Stocks like Microsoft, Meta and Netflix have been strong winners in our portfolios (although we've had different exposures to them at different times). These stocks are great case studies to deal with two important questions. The first relates to letting winners run. How do we think about having long-term vs. tactical positions and potentially trimming them over time? The second relates to winners in a different context, being stocks in sectors with winner-takes-all or winners-take-most economics. Does this change the way we think about them over time? As always, this podcast is a way to share our ideas with listeners and drive debate. It is for informational purposes only and should not be treated as financial advice.

Earlier this week, Mpact gave the South African market a positive surprise. The packaging group is a major supplier to the agri sector, particularly for the export of agricultural products from South Africa like citrus. At a time when the market was expecting doom and gloom thanks to US tariffs, Mpact gave a positive outlook around agricultural activity and the share price rallied in response. To find out whether this bullish outlook is warranted, we asked Wandile Sihlobo to join us on the show. Despite the last minute decision to go this route, he graciously accepted the invite and brought his expert voice to the discussion. It turns out that the real story on SA agriculture is a lot more bullish than you might think. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.  

Are consumers still having fries with that, or have changes in consumer preferences (like more awareness of health and nutrition) given fast food stocks a knock? Quick-service restaurants are businesses that can scale quickly, usually through a franchise model, which is why they've historically done well. They don't all take this route though, as evidenced by Chipotle that we just covered in Magic Markets Premium - and that's one of the best names in this sector. Clearly, there are important nuances here. Aside from the global names, how have Spur and Famous Brands been doing on the JSE? And what are some of the core differences in their strategies? You listen to this show on an empty stomach at your own risk. You can also expect to hear a brief argument about Italian milkshakes. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.  

After covering the financials sector on the JSE last week and with our latest Premium research being on Goldman Sachs, we decided to talk about bank balance sheets and some of the key concepts. This includes elements like capital adequacy, non-performing loans and portfolio tilts across various products. If you've ever wondered why mortgage originators even exist in the first place, you'll enjoy this show. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.  

The financials sector on the JSE is a substantial contributor to the overall index. Although banks make up the bulk of the sector, there are also major businesses in areas like insurance and wealth management. With South Africa's difficult macro backdrop, there isn't a rising tide that lifts all boats in this sector. Instead, it tends to reward stock pickers who understand the nuances across the various businesses, including their relative exposure to South Africa vs. offshore markets. In this episode, we dig into some of the key concepts to keep in mind when looking at the banks, large diversified financial services groups and businesses that earn fees from assets under management. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor. 

The "capital stack" refers to the mix of debt and equity that provides the funding for a business. With so many options on the spectrum from senior debt to pure equity, companies and investors come together in search of optimal solutions for all involved. Westbrooke's approach makes use of various funding mechanisms, with hybrid capital as a particular favourite. This aims for debt-like risk and equity-like returns, while providing capital for lower- to mid-market deals in markets like the UK. Dino Zuccollo, Head of Investor Solutions at Westbrooke Alternative Asset Management, joined us on this episode to update us on the alternative asset market, recent deal trends across markets and the exciting news of the R3.8 billion WDO UK Fund II, raised by Westbrooke in partnership with RMB. To learn more about Westbrooke and to connect with the team, visit their website here. Westbrooke Alternative Asset Management is an authorised Financial Services Provider, FSP number 46750. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.      

Drawing charts like orange juice and cheese futures might be fun, but there's an important underlying influence that soft commodities have on inflation. Even if you don't trade commodities, there are useful things to learn. And of course, when we get to the hard commodities that are actively traded every day, we move from jokes about the cheese spread to very real analysis around the drivers of the platinum price and what this is doing for stocks like Sibanye-Stillwater, where our resident Ghost is looking forward to finally breaking even after a long and painful period in the PGM cycle. Join us for a fun show that is ultimately an ode to commodities and the sheer breadth of opportunities available on the market.  This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

In this episode of Magic Markets, Mohammed Nalla and The Finance Ghost decided to each choose three companies from the recent research in Magic Market Premium, with the goal being to discuss some of the most interesting insights that came out of each one. Both chose Berkshire Hathaway (predictably), so there were actually only five companies to discuss. Luckily, this left more than enough meat on the table. This podcast highlights some of the best insights from research into Berkshire Hathaway, BAE Systems, 3M, Waste Management and Alibaba. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

There's a lot going on in the world right now, giving us a great opportunity to let Moe wax lyrical about the key macroeconomic indicators and trends in the US, Europe, China and Japan. We also touched on markets like the UK and India as part of this world tour. Of course, there's nothing Ghost enjoys more than a share price chart when it comes to the markets, or in this case an index chart going back many years. Looking at the relative returns of these markets over the past 25 years tells quite the story, with some major winners - and losers. This is a great reminder that where you invest is just as important as what you invest in - and in fact, it might be even more important!   This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

Magic Markets listeners have become familiar with AnBro's approach to building global equity portfolios with different mandates. Titans is just one such example, focusing on an equal-weighted portfolio of best-of-breed stocks across various sectors. With Titans now available on Mesh.Trade's platform alongside the other AnBro offerings, it was the perfect opportunity for Craig Antonie of AnBro to join us to talk about the fund strategy, accompanied by Connie Bloem of Mesh.Trade to talk about the platform offering. Mesh Trade (Pty) is a licensed Financial Services Provider, FSP number 53710. AnBro Capital Investments (Pty) Ltd is an authorized financial service provider in South Africa, FSP number 48371. Please do your own research and remember that nothing you hear on Magic Markets is advice, nor should you treat this as an endorsement. Visit the AnBro website and the Mesh.trade website.

