Mahesh Cooper
Articles by Mahesh Cooper
2025 Q3 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer
The FTSE/JSE All Share Index (ALSI) returned 12.9% in the third quarter, taking its year-to-date return to a remarkable 31.7%. Over the last five years, the...
2025 Q2 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer
The 90-day pause following US President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcements on 2 April has come to an end, with tariffs kicking into place on 1...
2025 Q1 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer
“There’s absolutely no place for certainty in the world of investing, and that’s particularly true at turning points and during upheavals.” – Howard Marks,...
2024 Q2 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer
Much has changed over this quarter. We have a government of national unity, and there is an air of cautious optimism prevailing. We are not the only country...
2024 Q1 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer
It is hard to ignore the rand and its movements relative to global currencies. Its performance seems linked to our national psyche, and it is one lens throug...
Looking to the long term
Turning 50 is an incredible milestone for any business. Over the last five decades, South Africa has experienced immense political, economic and societal...
2023 Q1 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer
This year marks 50 years since Allan Gray began offering investment management services in South Africa. The local unit trust industry was in its infancy, an...
2022 Q2 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer
There has been no respite from the extreme events the world has had to face in the last six months, be it war, or closer to home, devastating flooding, surgi...
Asset allocation: Top down, or bottom up?
Within a multi-asset class balanced portfolio , there are different ways to manage the asset allocation. Some managers prefer to follow a ‘top-down’ strategy...
Contrarian investing and different performance
The valuation-based approach to investing used by Allan Gray and our offshore partner Orbis is often contrarian since the shares that are most attractively...
Stable Fund: Safeguarding our clients' capital is our core focus
When we launched the Allan Gray Stable Fund (the Fund) 15 years ago, we hoped that it would provide clients with returns that were competitive with bank...
Stable Fund: Safeguarding our clients' capital is our core focus
When we launched the Allan Gray Stable Fund (the Fund) 15 years ago, we hoped that it would provide clients with returns that were competitive with bank...
Responsible Investing 2012
The Code for Responsible Investing in South Africa ('CRISA') was introduced in 2011 as an industry-wide initiative. Allan Gray supports CRISA's principles an...
Foreign exposure in the Allan Gray Stable Fund
The long-term track record of the Allan Gray Stable Fund shows returns well ahead of its benchmark and satisfactory capital stability. Nevertheless, the Fund...
