The SA Index Investor

THE SOUTH AFRICAN INDEX INVESTOR

“Greater rewards, lower costs”

Welcome to The South African Index Investor

Welcome to The South African Index Investor – a forum developed not only for index investors, but also for those investors who are interested in making rational investment decisions. Index investing should form part of that process, but then again I do not necessarily hold a fundamentalist view on index investing and believe that active investing has indeed an important role to play in your overall investment strategy...Read more

My main objective is to educate and foster investment knowledge. A passive investment strategy does not imply a passive attitude towards your investment plan. On the contrary, I support a policy of actively analysing trends in the macro-economic environment and investment markets. Why? As investors we are bombarded with information and investment ideas, but not all advice are useful or even unbiased. Therefore, I will endeavour to disseminate useful and timely information, since I believe knowledge is one’s best defense in avoiding costly mistakes in the investment markets.

A passive investment strategy does acknowledge the effectiveness of capital market mechanisms to appreciate the real value of businesses over time, which human beings despite their sincerest attempts seldom can achieve over prolonged periods. Even highly trained and skilled investment managers are human after all and constrained by factors such as career risks, greed and fear. I believe the best place to start with a successful investment plan is to learn how to control your own emotions and expectations; therefore you need some conceptual understanding of how investments work.

What can you expect from this website? In keeping with my investment philosophy of active research and learning, you will find regular newsletters and articles which focus on current macro-events and market trends. In addition, I will publish periodically some findings from analytical and quantitative research. For further information visit the Quantitative Research section.

For those interested in a more theoretical approach an extended coverage of the basic principles of investing is provided, together with a conceptual framework for debating index and active investment strategies. For a better understanding of how index investing fits into the bigger picture, see the Index Strategies section.

In the Toolbox section you will find brief discussions on various investment principles, strategies and philosophies. Basically, this is a “quick reference” guide for everyday use. Check it out, you might just find some handy tools in there!

But investing is not about talking, it is about doing. To this effect you will find information and direct links to some index investments and products - which implement both passive and active strategies - in the index products/links section.

Happy reading, and dare I say, happy investing!

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Please note that all the material, opinions and views herein do not constitute investment advice, but are published primarily for information purposes. The author accepts no responsibility for investors using the information as investment advice. Please consult an authorised investment advisor.

Unless otherwise stated, the author is the sole proprietor of this publication and its content. No quotations or references thereto are allowed without prior approval.