Why is the downgrade important?

The economic and trade repercussions of geopolitical instability, highlighted in the oil price breaching $120 per barrel, on top of the continued effects of Covid-19 lockdowns and supply chain issues, continue to cloud the investment outlook, says Richard Bray, head of strategy at Amplify Investment Partners.
The ability to navigate macro forces such as these and incorporate them into tactical investment strategies is at the core of finding investment opportunities, he says, adding that the inflation and interest rate outlook is currently top of mind for managers of Amplify’s funds.

Amplify Investment Partners has received regulatory approval to rebrand its seven hedge funds under the Amplify name. These include multi-strategy, long-short equity and fixed-income hedge funds.

At the heart of the Intelligent Impact, created by Amplify Investment Partners, is a group of experts that work together tirelessly to effect meaningful investment returns and meaningful change in society and the environment. Speaking at the Amplify One Moment event held on Friday 4 March, Amplify’s Head, Marthinus van der Nest said that for Amplify, Intelligent Impact starts with being able to intelligently identify the right asset managers for clients.

Investors are increasingly looking to diversify their risk with new investment avenues that provide more certainty in terms of returns in this environment. However, they are also looking for purpose by making a meaningful contribution to society and the environment around them, says Marthinus van der Nest, head of Amplify Investment Partners.

Amplify has identified three key trends that will shape investment demand in 2022. Read more about these trends and how Amplify is positioned to benefit from them.

Iain Power, chief investment officer of Truffle Asset Management, which manages the Amplify SCI* Wealth Protector Fund, points out that while managing to beat the benchmark, the fund minimises potential drawdowns and capital loss. learn more about the performance and positioning of this multiple award winning fund.

Amplify Investment Partners has won first place in the inaugural 2021 City Wire South Africa Awards for its Amplify SCI* Wealth Protector Fund receiving top honours for the best Mixed Assets – Conservative Fund.

Terebinth’s Erik Nel believes asset allocators need a proper grasp of risk in the credit market.

Citywire is delighted to extend its awards into South Africa for the first time this year.

The Citywire South Africa Awards 2021 recognise fund managers and asset management groups with funds available in South Africa.

China’s attempts to close the wealth gap, manifesting in policy adjustments at a time when it is going through its own energy crisis and internal constraints, introduces the potential for Chinese growth to be weaker or softer than anticipated, especially leading into 2022, which has a bearing on resource-type assets.

The importance of agile and active asset management has become critically important in a highly volatile and challenging investment environment.

The path South Africa is on “is almost guaranteed to lead to a balance-of-payment crisis as the currency (the country’s share price) will experience a sudden stop event (a large-scale exodus of foreign investments)”, and South Africa may have to go cap in hand to the International Monetary Fund. But it is not difficult to change the direction.

Active management has been critically important in the low return environment of the past five years and the volatility of the past year. Amplify found itself ideally positioned with its choice of boutique managers, many of whom have hedge fund backgrounds, with the ability to act quickly and use a variety of investment tools to excel in a challenging investment environment.