1
Show Posts
This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
3
Off topic / Scitec - Recent Ascendis Health acquisition
« on: January 24, 2017, 04:40:19 pm »
Scitec - a recent Ascendis Health acquisition. http://www.scitecnutrition.com/en
Scitec is one of the top three leading sports nutrition brands across Europe and is well established in key global markets.
The business was acquired for €170 million, with a payment of €20 million deferred for one year. Scitec owns a modern
manufacturing plant where the company produces close to 300 products for functional fitness, strength training and well-
being. The acquisition provides a platform for international expansion in the sports nutrition and wellness sectors, while
accelerating offshore opportunities for Ascendis sports nutrition brands Evox, Supashape and SSN. Scitec generated profit after
tax of €10.6 million for the year ended December 2015 (before any add-backs).
Check out the video I circled. (Control yourselves).
Scitec is one of the top three leading sports nutrition brands across Europe and is well established in key global markets.
The business was acquired for €170 million, with a payment of €20 million deferred for one year. Scitec owns a modern
manufacturing plant where the company produces close to 300 products for functional fitness, strength training and well-
being. The acquisition provides a platform for international expansion in the sports nutrition and wellness sectors, while
accelerating offshore opportunities for Ascendis sports nutrition brands Evox, Supashape and SSN. Scitec generated profit after
tax of €10.6 million for the year ended December 2015 (before any add-backs).
Check out the video I circled. (Control yourselves).
5
Shares / Mediclinic - Patience or switch/sell?
« on: November 10, 2016, 02:48:43 pm »
Since I have bought Mediclinic in June 2014 one thing has become very clear to me.
You can't foresee the extent of government intervention in the shape of the Health Authorities
imposing co-payments on patients using private healthcare facilities (The Thiqa plan UAE).
In addition Switzerland will go the same way...
"The canton of Zurich is considering cost saving measures which may have an
impact on Klinik Hirslanden. The proposal in its current form (known as the VVG
levy) is to impose a tax on the proportion of privately insured patients treated
in listed hospitals."
With EPS down sharply and a poor outlook is there any reason to continue holding?
Why should things improve in 2 or 3 years - you can't take on government and win?
Spiralling down today after results.
You can't foresee the extent of government intervention in the shape of the Health Authorities
imposing co-payments on patients using private healthcare facilities (The Thiqa plan UAE).
In addition Switzerland will go the same way...
"The canton of Zurich is considering cost saving measures which may have an
impact on Klinik Hirslanden. The proposal in its current form (known as the VVG
levy) is to impose a tax on the proportion of privately insured patients treated
in listed hospitals."
With EPS down sharply and a poor outlook is there any reason to continue holding?
Why should things improve in 2 or 3 years - you can't take on government and win?
Spiralling down today after results.
6
Shares / Binary options
« on: October 21, 2016, 12:27:00 pm »
A friend asked me whether I have heard of binary options. I have not. Has anyone here invested in them in the regulated market ?
Binary Options
Binary Options
7
Shares / Has Treasury been captured by the black business lobby? Article.
« on: July 20, 2016, 06:56:42 pm »
Unbelievable - nowhere else, only here. Oh to be one of the priveleged masses.
Has Treasury been captured by the black business lobby?
Extract:-
Draft preferential procurement regulations recently gazetted by the National Treasury suggest that Pravin Gordhan’s department has finally been captured by the black business lobby.
The Treasury has long resisted demands for increased preferential procurement, saying this leads to inflated prices and leaves less revenue available to meet the needs of the poor. But now its regulations (published for comment by 15th July) propose major increases in BEE procurement in various ways.
Under the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act of 2 000 (the Act), a 90:10 formula currently applies to tenders worth more R1m.
According to this formula, 90 points are allocated on price and 10 points for BEE status, which means a BEE firm can charge 10% more and still get the contract. Under the current rules, a 80:20 formula applies to contracts below R1m, so allowing BEE firms to charge 20% more and still win the tender.
>>
Has Treasury been captured by the black business lobby?
Extract:-
Draft preferential procurement regulations recently gazetted by the National Treasury suggest that Pravin Gordhan’s department has finally been captured by the black business lobby.
The Treasury has long resisted demands for increased preferential procurement, saying this leads to inflated prices and leaves less revenue available to meet the needs of the poor. But now its regulations (published for comment by 15th July) propose major increases in BEE procurement in various ways.
Under the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act of 2 000 (the Act), a 90:10 formula currently applies to tenders worth more R1m.