After a few weeks of Formula One races every weekend, many sports fans have been bombarded with two brands: Saudi Aramco and Ferrari. This gave us a great opportunity to talk about both listed companies - from fossil fuels to fast cars! Our view is that Ferrari is without a doubt the better business in terms of brand strength and long-term prospects, but why is that? And just how much does Formula One actually matter to them anyway? This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

Muofhe Kwinda is a Magic Markets listener who reached out to us because he has an interesting story. He's made the leap from being a financial analyst in the investment space to being an entrepreneur, with business interests in mining and agriculture. We couldn't resist the temptation to tap into what he's learnt by moving from desktop analysis of companies into the "real world" where you can actually taste the effect of working capital pressure. There's a big difference between thinking of a bear case and experiencing the day-to-day operational risks of doing business. This is a highly insightful discussion that helps bridge the gap between financial and operational roles in business. You can connect with Muofhe on LinkedIn. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

The US credit downgrade by Moody's wasn't a huge surprise, as they are just playing catch-up to what other ratings agencies already did. The complacency in the market in response to the downgrade is recently, as it sparks an opportunity to talk about the dollar as the world's reserve currency. In the same week, a JPMorgan investor day provided an excellent opportunity to dig into the wisdom of not just Jamie Dimon, but CFO Jeremy Barnum as well. Aside from some insights into JPMorgan's view on the economic outlook, Barnum delivered an absolute masterclass in capital allocation. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

After a wonderful year in 2024 for property funds (especially in South Africa), the sector has taken a breather in 2025. That's not surprising given how much things have changed, particularly when you consider that 2024 really did create the perfect opportunity for local REITs. In this review of the sector, we talked about concepts like whether tariffs actually affect property, how yields work in this space and what the effect of inflation is. We looked at yields across the US and South Africa, while highlighting major trends affecting demand for property in different segments. This podcast is an excellent way to get to grips with the listed property sector and some of the key investment principles.  This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

In an incredible contrast of wisdom, this episode focuses primarily on insightful comments from Warren Buffett at the latest Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, before ending off with the latest chaos on tariffs - this time, Trump's comments on potential tariffs on the film industry, a sector in which the US enjoys a trade surplus! You can't make this stuff up. Thankfully, we have Buffett's endless wisdom and excellent humour to enjoy, along with his comments on their investment strategy and their immense cash pile. Spoiler alert: if you were expecting buybacks of Berkshire shares in the latest quarter, you were disappointed. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

Our very own Mohammed Nalla thought that the recent tariff volatility would be an excellent opportunity to dust off the day trading strategy that worked pretty well during COVID. Unlike the average Instagram influencer, we are all about authenticity here at Magic Markets - and that's why Moe bravely volunteered to dedicate a show to his learnings from the strategy and specifically why it didn't work out as well this time around. The markets are hard and day trading is even harder. This show is packed with insights and an honest look at just how tough it is, even for those who are experienced. As for our resident Ghost, he's only too happy to keep wearing his "investor" (and occasional swing trader) hat - especially after hearing these day trading stories! This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

As the recent trend in IPOs and delistings on public markets tells us, an increasing number of companies are looking to private markets for their capital raising needs. This means that retail investors are being shut out of these opportunities, which is particularly problematic as these early-stage opportunities usually offer the highest potential returns. Mesh.Trade is committed to increasing access for investors, which is why the platform is designed to enable issuers to raise debt and/or equity funding. Naturally, this means that opportunities like Die MOS (an Afrikaans education business) can be brought to an audience of retail and institutional investors, instead of just institutions like would normally be the case in private market deals. Connie Bloem of Mesh.Trade joined us on this podcast to talk about why access to good quality private assets is so important in the South African market. Mesh Trade (Pty) is a licensed Financial Services Provider, FSP number 53710. Please do your own research and remember that nothing you hear on Magic Markets is advice, nor should you treat this as an endorsement.

With markets bouncing around like crazy practically every day at the moment, most of the focus among investors is usually on the equity indices. But what about the bond markets? Aren't they just as important, if not even more important? Does the carry trade play a role? What about foreign ownership of assets, both fixed income and equities? And what is one really important characteristic that investors should consider when looking at buy-the-dip candidates? All this and more in this week's episode of Magic Markets. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

With the markets all over the place and practically impossible to predict, Moe is busy with a day-trading strategy and Ghost has bought a few dips, ranging from technology through to golf. Is there method in this madness? What is really going on out there? And should we be thinking more and more about China? Volatility can be wild, but it's also a key feature of the markets and a very exciting time for those who like to see action on the screens. In this episode, our passion for the markets really shines through. We invite you to join us. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

The first quarter of the year was an unhappy one for most consumer stocks. Tariffs are top of mind, as is the pressure that many brands have been facing in China. Inflation is a risk and consumer sentiment is weak. Against this backdrop, is there opportunity in this sector, or is it better to sit this one out and let the volatility do its thing? And does it make a difference to look at discretionary vs. defensive stocks? Find out in this episode of Magic Markets.