The doldrums are noted for calm periods around the equator when the winds disappear trapping sail-powered boats for days or even weeks. There are many stories told of sailors going completely crazy while desperately hoping for the wind whilst
As a child I used to love playing monopoly, which I had not done for years, but the other day, while braaing with friends, I re-discovered my monopoly board and could not resist the temptation. My friend Emil and I
According to Barry Schwartz, American psychologist, “the secret to happiness is low expectations”. Expanding on the idea of happiness it seems like our happiness is more of a relative story than anything else. We are very happy with our new
Warren Buffett reckons to be a good investor “All you need is emotional control and the temperament to avoid self-destructive behaviour”. If that is so, why is it so difficult for the average investor? The problem is we are intuitively
As investors we hate ambiguity, we want certainty, which is why we dislike the idea of randomness. We want our advisors / managers to know exactly what is going on. Financial experts must speak confidently and explain what is driving
As a 20 year old backpacker hitchhiking through Europe I had planned to run with the Bulls in Pamplona Spain, unfortunately I never made it to Spain. But thinking back as a fearless or stupid youngster this was probably a
Why does nobody believe the published inflation rate? I will attempt to answer this question by explaining how inflation is calculated. The inflation rate refers to the annual average rate of increase in prices represented by a basket
The strength of a countries currency can be viewed as a proxy for the price of the country. Just like with any investment you must differentiate between price and value. Price is what you pay and value if what you
At gym the other day a local minister mentioned that he regularly read my article. He questioned me on the difficulty of selecting a new topic each week. His passing words were, “at least you know how we ministers feel
The following is an extract from client feedback written for an offshore client invested in a portfolio of multi-asset global mutual funds, which I feel touches on some important investment points for the current investment environment and investment principles in