| Get ready to trim the hedges with Nico Katzke of Satrix, as he explores a technical but fascinating viewpoint on hedging of currency risk in balanced portfolios. He explores the difference between strategic and tactical hedging and the costs involved. If you're ready to challenge yourself this morning and open your mind to new skills, read this article>>> If you fell behind on pre-Easter news on the JSE, Ghost Wrap is by far the most efficient way to catch up. In under 9 minutes, I'll get you up to speed on Investec, CMH, Northam Platinum, Pick n Pay, EOH, Nampak, Murray & Roberts, Glencore and Rebosis b>. Brought to you by Mazars, you can listen to it here>>> The comments on my first guest appearance on Bruce Whitfield's Money Show were highly encouraging. I recorded a lengthy (22 minutes) Investment School segment with Bruce, touching on my approach to valuing stocks and why I believe concepts like common sense are half the battle won. Listen to the recording here>>> One company can give you clues about othersI love the ma rkets. You know this already. One of the things I love most is that the entire thing is one big game of joining the dots, where reading as widely as possible tends to pay off. Sometimes, you'll find juicy nuggets of information in the most unusual places. For example, De Beers (part of Anglo American) always announces the results of its diamond sales cycles. The announcements are rather boring to be honest and tough to do much with, as the Anglo share price really isn't going to be impacted by small movements in De Beers sales vs. expectations. I read them anyway, because you never know what you might find. In the latest announcement, there's a very interesting note on how demand from China is picking up now that borders have been opened. Consumer confidence is starting to return in one of the most important markets in the world for luxury items. This is a strong read-through for companies like Richemont. As I was finishing this mailer, I also saw news on Twitter that LVMH has reported strong sales growth thanks to Chinese demand. The dragon has awakened. Moving on, yesterday also saw Stor-Age announce a new acquisition in the UK that I think is a clever use of capital. By focusing on managing the properties rather than trying to own a controlling stake, Stor-Age is boosting its acquisition yield. It was a light day of news on the JSE, but these two stories alone make Ghost Bites worth reading. If you're a Brikor shareholder, you'll definitely want to read it as well. Find Ghost Bites here>>> Headline inflation looks good, core not so muchAre we done yet with the Fed hiking cycle? Although headline inflation came in at 5% (below expectations of 5.2%), the Fed is keeping a firm eye on core inflation and services inflation. As TreasuryONE points out, these remain stubbornly sticky. The market is still pricing in a 25 basis points hike at the May FOMC meeting and this will be the last inflation data print before the meeting, so all information is now on the table. The rand initially did well after the inflation print and then lost significant ground, trading at R18.40. The pressure on the rand doesn't seem to be subsiding, with a test of R18.70 looking entirely possible. Learn how to do investment research with Magic MarketsIn Magic Markets with my partner Mohammed Nalla, I'm really proud of the insights we bring you into stock research and investment management. Whether through expert guests (like Justine Brophy in the latest episode of Magic Markets, talking about $DEX and $STAA) or our own work in Magic Markets Premium, there's so much for you to learn. Speaking of Premium, our subscription price of R99/month hasn't changed since we launched. We are doing our best to keep the pricing as accessible as possible for investors who are ready to take the next step in learning about how to analyse global stocks. For an example of one of our reports and podcasts, click here>>> Intel: can things improve?The team at EasyEquities has released a research note on embattled tech company Intel. Things really haven't been going well at the company recently, with this note looking at whether the future can be brighter. Or even slightly less dim. Read it here>>> With that, I wish you a Thursday full of smiles and rechargeable lights. If it brings you any comfort at all today, I watched a video on Twitter yesterday of none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger filling a pothole in his neighbourhood. What he doesn't realise based on my experience in South Africa is this: they will be back. | 