According to this formula, 90 points are allocated on price and 10 points for BEE status, which means a BEE firm can charge 10% more and still get the contract. Under the current rules, a 80:20 formula applies to contracts below R1m, so allowing BEE firms to charge 20% more and still win the tender.
>>
8
Shares / Brexit consequences.
« on: June 27, 2016, 04:47:49 pm »
Don't expect return to normality any time soon. This is bad. Taken from a US viewpoint, but applies everywhere.
We all know by now that Britain voted to leave the E.U.: the so-called Brexit is
underway.
Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple as far as investors are concerned. What
matters now is what happens next. What are the broader implications of the
decision and what moves can be taken to at least minimize the damage, or maybe
even profit from the market disruption?
Let’s look at each of those questions separately, starting with the political
and economic implications.
Consequences Of The Vote
1. The U.K. Prime minister, David Cameron will step down. Cameron has already
announced this, but interestingly will resign effective in three months time,
which leads to the second point...
2. Nothing will happen quickly. This is an unprecedented event; there is no
blueprint as to how that actual exit will proceed, and negotiations will
probably drag on for years
3. In a broader sense, it will endanger the European Union. The victory for the
“Leave” campaign in Britain will embolden and strengthen anti-EU voices in other
countries. Those voices are already being heard, most significantly in France,
Italy, and Greece. Whether they succeed or not will largely depend on the extent
of the visible economic damage to the U.K. over the next year or so. A complete
collapse of the E.U., and therefore the Euro, is unlikely, but possible, and
would be devastating to the global economy if this takes place.
4. It will endanger the U.K.’s existence. In many ways, this threat is more real
and immediate than the one to Europe. Sinn Fein, the old political wing of the
IRA, has already called for a vote on a united Ireland based on the fact that
Northern Ireland voted to remain. Given that Scotland voted overwhelmingly in
the same way, renewed calls for a referendum on their independence will surely
come. If the nationalists in both cases get their way and then make it a single
issue vote, they would probably win.
5. Both the U.K. and the Eurozone will suffer economically over the next couple
of years. Every economic entity that has studied the effects of a Brexit has
concluded that this will be the case. Even the pro-leave campaign has admitted
as much and the massive drop in the Pound tells you that the market believes it
to be true. Recession looks almost certain in the U.K. and distinctly possible
in Europe.
6. That weakness will spread to the U.S. economy. This is less certain, but
looks likely to some degree. Trade accounts for 30% of U.S. GDP and Europe,
including the U.K., makes up 11% of that. The direct impact should not,
therefore, be too large, but the knock on effects of slow or negative growth
throughout Europe will still have an effect. At the very least, fears of that
have made it much less likely that the Fed will raise rates this year.
From a strategy perspective, then, there are several conclusions that can be
drawn.
What Investors Can Do Now
1. At some point, U.S. stocks will represent value. Of course, what matters here
is the timing. Usually, when the market is positioned wrongly going into news,
the immediate reaction is an overreaction, but this is different. This may be an
event, but it has long-term economic consequences, and as they sink in further,
selling early next week would be no surprise. Wait and see is the best policy,
but by the end of next week some value should present itself.
2. Yield is the place to hide. Given the likely impact on the Fed decision,
dividend payers such as utilities and telecom stocks, and things like REITs and
maybe even MLPs will outperform the broader market
3. Stick to the U.S. market. The huge drops in the British, European and
Japanese stock markets may look tempting, but they are the result of very real
potential problems.
4. If you are investing for more than a few years in the future, do nothing.
Times like this just have to be ridden out by long-term investors. If you have
extra cash to invest, wait a while and then begin dollar cost averaging in once
the dust has settled. If you feel you must do something, then a small investment
in something like VXX, which tracks the VIX or SDS, a leveraged S&P 500 Bear ETF
will provide some insurance and give you some profit to offset losses if the
drop continues.
The thing to remember above all else is that the only thing that is certain at
this point is that there will be uncertainty. The decision by the U.K. voters
will have a lasting impact, both politically and economically, but how severe
the effect will be on U.S. investors cannot be known. There will be volatility
as things play out and it will take a lot of patience to ride that out, but
ultimately that will, as is most often the case, probably turn out to be the
best policy.
We all know by now that Britain voted to leave the E.U.: the so-called Brexit is
underway.
Unfortunately, it isn’t that simple as far as investors are concerned. What
matters now is what happens next. What are the broader implications of the
decision and what moves can be taken to at least minimize the damage, or maybe
even profit from the market disruption?
Let’s look at each of those questions separately, starting with the political
and economic implications.
Consequences Of The Vote
1. The U.K. Prime minister, David Cameron will step down. Cameron has already
announced this, but interestingly will resign effective in three months time,
which leads to the second point...
2. Nothing will happen quickly. This is an unprecedented event; there is no
blueprint as to how that actual exit will proceed, and negotiations will
probably drag on for years
3. In a broader sense, it will endanger the European Union. The victory for the
“Leave” campaign in Britain will embolden and strengthen anti-EU voices in other
countries. Those voices are already being heard, most significantly in France,
Italy, and Greece. Whether they succeed or not will largely depend on the extent
of the visible economic damage to the U.K. over the next year or so. A complete
collapse of the E.U., and therefore the Euro, is unlikely, but possible, and
would be devastating to the global economy if this takes place.
4. It will endanger the U.K.’s existence. In many ways, this threat is more real
and immediate than the one to Europe. Sinn Fein, the old political wing of the
IRA, has already called for a vote on a united Ireland based on the fact that
Northern Ireland voted to remain. Given that Scotland voted overwhelmingly in
the same way, renewed calls for a referendum on their independence will surely
come. If the nationalists in both cases get their way and then make it a single
issue vote, they would probably win.
5. Both the U.K. and the Eurozone will suffer economically over the next couple
of years. Every economic entity that has studied the effects of a Brexit has
concluded that this will be the case. Even the pro-leave campaign has admitted
as much and the massive drop in the Pound tells you that the market believes it
to be true. Recession looks almost certain in the U.K. and distinctly possible
in Europe.
6. That weakness will spread to the U.S. economy. This is less certain, but
looks likely to some degree. Trade accounts for 30% of U.S. GDP and Europe,
including the U.K., makes up 11% of that. The direct impact should not,
therefore, be too large, but the knock on effects of slow or negative growth
throughout Europe will still have an effect. At the very least, fears of that
have made it much less likely that the Fed will raise rates this year.
From a strategy perspective, then, there are several conclusions that can be
drawn.
What Investors Can Do Now
1. At some point, U.S. stocks will represent value. Of course, what matters here
is the timing. Usually, when the market is positioned wrongly going into news,
the immediate reaction is an overreaction, but this is different. This may be an
event, but it has long-term economic consequences, and as they sink in further,
selling early next week would be no surprise. Wait and see is the best policy,
but by the end of next week some value should present itself.
2. Yield is the place to hide. Given the likely impact on the Fed decision,
dividend payers such as utilities and telecom stocks, and things like REITs and
maybe even MLPs will outperform the broader market
3. Stick to the U.S. market. The huge drops in the British, European and
Japanese stock markets may look tempting, but they are the result of very real
potential problems.
4. If you are investing for more than a few years in the future, do nothing.
Times like this just have to be ridden out by long-term investors. If you have
extra cash to invest, wait a while and then begin dollar cost averaging in once
the dust has settled. If you feel you must do something, then a small investment
in something like VXX, which tracks the VIX or SDS, a leveraged S&P 500 Bear ETF
will provide some insurance and give you some profit to offset losses if the
drop continues.
The thing to remember above all else is that the only thing that is certain at
this point is that there will be uncertainty. The decision by the U.K. voters
will have a lasting impact, both politically and economically, but how severe
the effect will be on U.S. investors cannot be known. There will be volatility
as things play out and it will take a lot of patience to ride that out, but
ultimately that will, as is most often the case, probably turn out to be the
best policy.
9
Off topic / 'Gold will soar 700% in near future'
« on: April 13, 2016, 04:34:07 pm »
'Gold will soar 700% in near future': Economist claims precious metal set for $10k an ounce as cyber-criminals hack into digital wealth
Some extracts, but read it all...
If this dude is for real we are deep in it.
Some extracts, but read it all...
Quote
He cites hacking, cyber warfare and terrorism as the biggest threats to digital wealth, which is how most money is now held.
He points to the case in Bangladesh last month which saw $80million stolen from its central bank – and he thinks this type of fraud could become more prevalent in the coming years.
Quote
'Vladimir Putin has a 6,000-member cyber brigade working night and day to destroy, disrupt and erase digital wealth.
'So how many billionaires do you say "what do you have, stocks, bonds?" No you don't, you have electrons. Putin can wipe those out. The thing about gold, you can't hack it, you can't erase it, you can't delete it. It's tangible.'
Mr Rickards didn't reveal on the programme where he has gathered information that Mr Putin does have a cyber-army of hackers.
