News

The UK announced updates to travel guidelines in the context of the Covid pandemic a week ago and South Africa remained on the "Red List". Deon Gouws, Chief Investment Officer at Credo Wealth, discussed this issue with television news channel eNCA.

Global equity markets continued their advance throughout August, as the S&P 500, the Euro STOXX 50 and the FTSE 100 were up 3.0%, 2.6% and 2.1% respectively, despite a surge in Covid Delta variant cases. There was also increasing evidence that immunity wanes over time, resulting in several countries announcing booster vaccine programmes. Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome Powell, re-iterated the Fed's dovish stance and view that the current increasing inflation is transitory. Despite the dovish tone from the Fed, the yield on US, UK and German 10-year bonds all increased by 9, 15 and 8 basis points respectively over the month. August was also a landmark month with regards to geo-politics, as it saw the formal removal of foreign troops from Afghanistan after two decades of conflict. The pound was down 0.6% against the euro and down 1.1% against the US dollar.

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Financial markets are extremely noisy and can often lead investors to be fooled by randomness. Please join Ainsley To, Head of Multi-Asset at Credo Wealth, as he speaks with Gerard O'Reilly, Co-CEO and CIO of Dimensional Fund Advisors, about the pursuit of truth in investing. If you're curious about how top data-driven finance researchers differentiate signal from noise, be sure to join us for this conversation.

Date: Thursday, 30 September 2021
Time: 3:00 PM (UK)
Duration: 1 hour

Once registered, you'll receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to join the live event. For a smoother experience, the recommended browsers are Chrome and Firefox.

As the world slowly returns to normal following the pandemic, some countries have successfully adopted a vaccine passport scheme in order to control entry to public venues in an effort to keep a lid on spreading the coronavirus.

In his latest column for leading South African publication Financial Mail, Deon Gouws (Chief Investment Officer at Credo Wealth) shares his experience of this on a recent driving holiday through France.

Jeff Ptak, Chief Ratings Officer at Morningstar, was the special guest in the latest Fireside Chat hosted by Credo Wealth.

Jeff and Ainsley To (Head of Multi-Asset at Credo) discussed trends in the mutual fund industry, the behavior gap and common pitfalls for fund investors, market efficiency within mutual funds, machine learning for fund ratings, and the nuances in manager research.

Please note that any views expressed are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect Credo's views.

After multiple years of a "soft" pricing environment, Covid-19 has been the catalyst for a change in the insurance cycle. Over the last few quarters pricing has substantially improved, signalling the start of a somewhat "harder" market. As such, we believe that...

With so many strong opinions out there on Covid-19 vaccines, it's tempting to avoid the topic altogether to prevent contentious arguments and to keep the peace.

In this article for leading South African publication Financial Mail, Deon Gouws, Credo's Chief Investment Officer, discusses why his personal experiences with Covid have led him to question that approach.

In this report, Citywire SA interviews three separate global equity Value managers. Jarrod Cahn, portfolio manager of the Credo Global Equity Fund, shares his point of view on recent market developments.

Over recent weeks, amidst a barrage of negative news flow, we have received several questions from investors about our thought process regarding our investment in Crown Resorts. Therefore, we thought that we would take the opportunity to set out our thinking. Firstly...

Dr Tatjana Puhan, Deputy CIO at TOBAM, was the special guest in the latest Fireside Chat hosted by Credo Wealth.

Tatjana and Ainsley To (Head of Multi-Asset at Credo) discussed all things diversification, including why it matters, how to measure and maximize it, and ways in which approaches such as passive index investing may not be as diversified as you think.

Please note that any views expressed are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect Credo's views.

Credo Wealth was delighted to be a key speaker at the digital Investment Forum in June 2021. Watch highlights from this presentation here, covering inflation expectations, Value vs Growth and how Credo has positioned its global equity fund in today's markets.

When it comes to the world of investing, crowd behaviour is often blamed for inefficiencies such as the formation of bubbles.

In his latest column for leading South African publication Financial Mail, Deon Gouws (Chief Investment Officer at Credo Wealth) discusses how crowd behaviour can also lead to positive outcomes.

