China offers an exciting emerging markets opportunity, driven by the country's vast manufacturing base and the progress made in areas like artificial technology. But geopolitical risks and the volatility that plagues emerging markets is also present, making it more difficult for investors to add exposure to this market.

With the launch of two new structured products that reference the Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 index, Investec has sculpted two payoff profiles that could appeal to investors of varying risk tolerances. With a combination of mechanisms that create capital protection and enhanced upside under certain outcomes, these products aim to take advantage of the opportunity in China, while reducing the overall risks.

Brian McMillan and James Cook of Investec joined me to talk through not just the appeal of China, but also the way in which the two products work. There's a wealth of information in this discussion on the Investec ZAR CSI 300 Digital Plus and the Investec USD CSI 300 Geared Growth products.

Applications close on 13 August, so you must move quickly if you are interested in investing. As always, it is recommended that you discuss any such investment with your financial advisor.

You can find all the information you need on the Investec website at this link.

Disclaimer

Martin Slabbert, co-founder of Prime Kapital, is someone that you've become familiar with thanks to the ongoing corporate finance activity around MAS Real Estate.

Prime Kapital has launched a voluntary bid to acquire all the shares in MAS, with the SENS announcement and circular having been distributed to shareholders. These documents can be complex to understand, so this podcast is aimed at explaining some of the key concepts of the deal and giving further insights into the recent noise in the market around MAS' relationship with Prime Kapital.

I was joined by both Martin Slabbert and Johan Holtzhausen, Chairman of PSG Capital, in his capacity as advisor to Prime Kapital. This podcast will be a useful resource to help you research and understand the transaction.

Important disclosure: Prime Kapital has paid a market-related fee for the production and placement of this podcast. The views shared by each of Martin Slabbert, Johan Holtzhausen and The Finance Ghost in this podcast reflect their opinions on the topics covered herein and should not be seen as financial advice. As noted in the podcast, The Finance Ghost currently holds a position in Hyprop, although Hyprop's offer for MAS has been withdrawn. The Finance Ghost has no position in MAS. As always, do your own research in forming a view on this transaction.

Tinus Rautenbach from Clarity by Investec is passionate about the markets and the full spectrum of its participants, from traders through to long-term investors. Clarity caters to them all, with Tinus joining me to share useful tips and insights into how volatility should be managed by different types of equity enthusiasts.

We covered concepts like the sources of volatility and its importance for long-term investors and traders alike, recognising the different goals of these players in the market. We also talked about how critical money management and position sizing are to the overall goal of protecting capital. The various tools used in risk management came up, as did the different kinds of inputs that traders and investors use in their processes.

For newer and more experienced investors and traders alike, this is a great overview of many of the most important elements of a successful market strategy.

As always, nothing you hear on this podcast should be taken as advice. Investec Corporate and Institutional Banking is a division of Investec Bank Limited, a licensed over-the-counter derivatives provider and an authorised Financial Services Provider, FSP number 11750.

Martin Slabbert of Prime Kapital has strong views on the Hyprop offer to MAS shareholders. As a follow-up to the press release dealing with his concerns around the deal, he joined The Finance Ghost on this podcast to dig deeper into key concepts including:

• The backstory to the relationship between Prime Kapital and MAS;
• His views on why Hyprop has put in this offer;
• The conditional nature of the Hyprop bid and the risks that he believes that this introduces;
• The highly unusual structuring of the deal in terms of how long the offer is open for;
• The nature of an irrevocable undertaking; and
• What the future might look like if this deal goes ahead.

Important disclosure: Prime Kapital has paid a market-related fee for the production and placement of this podcast. The views shared by each of Martin Slabbert and The Finance Ghost in this podcast reflect their opinions on the topics covered herein and should not be seen as financial advice. As noted in the podcast, The Finance Ghost currently holds a position in Hyprop. As always, do your own research in forming a view on this transaction.

The latest C-suite Barometer study by Forvis Mazars paints a positive picture for private equity and alternative investments, with 26% of global executives planning to use these channels to raise funds in the year ahead. South Africa is no different to the global trend here, as evidenced by the extent of exits and capital raising transactions in private vs. public markets.

But why is this the case? And will private equity continue to outpace IPOs as the exit mechanism for choice?

To unpack these topics, I was joined by Wiehann Olivier and Johan Marais of Forvis Mazars in South Africa.

Listen to this podcast if: you want to understand the structural advantages that private equity has over public markets, particularly for mid-sized companies.

With edgy branding and a highly unusual approach in South Africa of building from the ground up in public (i.e. while listed on the JSE), Altvest is playing life on hard mode. CEO and founder Warren Wheatley knows this, yet he remains steadfast in his belief about what they are building.

With no shortage of critics (and a few negative clickbaity articles in the press along the way), Warren approached me to have a no-holds-barred conversation with him about literally anything that I felt was pertinent to Altvest investors. I also canvassed my followers on platforms like X to get a sense of the questions they wanted me to ask.

The result? Over an hour of hard-hitting discussion on topics ranging from the branding strategy and underlying assets in Altvest through to the concerns in the market around remuneration and the related party transactions. As balanced and authentic discussions go, you won't find better than this.

As always, the Ghost Mail platform is here to help you form your own view about what's out there in the market. Listen to this podcast and decide for yourself whether Warren and the Altvest team will make this a success or suffer a failure. Remember to speak to your financial advisor, as nothing you hear on the Ghost Stories podcast should be seen as advice.

With half of 2025 in the rearview mirror, it's been a period in which investors have actively looked for opportunities beyond the United States. That's good news not just for alternatives like Europe, but emerging markets like India and China as well.

Kingsley Williams (Chief Investment Officer of Satrix*) joined The Finance Ghost to talk about the key drivers and opportunities in each of China and India. The discussion also included insights from Ghost's bottoms-up analysis of US-based companies and what those strategies teach us about what is happening elsewhere in the world.

There's a lot more in the markets than just the S&P 500. This podcast will appeal to anyone looking to broaden their horizons and enhance their understanding of global investment opportunities.

This podcast was first published here.

For more information, visit https://satrix.co.za/products

*Satrix is a division of Sanlam Investment Management.

Disclaimer:

Satrix Investments (Pty) Ltd & Satrix Managers (RF) (Pty) Ltd is an authorised financial services provider. The information does not constitute advice as contemplated in FAIS. Use or rely on this information at your own risk. Consult your Financial Adviser before making an investment decision. While every effort has been made to ensure the reasonableness and accuracy of the information contained in this document (“the information”), the FSP’s, its shareholders, subsidiaries, clients, agents, officers and employees do not make any representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or suitability of the information and shall not be held responsible and disclaims all liability for any loss, liability and damage whatsoever suffered as a result of or which may be attributable, directly or indirectly, to any use of or reliance upon the information. For more information, visit https://satrix.co.za/products

PSG Financial Services is the proud sponsor of the Think Big South Africa competition, in collaboration with Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA). PSG wants to encourage South Africans to get involved in their country at the highest level, bringing forward policy ideas and constructive solutions to drive conversations and real change in our country.

The 2025 topic is How Capital Markets Enhance Economic Performance and Facilitate Job Creation. Papers are due for submission by 30 August 2025. In addition to the fantastic opportunity to drive change in our country, there's an impressive first prize of R500,000 and there are several other cash prizes as well.

To discuss the importance of this competition and why PSG is so proud to be involved, PSG Financial Services CEO Francois Gouws joined me on this podcast.

You can find out more about the competition at this link.