If this dude is for real we are deep in it.
10
Off topic / Tencent - Here is something to consider when using their apps.
« on: April 06, 2016, 05:23:00 pm »
Reputation Economy Dystopia: China's new "Citizen Scores" will rate every person in the country
And their QQ browser..
Famous Chinese QQ browser caught sending user’s personal data to its servers
You can mistrust Tencent.
And their QQ browser..
Famous Chinese QQ browser caught sending user’s personal data to its servers
You can mistrust Tencent.
11
Shares / Implats and fuel cell technology
« on: April 03, 2016, 03:58:15 pm »
What do you think taking into account future prospects ?
Pandor upbeat as SA unveils first hydrogen fuel cell forklift
See also the 'Related Articles' on that page.
Pandor upbeat as SA unveils first hydrogen fuel cell forklift
See also the 'Related Articles' on that page.
12
Off topic / White control of business must end - Cyril Ramaphosa
« on: March 24, 2016, 03:22:09 pm »
http://www.politicsweb.co.za/news-and-analysis/white-control-of-business-must-end--cyril-ramaphos
Johannesburg – Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised black business that government will spend billions on Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) in the coming years.
“We are going to intensify BBBEE. We are going to sharpen our teeth and determination when it comes to unemployment. We expect that our black industrialists will have up to R24 billion made available to them to redefine the way business is done in our country,” he said at an ANC summit for academics and professionals in Johannesburg on Wednesday night.
Ramaphosa encouraged black business to bring their ideas to the ANC. He then asked them to open their wallets to support the party's local government elections campaign.
Ramaphosa said the time of white business monopolies was over. Government was hell-bent on making sure blacks owned and managed the economy.
“For far too long this economy has been owned and controlled by white people. That must come to end. For far too long, this economy has been managed by white people. That must come to an end.
"Those who don’t like this idea - tough for you. That is how we are proceeding,” he said.
Ramaphosa said government was obsessed with empowering black South Africans.
"In some cases we have become fanatical about it. It is in this area that we know we will be able to plant seeds of further economic growth in our country,” Ramaphosa said.
The ANC’s relations with business and academics were essential to speeding up the party's efforts to change the country. Academics and professionals had started the ANC and had been agents of change during the country's history, he said.
Johannesburg – Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised black business that government will spend billions on Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) in the coming years.
“We are going to intensify BBBEE. We are going to sharpen our teeth and determination when it comes to unemployment. We expect that our black industrialists will have up to R24 billion made available to them to redefine the way business is done in our country,” he said at an ANC summit for academics and professionals in Johannesburg on Wednesday night.
Ramaphosa encouraged black business to bring their ideas to the ANC. He then asked them to open their wallets to support the party's local government elections campaign.
Ramaphosa said the time of white business monopolies was over. Government was hell-bent on making sure blacks owned and managed the economy.
“For far too long this economy has been owned and controlled by white people. That must come to end. For far too long, this economy has been managed by white people. That must come to an end.
"Those who don’t like this idea - tough for you. That is how we are proceeding,” he said.
Ramaphosa said government was obsessed with empowering black South Africans.
"In some cases we have become fanatical about it. It is in this area that we know we will be able to plant seeds of further economic growth in our country,” Ramaphosa said.
The ANC’s relations with business and academics were essential to speeding up the party's efforts to change the country. Academics and professionals had started the ANC and had been agents of change during the country's history, he said.
13
Off topic / More insight - Gordhan SARS etc.
« on: February 29, 2016, 03:04:48 pm »
READ
Extract ..
Since coming to SARS, Mr Moyane has made it clear: his political target is Mr Gordhan and those loyal to him; his mission is a shake-up that disassembles existing structures to put in place others.
Mr Moyane’s plans to do away with SARS’s large business unit provide one such example. This, Mr Gordhan and his supporters believe, is a strategy to move negotiations with big business over large tax settlements behind closed doors, with all manner of manipulation becoming possible.
So the standoff is not just about personalities, although these matter. The extent of Mr Moyane’s betrayal — he recently gave an undertaking to the Treasury, then headed by Nhlanhla Nene, to halt all further action over the rogue unit — is large. But it is equally the changes in SARS that Mr Moyane is implementing that worry Mr Gordhan and the Treasury. His colleagues are deadly serious that a working relationship with Mr Moyane is untenable.
The usual manner in which Mr Zuma deals with such a conflict is to pretend to wash his hands. He is content to allow institutions to become dysfunctional and paralysed by conflict when it does not suit him to intervene.