Overall, it was another positive month for global equities as the continued vaccine rollout allowed further easing of COVID restrictions. The S&P 500, Euro STOXX 50 and the FTSE 100 were up 2.3%, 0.7% and 0.4% respectively. Rising inflation continued to be a concern for investors as increased consumer demand, coupled with supply chain disruptions across the world, contributed to rising output prices. Although the US Federal Reserve sees the rise in inflation as transitory, it acknowledged the possibility of tapering bond purchases. In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the delay of 'Freedom Day' until July 19th, due to the rise in new coronavirus cases caused by the Delta variant. The yields on UK, US and German 10-year bonds decreased by 8, 13 and 2 basis points respectively. The pound was down 2.7% against the US dollar and up 0.4% against the euro.

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Earlier this week, Deon Gouws, Chief Investment Officer at Credo Wealth, was interviewed on CNBC Africa's Power Lunch program about how foreign investors are interpreting developments surrounding former South African President Jacob Zuma's jail sentencing.

Professor Campbell Harvey was the special guest in the latest Fireside Chat hosted by Credo Wealth.

Cam and Ainsley To (Head of Multi-Asset at Credo) discussed topics in his upcoming book "DeFi and the Future of Finance", including an intro to cryptocurrencies, Ethereum & smart contracts, decentralised exchanges & liquidity pools, flashloans, and others.

Please note that any views expressed are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect Credo's views.

Sometimes, when looking for attractive investment ideas, it is easy to get caught up in seeking new and exciting technologies which promise to change the world. Often overlooked are those companies which provide a product or service which are key to life, operate in the background and are...

The relative value of the rand is an important consideration from the perspective of a South African investor when it comes to offshore investing.

In his latest column for leading South African publication Financial Mail, Deon Gouws (Chief Investment Officer at Credo Wealth) discusses how people typically respond to currency fluctuations in both directions.

Global equity markets maintained their upward momentum in May for a fourth month in a row as the progress of the ongoing vaccine rollout around the world allowed many economies to steadily reopen. Most major equity indices made gains over the month, with the S&P 500, Euro STOXX 50 and the FTSE 100 up 0.7%, 2.5% and 1.1% respectively. However, markets were constrained by concerns of rising inflation due to increased consumer demand and rising input costs. In the US, the Federal Reserve acknowledged it may need to consider tapering its bond purchases at some point but advised it believes the recent jump in inflation will prove to be transitory. In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's roadmap for lifting lockdown restrictions progressed to the next stage with the reopening of indoor hospitality. The yields on UK and US 10-year bonds decreased by 5 and 3 basis points respectively. The pound was up 2.8% against the US dollar and 1.1% against the euro.

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Deon Gouws, Chief Investment Officer at Credo Wealth, recently featured in an Afrikaans podcast on Biznews Radio, discussing his approach to investing with an emphasis on international diversification - those who understand the language can listen to it via the below button.

Can one take the risk of being underweight a value strategy, in the face of a normalisation of interest rates? Or even worse, an inflationary environment where the Fed has to aggressively step in. Growth strategies do not react well in inflationary or rising interest rate environments, particularly coming off such high valuations (as they are now). Jarrod Cahn, Credo Global Equity Fund Manager, was featured in Citywire following participation in the recent BCI Global Investment Conference.

The well-known author and FT columnist Simon Kuper was the special guest in the latest Fireside Chat hosted by Credo Wealth.

Simon chatted to Deon Gouws (Credo's Chief Investment Officer) about a range of topics, including money in football, the role Oxford University has played in shaping British politics and the question of national identity.

Please note that any views expressed are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect Credo's views.

This April, we celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the inception of the Best Ideas Portfolio (BIP), a significant landmark in the life of Credo's oldest and largest equity product. We are pleased that, as of the 30th April 2021, the portfolio has returned 12.3% per annum, which exceeds the return of the MSCI World Index over the same period. The practical implication of this rate of return over 10 years, is that...

Facebook is a company which divides opinion like few others: whilst many people continue to say that they'd like to leave its various platforms, there are still some 2 billion subscribers around the world who are active on a daily basis.

In his latest column for leading South African publication Financial Mail, Deon Gouws (Chief Investment Officer at Credo Wealth), shares some thoughts about the investment case.

