The effective investor

At times of market upheaval, there is both heightened interest in the stock market and a greater need for sound advice. Although everyone in this country is directly or indirectly exposed to the stock market, existing or aspiring Private investors are often intimidated by it. Even professional investors often lack unbiased, clinical insights into the South African stock market. The purpose of this title is to fill this gap. All investors grapple with questions such as: What drives returns? What does risk really mean and how can I reduce it? How can I set realistic expectations? What traps are avoidable? How much should I invest offshore? This title answers these questions. It does so by explaining, in clear and simple terms, how the market works, the key principles that drive it and how to improve your investment performance and meet your expectations in both the short term and long term. It provides the findings of leading-edge research into the South African stock market, research that is normally only available to professional institutional investors. However, it is stripped of as much as possible of the usual jargon and written in an informal, easily-understandable style. The publication of a title such as this one is overdue. Up to now there has not been a single local book on investment based on research specific to the South African stock market (although there have been books with generic advice on how to trade on the JSE). This title is not a textbook in any sense but does provide the key insights any one should know on how the market works, insights that are more important in a downturn than at any other time.