But will he be able to behave like that, this time? The threat of market reaction, which would have been the first line of argument a week ago, when the top six first met Mr Gordhan, doesn’t appear to have shaken Mr Zuma. A week later, he is unmoved. So are the Hawks, which are adamant the probe into the rogue unit continues. Reports of Mr Zuma’s political demise have always been greatly exaggerated. Commentators, in particular liberal ones and the media, have spoken wishfully of a recall for many months. While the recall of Mr Zuma is not on the cards yet — no one in the ANC really has the appetite for that right now — the ground is starting to shift, at last.
For the first time, Mr Zuma is seriously weakened. In a growing number of quarters in the ANC, there is a new-found appetite to bring Mr Zuma to heel and a growing conviction that his leadership is bad for the country and the party.
On Monday, Mr Zuma stood firm. But by Wednesday, ANC MPs — backed by the Treasury and the party — had come out, too. By Sunday, the South African Communist Party had joined the ranks of Mr Gordhan’s supporters, with the Congress of South African Trade Unions expected to follow soon.
It would be foolish to assume from this that Mr Zuma has lost his control of the ANC’s national executive committee — it remains his stronghold.
And the security establishment is also firmly behind him.
But it will be difficult for him and his closest supporters to ignore the noises of public support for Mr Gordhan, from the ANC and alliance structures more generally. These are voices they know will resonate deeply with what many citizens are thinking.
Mr Zuma might just be the one who will have to stand down.
Extract ..
Since coming to SARS, Mr Moyane has made it clear: his political target is Mr Gordhan and those loyal to him; his mission is a shake-up that disassembles existing structures to put in place others.
Mr Moyane’s plans to do away with SARS’s large business unit provide one such example. This, Mr Gordhan and his supporters believe, is a strategy to move negotiations with big business over large tax settlements behind closed doors, with all manner of manipulation becoming possible.
So the standoff is not just about personalities, although these matter. The extent of Mr Moyane’s betrayal — he recently gave an undertaking to the Treasury, then headed by Nhlanhla Nene, to halt all further action over the rogue unit — is large. But it is equally the changes in SARS that Mr Moyane is implementing that worry Mr Gordhan and the Treasury. His colleagues are deadly serious that a working relationship with Mr Moyane is untenable.
The usual manner in which Mr Zuma deals with such a conflict is to pretend to wash his hands. He is content to allow institutions to become dysfunctional and paralysed by conflict when it does not suit him to intervene.
But will he be able to behave like that, this time? The threat of market reaction, which would have been the first line of argument a week ago, when the top six first met Mr Gordhan, doesn’t appear to have shaken Mr Zuma. A week later, he is unmoved. So are the Hawks, which are adamant the probe into the rogue unit continues. Reports of Mr Zuma’s political demise have always been greatly exaggerated. Commentators, in particular liberal ones and the media, have spoken wishfully of a recall for many months. While the recall of Mr Zuma is not on the cards yet — no one in the ANC really has the appetite for that right now — the ground is starting to shift, at last.
For the first time, Mr Zuma is seriously weakened. In a growing number of quarters in the ANC, there is a new-found appetite to bring Mr Zuma to heel and a growing conviction that his leadership is bad for the country and the party.
On Monday, Mr Zuma stood firm. But by Wednesday, ANC MPs — backed by the Treasury and the party — had come out, too. By Sunday, the South African Communist Party had joined the ranks of Mr Gordhan’s supporters, with the Congress of South African Trade Unions expected to follow soon.
It would be foolish to assume from this that Mr Zuma has lost his control of the ANC’s national executive committee — it remains his stronghold.
And the security establishment is also firmly behind him.
But it will be difficult for him and his closest supporters to ignore the noises of public support for Mr Gordhan, from the ANC and alliance structures more generally. These are voices they know will resonate deeply with what many citizens are thinking.
Mr Zuma might just be the one who will have to stand down.
14
Shares / Tax tables 2016-2017 attached
« on: February 25, 2016, 01:39:37 pm »
Please find them all in the attachment.
15
Shares / Look out, we are heading for a crash again
« on: February 20, 2016, 04:48:49 pm »
'Look out, we are heading for a crash again', warns William White, the central banker who predicted 2008 crisis
Ja boet, ons moet versigtig wees.
Edit:
Terloops, wat is die persentasie kontant in julle portefeuljes ?
Ja boet, ons moet versigtig wees.
Edit:
Terloops, wat is die persentasie kontant in julle portefeuljes ?