The waters investors have had to navigate over the past three years have been exceptionally choppy. Since 2020, we have seen a brutal market correction, global bonds and equities going into retreat at the same time in 2022, a banking crisis, and more recently, yet another fallout in bond markets coupled with stock markets turning negative.

Diversification is one of the investment world’s most long-standing watchwords – and for good reason. As a risk mitigation strategy, diversification is one of the most effective ways to bolster a portfolio against factors like market volatility, concentration risk and inflation.

Africa’s largest non-banking financial services group, Sanlam, has appointed Mariska Oosthuizen as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Oosthuizen’s appointment builds on the group’s already-strong female representation at an executive leadership level.

Despite some of the earlier indicators pointing to a potential upswing in Q3 agriculture GDP, the sector surprised on the downside with a biggest and sharp contraction of 9.6% in Q3 of 2023.

South African life insurers and investment companies detected 8 931 cases of fraud and dishonesty in 2022. While losses worth R1.1 billion were prevented, the industry lost R77 million to fraud in 2022.

M&G Investments Portfolio Manager, Kaitlin Byrne, encourages South African investors to consider local equities despite negative headlines. Emphasizing the safety in cheap valuations, she highlights the well-diversified revenue sources of JSE-listed companies and suggests opportunities for investors willing to navigate uncertainties.