Global equity markets continued to perform strongly in April supported by the gradual re-opening of many economies around the world and the continued progress in both the UK and the US with their vaccine programmes. Most major equity indices made gains over the month, with the S&P 500, Euro STOXX 50 and the FTSE 100 up 5.3%, 1.9% and 4.1% respectively. In the US, President Joe Biden outlined plans for two further stimulus packages: the $2.3 trillion "American Jobs Plan" and the $1.8 trillion "American Families Plan", as well as extending many tax credits from the original "Rescue Plan". The yield on US 10-year bonds decreased by 11 basis points, while the yield on UK 10-year bonds was flat. The pound was down 0.3% against the US dollar and down 2.2% against the euro.

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Jarrod Cahn, lead manager of Credo Global Equity Fund, was one of the speakers at the recent Investment Week Global Equities Market Briefing. In this accompanying Q&A, he explains how Credo's Value based investment style has led to strong returns for investors. He also examines how the portfolio is positioned, the characteristics he looks for in stocks and where he is currently seeing attractive opportunities.

Bitcoin has outperformed most other investments over the past few years and last week saw the successful listing of Coinbase, a leading platform for transacting in cryptocurrency.

In his latest column for leading South African publication Financial Mail, Deon Gouws (Chief Investment Officer at Credo Wealth), shares his own limited experience with bitcoin and Coinbase.

The USA is the largest military spender in the world. It thus stands to reason that seven out of the ten largest defence companies in the world are also American. The US Department of Defence's (DoD) decision on how much to spend, is therefore a driving factor for both allies' and foes' military budgets as well as the performance of defence stocks. Since President Biden's election, concerns...

The latest Fireside Chat hosted by Credo Wealth was a thought-provoking conversation between Deon Gouws and Cullen Roche.

They discussed a wide range of topics, including the role of the US Federal Reserve, the outlook for inflation and its impact on interest rates, Bitcoin, and the myth of passive investing.

Please note that any views expressed are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect Credo's views.

US and European equity markets maintained their positive momentum in March, supported by the progress made by the UK and US on the vaccine rollout and further US fiscal stimulus. The S&P 500, Euro STOXX 50 and the FTSE 100 were up 4.4%, 7.9% and 4.2% respectively. In the US, President Joe Biden signed a $1.9 trillion "Rescue Plan" into law, which will provide stimulus cheques of $1,400 to most Americans. Brent Crude oil was down 1.3% over the month on the back of both growing concerns over increasing coronavirus cases in Europe and OPEC's failure to reach a deal on oil supply cuts with Russia and Saudi Arabia. The yield on UK and US 10-year bonds increased by 3 and 34 basis points respectively. The pound was down 1.1% against the US dollar and up 1.8% against the euro.

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In normal times, the oil price is predominantly supply-driven. Changes to the supply status quo, such as the shale oil glut of 2015 and 2016 and the resultant price collapse, were eventually countered by production cuts from OPEC. Meanwhile, demand dynamics tend to be much more stable, related to the steady rise in global GDP, albeit overlaid with some cyclicality related to economic...

The latest Fireside Chat hosted by Credo Wealth was an insightful conversation between Ainsley To and Alex Edmans.

They discussed the pitfalls of ESG investing, the social responsibility of business, the nuances in interpreting data & research, and many other topics. A must watch for those curious about the ways conventional wisdom is misguided when it comes to how companies serve investors and wider society.

Please note that any views expressed are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect Credo's views.

The best performing share in the world over the past year has been that of electric motor vehicle manufacturer, Tesla.

In his latest column for leading South African publication Financial Mail, Deon Gouws (Chief Investment Officer at Credo Wealth), counts the opportunity cost of having sold out his own speculative position in this company years ago.

In the Offshore Supplement of MoneyMarketing, Jarrod Cahn shares some valuable insights on how the Credo Global Equity fund is positioned. A pragmatic approach to investing with conviction.

