JSEDirect with Simon Brown

The budget and your investments Simon Shares Murray & Roberts (JSE code: MUR) mystery buyer is out, ATM Holding, Munich with now almost 25% stake in MUR. So now what, surely they don't want just 25%? Shoprite* (JSE code: SHP) merger is off and their results were excellent. I am a double happy shareholder. Adcock Ingram (JSE code: AIP) results show turn around happening but share price seems to be...

Simon Shares ZAR X and 4AX exchanges are coming. But do they have any listings we care about and are we able to trade them with our current brokers. Kumba Iron Ore (JSE code: KIO) very impressive and cost per tonne is well down from over $40 to $29, but no dividend. Brait* (JSE code: BAT) shows what a mess New Look as they slice R10billion of the NAV to R8.7billion, and the UK just released best u...

Simon Shares Now Sea Harvest coming to market mid March hot on the heels of Premier Fishing. Spar (JSE code: SPP) another weak retailer trading update, BuildIt very weak, local weak, Ireland alright but hurt but currency and Switzerland also poor. MTN (JSE code: MTN) reports they will have a headline loss for FY2016 after a 1204c HEPS in FY2015. Lots of reasons, mostly Nigeria. Two new Satrix ETFs...

Simon Shares African Phoenix (JSE code: AXL) is back and trading around 55c after a trading update suggesting around 3c HEPS for the first half. With a potential for maybe 8c-10c HEPS for the FY17 that's a PE of around 5x. Local markets gained 4.8% in January, this time last year after a horrid January everybody was saying 'as goes January so goes the year". Well they was wrong and what January do...

Abils back Simon Shares African Bank (Abil) returns to the JSE on Wednesday as African Phoenix Investments (JSE code: AXL). I never expected that, a busted bank survives, albeit this is not the banking assets, just insurance. Top40 index at highs for the year, ya I know it early days and as Stuart reminded me on Twitter the Springboks are also unbeaten for the year. Huge trading update from Kumba...

Too much stuff, sell it all Simon Shares Local retail sales updates thus far are poor. Standouts; Mr Price (JSE code: MRP) still getting their lunch handed to them, Shoprite* (JSE code: SHP) is a retail monster with rest of Africa booming. * I hold ungeared positions . Too much stuff I'm calling it life style creep when you wake up one morning and my large house is no longer big enough. We're sure...

The 2017 predictions show Every year the first JSE Direct of the year is our annual predictions show. Marc Ashton, GM at Moneyweb, Keith McLachlan, Small/Midcap fund manager at Alpha Wealth and Just One Lap founder Simon Brown  review their predictions from the previous year and make their top three predictions for 2017. They then also make a call on the Top40 and ZAR/US$ for the year. You can fin...

Position your portfolio for 2017 with Simon Brown Every year we conclude the JSE Power Hour series with a presentation by Just One Lap founder, Simon Brown . He gives his insights for the year ahead and how to position your portfolio accordingly. Last year the presentation was just days before then Minister Nene was fired and this year's event will be just days after the Standard and Poor's announ...

Reviewing my portfolio for 2016 Simon Shares Standard & Poor's left offshore debt as is (one notch above junk) and dropped the ZAR debt to two notches above junk and on a negative outlook. Standard & Poor's have to decide on junk or not by end 2017 or change the negative outlook to stable, so another anxious 2017 awaits us. Reviewing Simon's portfolio for 2016 Some great returns, some middling and...

Simon Shares Metrofile* (JSE code: MFL) seller in market, use it to pick up some at great price / yield. Sygnia (JSE code: SYG) results see diluted HEPS at 54.16c (vs. 60.40 previous year) and dividend at 52c. I like the business but it is very expensive for a low margin operation without performance fees. Moody's not so moody. Fitch full of surprises and Standard and Poor's lurking. * I hold unge...

Are we Brazilian? Are we Brazilian? Simon Shares Metrofile* (JSE code: MFL) 1million shares on offer at 500c. Subtle? Dis-Chem (JSE code: DCP), like everybody else I did not get in the private placement and I am not looking to buy in the open market. Santova* (JSE code: SNV) getting hit. I hold and continue to hold, not buying any more as I have plenty. Twelve month low is 320c on 25 November 2015...

Trump wins, now what? Trump wins, now what? (Image from Business Insider) Simon Shares Astoria (JSE code: ARA) backs down from its incentive scheme that could have seen up to 25% of new shares issued to directors. Shoprite (JSE code: SHP) = very good. Spar (JSE code: SPP) update = good. Massmart (JSE code: MSM) = poor. Truworths (JSE code: TRU) = horrid. Food doing alright, clothing really struggl...

