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Growth and volatility will define global economy in 2016, says Pinebridge Investments

06 January 2016 | General

• PineBridge Investments forecasts 2.7% GDP growth in the United States • Eurozone growth projected to slightly improve to 1.6%, driven by cyclical forces • GDP growth in India will rise to 7.7% while China slows to 6.5%; Japan stagnant at 0.8% • Strengthening consumer will help offset struggling industries, leading to “growth bounce” • Diverging global monetary policy poses risk to sustained global recovery • Commodity prices should gradually push higher this year • Top investment picks include equities in Japan, Europe, Mexico and India, US value and small cap stocks, US high yield, liquid alternatives, bank loans and private credit

Bleak 2016 for markets in wake of Nene’s removal

11 December 2015 | Economy

President Zuma surprised markets on Wednesday evening by recalling South Africa’s well-respected Finance Minister, Nhlanhla Nene, and appointing David van Rooyen, an ANC veteran, as the head of National Treasury. The Rand responded to this announcement by plunging from R14.60/US$ before the announcement to an all-time low of R15.38/US$ before settling around R15.00/US$ on international markets on Thursday. The Rand’s reaction is essentially a proxy for the response of analysts and investors, and captures the extent to which Zuma’s decision shocked – or, at the very least, surprised – and disappointed market participants.

Rand plummets: Now is the time to ‘think global’, investors urged

10 December 2015 | General

With the rand plummeting, now is the time for investors in South Africa to think globally, affirms the Africa head of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory organisations.