Mahesh Cooper
Articles by Mahesh Cooper
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 Q4 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer
It is with great sadness that I pay tribute to Gillian Gray, who passed away in December. I was fortunate to have spent time with Gill over the years and...
2024 Q3 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer
As I write this, we are around 140 days into the government of national unity (GNU), we have had an extended period of no loadshedding, and a 25-basis-point...
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...
2023 Q4 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer
It is hard to believe that almost four years have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic and the first lockdown, which began in mid-March 2020. While time seemed...
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 Q2 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer
Milestones naturally provide an opportunity for both reflection and prospection: It is always insightful looking back on lessons learnt, considering what is...
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 Q4 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer
Instability hit the world with renewed force in 2022. All this uncertainty reminds me of Hyman Minsky’s quote: “Stability leads to instability. The more stab...
2022 Q3 Comments from the Chief Operating Officer
The rising cost of living and doing business around the world as a result of escalating energy prices and interest rate hikes is creating unease. Investors a...
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...
How to select an investment manager
Focusing on past performance is often the first and only port of call for investors when trying to differentiate between investment managers. But there is no...
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...
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...