I hate my life, teach me to trade I hate my life, teach me to tarde Simon Shares Dis-Chem, I will likely apply and stag them on listing. Whitey Basson quitting as Shoprite (JSE code: SHP) CEO at end of year. Buying Tongaat (JSE code: TON). Finance minister Gordhan charges dropped, good for junk threat? Trading Master Class - Trend lines video is online . Up coming events; JSE Power Hour: Thursday...

A letter for when you're dead Simon Shares Still on holiday. Up coming events; IG Trading Master Class: Tuesday at 6pm - Trend lines, break outs and Turtle trading . JSE Power Hour: Thursday at 5.30pm - Offshore investing. The how . A letter for when you're dead When we die hopefully we have a will that'll deal with our estate. But if we've been the one managing investments what happens to them? S...

Simon Shares Pick n Pay (JSE code: PIK) results. Everybody loves them but I am not wowed. Operating margin of 1.5% up from 1.3% is tiny. By comparison Shoprite (JSE code: SHP) is 5.6% and Spar (JSE code: SPP) is 2.8%. Like for like constant currency turnover grew 3.8% against selling price inflation of 5.5%, so still losing market share? New offshore ETFs from CoreShares. A S&P500 tracker and a Gl...

Hello junk Simon Shares Fees feedback . Seems some active managers are getting serious about fees. But still not 100% in favour of client who pays the fees and some have done odd things. But nobody came back and said my ideas of last week were truly horrid, nor eve slightly horrid. Just last week I was commenting that my odds of a downgrade to junk were retreating. Still above 50%, but only just....

Still hating active fees Simon Shares With SABMiller exiting the JSE new weightings in the indices with Naspers (JSE code: NPN) now 19% in the Top40 and 31% in the Indi25. Rating downgrade to junk, still on the cards? Deutsche Bank and the deal on their ETFs and ETNs. Live followup reversal patterns video is online. Two events next week; Trading Master Class on Tuesday covering binary options. JSE...

Simon Shares Thursday 29 September is the last day for SABMiller (JSE code: SAB). Shareholders approved the take over and it will be suspended and delisted from close on 29th. It has been listed on the JSE since 1897 Index changes; IMP into Top40, AVI into Indi25 & FFA/B into Findi. There is a chart floating around of Lehman Brothers just before they hit the wall and one of Deutsche Bank over laid...

Reviewing small cap results with Keith McLachlan Reviewing small cap results with Keith McLachlan Simon Shares Wells Fargo is the sort of stock that if I owned it, I would sell it as management totally failed and refuse to accept any blame. There is a theory that equal weight ETFs have higher costs because they have to rebalance every stock every quarter. But checking the STXIND over the last four...

Reviewing results Simon Shares Feedback on making sense of SENS AVI (JSE code: AVI) results show good numbers in a tough market. People tend to look to Pioneer (JSE code: PFG) or TigerBrands (JSE code: TBS) but this is the real gem in the space with a dividend yield of 4%. Holdsport (JSE code: HSP) trading update shows increased comparable sales growth, but after inflation they're going backwards....

Simon Shares Local GDP came in better then expected and importantly positive, so no technical recession. Manufacturing and mining were the strong sectors but we need a lot more very strong quarters to get out of the bad spot we find ourselves in and a down grade is still very much on the cards in December. Discovery (JSE code: DSY) has so many moving parts but for me the key is Vitality is now in...

Questions, questions, questions Simon Shares Metrofile (JSE code: MFL) results saw HEPS +4.6% (very modest) and the full year dividend 42.9% putting it on a dividend yield of some 6%. Wowness and why I own the stock , for the dividend. PPC nil paid letters (NPLs) started trading yesterday as PPCN. People are asking me what to do with them and I am sticking to my story. Shorter term after they conv...

Role of a Stock Broker in your investment journey Simon Shares More finance minister concerns and more rand weakness. The bigger picture is you have to have a bigger picture investment view otherwise events like this will hurt. In the last of this three part series if you had R300, which ETF would you buy? We ask Warren Ingram and Craig Gradidge for their view . Trading Master Class, an index trad...

Where to for the Rand? Simon Shares The Dow Jones, S&P500 and Nasdaq all closed at all time highs for the first time since December 1999. Dog stocks , don't mix price and fundamentals. I been buying PTXTEN after exiting my STXDIV and not being blown away by DIVTRX . If you had R300, which ETF would you buy? We ask Nerina Visser & Keith McLachlan for their view . Trading Master Class, an index trad...

Simon Shares US mattresses with Steinhoff (JSE code: SNH)? Paying more than double the last traded price? MTN looks all ugly. Forget the fine, forget over a billion Rands in associated costs. Nigerian and South African markets look weak and I still say they need to transition into being a data utility. That said there's a nice trade from around R122 - R140. SABMiller (JSE code: SAB) leaving the JS...