The Financial Services Industry: Only serving themselves?
John Kay’s critique of the industry, Other People’s Money, looks at the need for reform to avoid another crisis. John Kay is an economist with both academic and corporate experience, and a columnist for the Financial Times. In his latest book, Other People’s Money (R452, Takealot.com http://www.takealot.com/other-people-s-money/PLID34890927), Kay positions himself as a critic of the current incarnation of the financial services industry, suggesting that its usefulness to society has failed to keep pace with its size and the scope of its involvement in the economy. The financial sector serves society and the economy in (at least) four ways. The payments system enables businesses and individuals to pay and receive wages and to buy goods and services. The sector also enables eff
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Banks: Long-term value outweighs the risks
Despite the meaningful risks looming over South Africa’s banking sector, the current combination of attractive dividend yields and relatively cheap valuations presents attractive prospective medium-term returns for investors in local bank shares, despite fairly muted earnings growth expectations in the low- to mid-single digits, according to Craig Butters, equity portfolio manager and banking sector analyst at Prudential Investment Managers. Banking stocks fell sharply in December 2015 on the back of the large jump in bond yields in reaction to the surprise firing of Finance Minister Nene, to levels well below their historic valuations. They have remained under pressure due to the increased risk of a downgrade of South Africa’s sovereign foreign currency credit rating to non-investm
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Tapping into your investments as an income
Whether you’re saving to pay for your children’s education, take a break from work, or even to have more spending money in retirement, setting a plan in motion so you can draw an income from your investments could make that goal a reality. What type of funds should you be looking at that will help you generate an income that’s higher than a simple bank deposit over time? “Enhanced income”-type funds are those that aim to deliver a high level of regular income that will beat a cash or money market return over two to three years. How do they do this? These funds invest in a combination of assets that give you both 1) a steady income stream, and 2) some capital growth over time. This comprises a high proportion of assets like cash and bonds for income, as well as a smaller amou
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