Simon’s weekly wrap: How big tech remains magnificent despite volatile year

I chatted with Nishlen Govender, Citadel portfolio manager, about big tech in the US. They’ve had a volatile year, but they remain global leaders with strong revenue, large defensive moats and good cash generation. We went into detail on some of his preferred and less liked Magnificent Seven stocks.

Sappi published a tough set of results, and I spoke with CEO Steve Binnie. Plant maintenance that took longer than expected was the main pain point and we also chatted about tariffs. Less than 10% of their goods cross US boarders and with manufacturing capacity within the US, they may actually benefit from any tariffs as other offshore producers will see their goods tariffed.

You can also listen to this podcast on iono.fm here.

Agriculture is another sector that could come under pressure due to tariffs, and I spoke with Abrie Rautenbach from Absa AgriBusiness. He says it’s important they keep produce on the shelves in the US or they risk losing market share. But overall, he’s confident that at current levels, local farmers can still compete as other farmers outside the US are facing similar tariffs.

You can also listen to this podcast on iono.fm here.

Karooooo published year-end results that were the most profitable yet and I spoke with CEO Zak Calisto about the results. The fourth quarter of the year was the strongest, so they have good momentum going into their new financial year and are looking to expand sales teams to support further customer acquisition.

You can also listen to this podcast on iono.fm here.