The wicked web of irresponsible relationships between business and politicians is expanding by the day. So many high-ranking government and municipal managers are involved in private businesses it's surprising a day's work gets done!

It looks like last week's prediction on the Alsi Top40 was spot on. We pegged the turn between 28,800 and 29,200 and, thanks to an incredibly poor set of US jobs numbers, the market briefly touched 29,024 before collapsing 500 points! At exactly 2:30pm on Friday, all the investors and traders who believed the world was recovering nicely, were kicked in the teeth. Hard!

I can remember my first transaction on the JSE as if it were yesterday… Someone had told my Dad about a mining company that seemed worth a punt. My Dad shared the information with me and we decided to purchase a few hundred shares. Our joint venture was quite successful and I was hooked on the excitement of stock markets and investing from that day on!

Last month, I wrote you an email telling you that one of the best ways to increase your investment success was to diversify your investment approach by reading the works of many different types of investor. To spread your sphere of influence, so to speak.

If there's one thing we need to change it's the sad state of the local telecoms industry. I started thinking about the topic after listening in on a Radio 702 Bruce Whitfield interview with Naspers CEO, Koos Bekker. Bekker observed that the country was virtually stuck in the dark ages of the Internet due to a decade of Department of Communications bungling. Our downfall stems from a lack of decent broadband Internet.

It looks like 27,000 on the Alsi Top40 has become a critical level for investors. A dismal June has seen the local market slide around 7% - and the month still isn’t over! The consensus among fund managers is that this is a fantastic opportunity to pick up stock cheap!