in the room
with STANLIB
webinar
Asset allocation amidst significant market uncertainties in a recovering world
In March 2021, In the Room host, Stephen Backhouse was joined in studio by STANLIB’s Senior Portfolio Manager in the Absolute Returns investment team, Warren Buhai.
The pair chatted about how the STANLIB team views current market uncertainties brought about as the world recovers from the pandemic and global lockdowns and how these views feed into their current asset allocation views.
About the webinar
The world is steadily recovering from the pandemic: infection and hospitalisation rates continue to fall globally; vaccine rollouts have begun; governments are gradually easing lockdown restrictions and economies slowly recuperating. Given the sheer amount of monetary and fiscal stimulus over the past year, risk assets have performed exceptionally well since the very short bear market of Q1 2020. From here the outlook is more nuanced, largely driven by many uncertainties as the world reopens from its major enforced lockdown, including:
- Stimulus impact on growth and inflation
- Central Banks reaction function
- Potential impact on markets from the above
About STANLIB
STANLIB is a specialist investment manager, administering over R600 billion in assets under management
Whether you need to preserve your capital or create wealth in the long term, our teams of investment specialists can help you achieve your goals. We offer depth of expertise across investment disciplines – from absolute return and fixed income to listed property, balanced, equity and alternatives; spanning active and passive management, single and multi-manager offerings.
Through this wide range of investment capabilities we offer our clients both pooled and segregated investment solutions across a broad choice of traditional and alternative asset classes.
Our clients are at the centre of what we do
With our clients at the centre, our investment teams are developed to deliver outstanding outcomes through the skill, passion and dedication of each team member. Their unique blend of skills, areas of specialisation and perspectives enables us to make better-informed decisions so we can help our clients, both individuals and institutions, achieve their financial goals.
Diverse experience, cultural and educational backgrounds of our investment teams
Combined with our teams’ range of specialist skills, their focus on in-depth research and risk mitigation strategies, examining markets from diverse perspectives culminates in consistent long-term investment performance.
Being part of the greater Standard Bank and Liberty Groups
The size of our organisation allows for the acquisition of advanced systems, databases and research facilities and provides unique investment opportunities while our specialist team structure enables distinct focus on their areas of expertise.
The speakers
Warren Buhai
Senior Portfolio Manager
STANLIB
Warren re-joined STANLIB in February 2009 as a Portfolio Manager in the Equity and Balanced investment team making investment decisions across various asset classes including equities, fixed income, property, currencies and commodities.
His previous experience with STANLIB was in research and portfolio management in resources and commodity-related funds. In the interim, Warren obtained experience in the US, as MD of Investments for a private client business targeting opportunities in developed, emerging and frontier markets.
He transitioned to a portfolio management role in the STANLIB Absolute Return team in the second half of 2019.
Prior to joining STANLIB, Warren spent five years in Standard Bank’s Corporate Finance Team advising corporate clients across a wide range of sectors on mergers, acquisitions, disposals, listings, minority take-outs, capital restructurings, fairness opinions, empowerment transactions and other JSE-related activities.
Stephen Backhouse
Head of Strategic Accounts
INN8
Stephen is a business development specialist with over 11 years’ experience in the asset management and platform industry. Stephen’s focus is all aspects involved in forging long-lasting relationships with strategic partners, more specifically the Discretionary Fund Managers and large Key Accounts, who are influential partners in our industry and are important stakeholders for the future proposition of INN8.
He was previously the head of Marketing and Business Development at STANLIB, where he was responsible for the Standard Bank relationship. Stephen obtained his Bachelor of Commerce from Rhodes University, and his Honours in Financial Analysis and Portfolio Management from the University of Cape Town.