Arthur and Patrick look at how expectations are leaning towards no change in the Bank’s repo rate amid higher recent inflation prints. However, a careful examination of the economic indicators and the factors influencing the SARB's decision reveals a cautious optimism and the need for patience.

According to Multi-Asset Fund Manager at Schroders, Tara Jameson, the belief that interest rates will fall this year has made assets such as cash and bonds less attractive to investors and sent some stock markets to all-time highs.

Old Mutual Wealth's investment note navigates the tumultuous past four years, from the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic to the rise of AI, urging investors to stay diversified for long-term wealth preservation.

Global stock markets gained in February with emerging markets performing strongly as Chinese shares experienced a rebound. By contrast, fixed income yields were generally higher, meaning prices fell, as investors pushed out the timeframe for central banks to cut interest rates.

Over the past 11 years, the collective market capitalisation of the Magnificent Seven’s (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla) companies has grown from just over US$1 trillion to well over $13trillion. In this article, Andrew Dittberner, Chief Investment Officer at Private Clients by Old Mutual Wealth is investigating if the Magnificent Seven valuations are justifiable.

The awards recognise those funds and asset managers that have served investors well over the long term and which Morningstar’s Manager Research team believes will be able to deliver competitive risk-adjusted returns over time.