19 May 2010 09:06

Position your portfolio for resurgent inflation

Alec Hogg reckons UK data and Paulson's F-13 should worry inflation doves.

MOOI RIVER - Because they regard actually losing money as the number one sin, the risk-averse nature of value investors causes them to buy before the crowd, but also bale out before the peak. What they lack in timing can paint them like tortoises against more agile investment hares. But it also makes them excellent harbingers of unpleasant economic developments. Right now, the best of the value investing school is obsessing about a revival of high inflation.

Those who fret about a curse, which has been absent for a generation, received further reason for concern from official quarters on Tuesday when, for the umpteenth month, the UK's inflation figure for April came out higher (3.7% year on year) than predicted by polled economists. Inflation in the UK is now running almost doub...

28 January 2010 02:59

Dear Mr Gates

Alec Hogg responds to an e-mail he received from the world's richest man.

DAVOS - Dear Mr Gates. Thank you for the inspiration you provided in your annual letter - http://bit.ly/5rZats - and for drawing attention to it through the note I received today as a participant at the 2010 World Economic Forum. Many of us are looking forward to hearing more from you in Davos this week. Especially how innovation reaps massive rewards when applied to improving the human condition.

Given your reference to male circumcision, and the stat you provided that 18% of South Africans are HIV-positive, you may be interested to hear that there is excellent progress being made among the Zulu nation. Please forgive me if I'm repeating something you're well aware of already, but I was fascinated t...