Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #98: Fixed income investing – how to move beyond cash in a balanced portfolio
In this episode of Ghost Stories, we get stuck into the world of fixed income - a space that retail investors often overlook in favour of equities. Yusuf Wadee of Satrix concurs with The Finance Ghost's cricket analogy: fixed income returns act as the singles that keep the scoreboard ticking over. But that doesn't mean that investors should default to low-yield cash accounts. Veteran fixed-income portfolio manager James Turp from Ninety One explains how his funds aim to optimise returns in the sweet spot between cash and bonds. And now, with the launch of the Satrix Income Actively Managed ETF (AMETF), investors have an easy way to access this expertise.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #97: From mechanical work to judgement in portfolio management – reallocating human effort with AI
Institutional investors with complex structures face multiple challenges in managing their investments. At Forvis Mazars in South Africa, the team is actively working on AI-driven solutions to help clients reallocate time from mechanical work to judgement work. Shane Cooper and Rishi Juta joined me to explain what they've been building.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #96: Public and private markets – ETFs help bridge the gap
Private markets come with challenges related to daily price discovery, liquidity and due diligence. Although ETFs cannot solve these issues, they can act as a liqudity sleeve in situations where committed institutional capital can be invested in a liquid ETF until the private market manager calls the capital. Duma Mxenge joined me on this podcast to explain how this works.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #95: Reeling in returns: Sea Harvest’s best-ever performance
The ocean is a mystical place that has captured our imagination as a species for as long as anyone can remember. And although there are many fish in the sea, taking advantage of that resource in a sustainable and profitable way really isn’t that simple. Sea Harvest has signed off on an incredible year that demonstrates the depth of the strategy - quite literally. CEO Felix Ratheb and CFO Muhammad Brey joined me to explain the fishing industry and how they make money.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #94: Shoprite’s secret sauce: value retail culture meets omnichannel
Get ready for a masterclass in retail from Pieter Engelbrecht, CEO of South Africa's largest employer. If you're ready to learn about the secrets to Shoprite's success, you're in the right place. With the South African retail sector having to navigate tremendous challenges, Shoprite keeps coming out on top. But how do they do it?
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #93: Budget Speech 2026 – a pivot to stability
South Africa’s 2026 Budget Speech announced a mix of bold, interesting and ultimately positive changes - especially for small businesses and South African investors. With pro-business policies that signal economic stability, could this be a turning point for the country? Tertius Troost (Associate Director - Tax Consulting at Forvis Mazars) joined me to unpack a "boring" budget (in a good way) that represents a pivot to stability.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #92: Balancing global portfolios with Europe and Japan ETFs
The team at Satrix has clearly been busy. They've launched two brand new ETFs to help South Africans tweak their exposure to offshore markets. If you're ready to learn more about Europe and Japan, then you're in the right place. And since most offshore portfolios in SA are really just a proxy for Big Tech, this is diversification that is worth paying attention to. Siyabulela Nomoyi joined me to explain.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #91: Building sonar for navigating private credit
Ian Norden, CEO of Intengo Market, returns to Ghost Stories to talk about the sector of the market that he is passionate about: listed and private credit. In a world of shrinking public issuance and growing demand for yield, will private credit be able to fill the gap? Learn about themes like hedge funds and alternative assets, along with how Intengo Market is building the data systems needed for this evolution of credit.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #90: Beyond bricks and mortar, a global property ETF made for South African investors
The first Ghost Stories podcast in 2026 opens the door to global property investments with Satrix. In this lively and insightful discussion with Lauren Jacobs, Senior Portfolio Manager at Satrix, you'll learn about how Satrix is broadening the range of property investment opportunities for investors. Get ready to learn about the Satrix Global Property ETF and how it rounds out the offering.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #89: 25 years of Satrix – how indexation changed investing in South Africa
In the year 2000, a lot happened. There was some questionable pop music. There was also the Dot-Com Crisis, followed by a period that saw incredible equity returns in South Africa until the Global Financial Crisis hit in 2007/2008. And during that important period in our local market, we also saw the emergence and initial growth of ETFs in South Africa, spearheaded by Satrix. To reflect on 25 years of ETFs in South Africa, René Basson joined me to share the important milestones and fascinating stories that defined this journey. Join us as we look back on how Satrix made it possible for everyone to own the market.
Ghost Stories
Ghost Stories #88: Cell C – more than just an MVNO engine
Cell C has been on quite the adventure in its efforts to carve out a sustainable competitive position. Cell C has created a profitable business model that goes well beyond the MVNO operations that the market tends to focus on. In this podcast, CEO Jorge Mendes joined me to explain Cell C's business and how they plan to win across key verticals.
