Interest rates are a monetary tool used by central banks.
It affects:
• Cost of borrowing
• Return on savings
• Returns on investment
Interest rates down = punishes savers.
Interest rates up = rewards savers.
• Asset classes
There are many different asset classes to invest in - each with their own risk.
We always hear people saying invest in ETFs, or buy crypto without really fully understanding risk.
What if I am looking for complete safety?
Check below of some examples 👇🏽
• Fixed accounts
Fixed/ D acc are for people who really can’t handle risk, they guarantee your capital, but returns can be really low.
And at the end of the day banks restrict you from accessing your money for a set period and then they use it to invest in riskier assets.
• Example:
R20 000 invested in a fixed deposit @ 7% year. (5 years)
You’ll have R28 050 (40% return) over a 5 year period.
Now it doesn’t sound impressive especially in a world of 100% return in a few week.
So why would I choose to invest in something like this?
• Pros/Cons
• Pros
- Money is guaranteed
- less risk
- No volatility
- Approaching retirement
•Cons
- Returns are lower
- No access to capital
- Penalty for early withdrawal
- Banks use your money to invest
• Interest rates
Interest Rates dictate returns, if
I/R are low then there is no real incentive to invest, but if interest rates rise then savers may opt for fixed/D. This could pull capital from other asset classes - possibly equities.
Risk premium will play a role 👇🏽
• Risk Premium
We all want to be compensated for the level of risk we take. Now, if I can earn a higher return with lower risk - then I’d take it. That’s the concept.
If rates drop it increases the risk of holding cash + vice versa.
•How to Invest
Investing can be daunting, and knowing where to place our eggs can be challenging.
The best option is to diversify
If you are worried about fixed deposit accounts, or investing, then check this:
South Africa is preparing for one of its biggest financial regulation shake-ups in decades.
𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗢𝗙𝗜 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹
It will completely overhaul how every financial institution operates, from Banks and Insurers to Fintech and Crypto companies.
𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝘂𝘁 🔻
1/ Back Story
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗢𝗙𝗜 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗧𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹, designed to create one unified, streamlined framework for overseeing how all financial institutions conduct themselves.
The reform process started with a policy paper around 2014, and by 2017 the Financial Sector Regulation Act (FSR Act) was enacted, officially establishing the two new regulators that underpin the system:
The Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) is leading the charge on South Africa’s Conduct of Financial Institutions Bill (𝗖𝗢𝗙𝗜 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹), which will overhaul the country’s market-conduct rules for financial institutions.
Let me explain the difference between RSA Retail Savings Bonds and tradable South African bonds.
𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 🔻
** Glossary **
𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗱:
A bond is a debt security. You can think of it as an I-O-U.
You lend money to someone, and then they promise to pay that money back to you + interest.
𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆:
Refers to the date on which the bond issuer (debtor) pays back everything they owe to bondholders ( creditor ).
1/ Introduction
When it comes to bonds there are two markets one can opt to participate in:
🟠 The Primary Market
🟠 The Secondary Market
The primary market is where you 𝗯𝘂𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 but then cannot sell it to someone else because there is no secondary market for it.
𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗦𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 and this is what makes them different from tradable government bonds.
𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁,
Tradable government bonds have a secondary market where they can be traded or held to maturity.
This means you can sell it when you want to, but it also means you can potentially lose money if the bond price has fallen lower than your original purchase price.
With tradable government bonds, you are 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸.