit discusses what share market indices are all about...

Introducing…MarketTrackerUsed by trusted corporates such as Allan Gray, Sanlam and RMB Cape Town, MarketTracker is a software package that helps to keep track of developments on the stock exchange as well as group information on a particular share selection or personal share picks.Take your first step into the exciting world of trading with Sharenet's Stock Exchange course.Its never been more important to make wise investment decisions than in the current market environment. Sharenet's Stock Exchange course covers all the basics and includes all the tools you need to become the best investor you can be...

Shoprite Holdings Limited - Operational Update For the 12 months to end June 2010, comprising 53 weeks, the Group increased total turnover by 13.6% to about R67,4 billion, compared to the corresponding 12 months of 52 weeks in 2009.Dimension Data - Recommended Cash Offer for Dimension Data by NTTThe NTT Directors and Dimension Data Directors are pleased to announce that they have reached agreement on the terms of a recommended cash offer to be made by NTT for the entire issued and to be issued ordinary share capital of Dimension Data.Firestone Energy Limited - Department of Mineral ResourcesThe Firestone Energy Limited (ASX/JSE: FSE) board is pleased to announce that the application by Sekoko Coal (Pty) Ltd (Sekoko), for a coal mining right on the Waterberg JV Coal project has been accepted by the DMR.Chemical Specialities Limited - Reviewed provisional condensed consolidated results for the 12 months ended 31 march 2010Although the past year has been filled with challenges, we believe that ChemSpec has emerged victorious with a world class production facility capable of several times our previous output and a restructured management team more than capable of meeting our objectives and targets. NewGold Issuer Limited - Listing of Additional NewGold Debentures NewGold Issuer LimitedLISTING OF ADDITIONAL NEWGOLD DEBENTURES NewGold has issued an additional 1,200,000 debentures as set out below: 1,200,000 following subscriptions in respect of approximately 11,729 fine troy ounces of gold bullion at an issue price of R88.60 per debenture.Life Healthcare Group Holdings - Announcement of exercise of over-allotment optionLife Healthcare Group Holdings Limited (the `Company`) announces that, in connection with the initial public offering of ordinary shares in the Company (the `Global Offer`), Rand Merchant Bank, a division of FirstRand Bank Limited, as stabilisation manager, exercised in part the over-allotment option in respect of 33,175,458 ordinary shares in the Company (the `Optional Sale Shares`) on 9 July 2010. The period under review witnessed significant changes in the macro and micro economic environment in particular the introduction of the multicurrency system.

Political and economic stability followed the formation of the inclusive Government and this boosted the business climate in Zimbabwe.

While generally welcome, the dollarisation of the economy resulted in liquidity challenges for most industries. The demand for coal and coke was therefore adversely affected.