Ghost Stories #80: Taming the herd - how to navigate bubbles, biases and big market moves
Kingsley Williams is the Chief Investment Officer at Satrix, which means he has built his career around being a student of the markets. He started working right before the dot com bubble, so Kingsley has seen exactly what happens when you have herd mentality in the markets.
Bubbles. Biases. Big market moves and the way they make people behave - it's all here in this great conversation around how to stay sane in a market that is driven by emotion, and one of the most dangerous human traits of all: greed.
Speaking of greed, Kingsley also addressed the frequently misquoted Warren Buffett comment about greed vs. fear.
The markets continue to dish up opportunities and risks. The more we look at history and try to learn from it, the better our chances of future success.
This podcast was first published here.
Satrix Investments (Pty) Ltd & Satrix Managers (RF) (Pty) Ltd is an authorised financial services provider. The information does not constitute advice as contemplated in FAIS. Use or rely on this information at your own risk. Consult your Financial Adviser before making an investment decision. While every effort has been made to ensure the reasonableness and accuracy of the information contained in this document (“the information”), the FSP’s, its shareholders, subsidiaries, clients, agents, officers and employees do not make any representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or suitability of the information and shall not be held responsible and disclaims all liability for any loss, liability and damage whatsoever suffered as a result of or which may be attributable, directly or indirectly, to any use of or reliance upon the information. For more information, visit https://satrix.co.za/products
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Ghost Stories #79: Fintech meets frontier markets - now on the JSE
Optasia is listing on the JSE, which means that South African investors will have the opportunity to invest in this exciting fintech business. With a proprietary platform and extensive relationships across numerous emerging and frontier markets, Optasia builds bridges between financial institutions and underbanked consumers seeking airtime credit and microfinance solutions.
To explain how the business works, Salvador Anglada (CEO, Optasia) joined me for this detailed discussion. We covered the core underlying model, the DNA of the business and the journey to scale, along with the importance of the relationships that have been built in this ecosystem. We also covered off the risks and opportunities for the group.
As always, remember to do your own research and to treat this podcast as being for informational purposes only. For more information on Optasia, visit the website here.
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Ghost Stories #78: Buying a house? Buy smarter with data
We all need somewhere to live, but that doesn't mean that buying property should be the default decision. Most of all, it doesn't mean that buying any property at any price is sensible. Data-led decision making is crucial when buying a home, especially in South Africa where house prices don't automatically go up.
Hayley Ivins-Downes and the team at Lightstone Property are passionate about helping South Africans apply more science to the emotiv decision of buying a home. With incredible data on property across the country, Lightstone makes it easier to avoid turning a dream home into a nightmare.
On this podcast, Hayley unpacked topics like:
Relative property values across provinces and the trend over the years
Development activity and the types of properties being built
The effect of the interest rate cycle
Semigration trends and the impact they have on values
How the average age of buyers has increased vs. ten years ago
The question on everyone's lips in Cape Town: has the property trend reached a relative peak?
Property is one of the most important financial decisions you can make. If you do the research before you buy stocks, you should certainly do it before you buy property. You can learn more about Lightstone here.
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Ghost Stories #77: What AI means for real-world business - and for your job
AI has dominated the headlines this year and is the cause of seemingly bottomless investment in markets like the US. This is technology theatre at its finest, accompanied by flashy presentations and even flashier share prices at the world's biggest tech companies.
But what impact is it actually having on the corporates on the ground who are the eventual users of the service?
To unpack where AI works (and doesn't) in the real world, Shane Cooper (Head of Digital Advisory at Forvis Mazars in South Africa) joined me for a frank discussion. We covered a number of topics including:
AI as the "smartphone moment" of this tech era
The key considerations for executives in AI implementations
Global and local examples of AI implementations in companies like Zeiss, Sasol, Siemens, Walmart and Shoprite
How SMEs are viewing and applying the AI opportunities
Disruption to the internet economy as we know it
Why AI is still "hallucinating" answers to questions
The near-existential questions that AI poses for humanity
How to think about your job in the context of AI's strengths and limitations
Buckle up. This is a powerful discussion about probably the most important business topic in the world today. You can connect with Shane on LinkedIn here.
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Ghost Stories #76: How private cloud prepares you for a rainy day
Steve Porter gets out of bed every day to make sure that the clients of Metrofile Cloud can keep their businesses running when disaster strikes. In a world of public cloud offerings with all the bells and whistles, Metrofile Cloud's private cloud business takes a no-nonsense approach to delivering cloud services to South African businesses of all sizes - and with a real person on the other end of the phone when you need help.
In this episode of Ghost Stories, Steve's candid approach comes through strongly in these discussion points:
The layers of risks faced by South African businesses
The danger of "sticker shock" in public cloud pricing models and why these models are often overkill for the needs of local businesses
The critical importance of having a public cloud exit plan
Whether data stored on a public cloud is truly safe and impossible to lose (spoiler alert: it isn't)
The pros and cons of private cloud and where such a solution may be more suitable than public cloud
Steve isn't for everyone. Metrofile Cloud isn't for everyone. But if it resonates with you, then this might be the most important podcast you listen to for your business this year. Find out more about Metrofile Cloud here and connect with Steve on LinkedIn here.
Ghost Stories is a long-form podcast that gives me the opportunity to have deeper conversations with founders, executives and market participants who have a great story to tell.
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