Financial Mail’s annual forward look for stocks always makes for interesting reading. In this issue, Peter Takaendesa, CIO of Mergence Investment Managers, comments on the market and then homes in on a few stocks. He says the local equity market has room to deliver double-digit total returns again in 2026, with falling interest rates and strong export commodity prices vs relatively weak energy prices remaining broadly supportive to earnings growth and the valuation multiple of the JSE. But he cautions that there are potential major risks, including an inflation shock forcing central banks to reverse interest rate cuts, major escalation in geopolitical tensions between the largest global economies and a collapse in AI infrastructure investment. Regarding stocks, Peter gives a three-year view on Naspers/Prosus, ABInBev and AngloGold, Optasia, Absa and Bidvest.

MTN Irans’s woes deepen with CEO ousted over shutdown delay
Commenting on Bloomberg on MTN’s operations in Iran, Peter Takaendesa, CIO of Mergence Investment Managers, highlights that MTN’s problems in
