Africa: Supply and Demand of Private Equity Funding Capital Skewed
The supply of capital for large cap opportunities in Africa is outstripping the demand for capital. At the same time, small and mid-caps are underfunded across the continent, with the exception of North Africa. This keeps the price within a lower range as competition among investors is lower. “Smaller sized transactions are priced similarly to...
Meaningful African Markets for Investment
Africa is not a single investment destination with a single set of standardised risk factors and homogenous potential for reward. Although some high-level similarities are evident, digging into the specifics of certain regions and countries show that Africa is comprised of a range of distinct investment destinations; each with its own attractions, challenges,...
Is East Africa’s Gas Asset Boom About To Go Bust?
Recent oil and gas discoveries across East Africa, most notably in Mozambique and Tanzania, have seen the region emerge as a new player in the global oil and gas industry. As exciting as the huge gas fields of East Africa are, however, the strong decline in oil prices and expectations for an L-shaped recovery with...
Making Sense of Derivatives in Your Investment Strategy
Derivatives are often perceived to be complicated financial contracts left only to the experienced or risk savvy investor. Derivatives are contracts, linked to various securities from which they derive their value. This being said, the actual derivative has no intrinsic value, receiving its value from its underlying investment. The vast world of the...
White Hot Wine Awards 2015
In conjunction with RisCura, a global financial services provider, Winemag.co.za is pleased to announce the third annual RisCura White Hot Wine Awards featuring Bordeaux-style white blends. The Graves sub-region of Bordeaux excels at under-stated, oak-aged dry whites from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. In simple terms, Sauvignon Blanc provides freshness...
Unlisted Investment as a Driver for Namibia’s Economic Growth
In the past weeks I could not help but notice how unlisted investment managers have become the must-see group of people in the industry, as pension funds hurry to find themselves the right managers. Understandably, pension funds had to move fast in order to meet the deadline that was looming to ensure compliance with regulation....
Katutura Old Age Home Gets Green, Solar Driven Water Heating System
Asset consultant, RisCura is extending its support to the Katutura Old Age Home in Windhoek with the addition of a brand new water heating system. “When we discovered that residents had been heating water on the kitchen stove for bath water, which is dangerous, as well as disruptive during meal preparation, we knew we needed...
Survey Data: A Blunt Toon in the Toolkit
Let’s assume that investment manager selection is not your daily bread, but you need to select one. Your first stop might be to turn to readily-available manager surveys. But is this really the right starting point? For portfolio construction and manager selection purposes, managers can be classified into two broad groups: Beta farmers and Alpha...
Evaluating Risk in the African Energy Market
The recent downturn in commodity prices and the resulting impact on the finances of many African countries has resulted in significant changes in the risk profile of the African energy market. With projects across the financing, construction and operational phases being affected. Funding and the ability of governments to make ongoing payments, represent...