February was largely a positive month for global equity markets with the S&P 500, Euro STOXX 50 and the FTSE 100 up 2.8%, 4.6% and 1.6% respectively. Markets responded well to the continued decrease in new coronavirus cases and the progress made by the UK and US with their vaccine programmes. In the US, the House of Representatives approved a $1.9 trillion "Rescue Plan", the first of at least two spending bills by the Biden administration, and is expected to be passed by Congress in March. Brent Crude oil was up 17.5% as the continued vaccine roll-out supported the outlook for a strong recovery in global growth. In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his roadmap for the gradual re-opening of the economy, starting with schools on 8 March. In the fixed income market, the yields on UK, US and German 10-year bonds increased by 49, 34 and 26 basis points respectively. The pound was up 1.6% against the US dollar and 2.2% against the euro.

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Covid-19 has been making headlines for over a year now. In this piece, Deon Gouws (Chief Investment Officer at Credo Wealth) shares his personal experience of the illness

In October 2020, days before the planned IPO of Ant Financial which is set to be the biggest in history, Jack Ma, co-founder of Alibaba and controlling shareholder of Ant, gave a speech at the Bund Summit in Shanghai. Despite the presence of the Vice President of the People's Bank of China, Ma took aim at China's financial system, or lack thereof, as he determined. He also...

Ben Newton, Co-Manager of the Credo Dynamic Fund, recently spoke to Investment Week about the opportunities available in the UK property sector. He examines the emerging trends and challenges and illustrates how selective exposure has proved rewarding for investors in the fund.

Stock markets around the world are trading near all-time highs and there's growing talk of a bubble in financial assets... is a correction or a crash imminent?

In his latest column for leading South African publication Financial Mail, Deon Gouws (Chief Investment Officer at Credo Wealth), makes the point that even experts find it difficult to time the end of a bull market.

After a bright start to the year, most US and European equity markets performed poorly in January, with the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and Euro STOXX 50 down 1.0%, 0.8% and 1.8% respectively. Optimism relating to the vaccine rollout waned as new coronavirus strains were discovered and concerns over the ongoing economic impact of continued restrictions took hold. In the US, the Democrats won control of the Senate, giving them control over both houses of Congress. President Biden's new administration announced their plans for a new USD 1.9 trillion stimulus package, the 'American Rescue Plan'. Brent Crude oil was up 6.3% over the month, as Saudi Arabia agreed to cut its oil production as the coronavirus forced economies back into further lockdowns. The yields on UK, US and German 10-year bonds increased by 13, 15, 5 basis points respectively. The pound was up 0.3% against the US dollar and 0.9% against the euro.

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Credo's Chief Investment Officer, Deon Gouws and Director: Equities, Jarrod Cahn, provide some valuable insight into Credo's view of the global economy and how we are positioning the Credo Global Equity fund.

Over the past few months, we, alongside many others, have tried to imagine what the world will look like after the successful rollout of a vaccination programme. There are inevitably some changes that we have made to our lifestyles which will stay, but also many which we will all be pleased to get rid of. There will be some activities that we gladly and quickly return to and others where...

At the beginning of a new year, strategists typically share their forecasts about the twelve months ahead.

In his eleventh guest column for leading South African publication Financial Mail, Deon Gouws (Chief Investment Officer at Credo Wealth), illustrates how most forecasts boil down to a waste of time.

Louise Usher profiles some of the key features of the Credo platform in January's edition of Money Marketing. The key message being the value that the platform provides across the spectrum from trading; reporting and access to whole of market investment instruments.

Global equity markets continued to climb through December, prompted by the news of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccines being approved. All the major equity indices made gains over the month, with the FTSE 100, S&P 500 and the Euro STOXX 50 all up 3.3%, 3.8% and 1.8% respectively. In the US, the markets responded positively to the election result, but attention has now turned to the upcoming Senate runoff elections in Georgia, which will decide whether the Democrats or Republicans control the Senate. Gold was up 6.4% over the month, bolstered by the weakening US Dollar and Brent crude oil prices increased 8% as OPEC and Russia reached a deal to modestly increase oil production. In the UK, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that a Brexit deal had finally been agreed with the European Union. As a result, the pound was up 2.6% against the US dollar and 0.13% against the euro. Yields on UK 10-year bonds decreased by 11 basis points whilst yields on US 10-year bonds increased by 7 basis points.

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