Old Mutual Wealth

Beauty is booming – and not just globally. From skincare to makeup and fragrance, SA retailers are waking up to the higher margins and loyal, repeat customers the beauty segment offers. In this insightful interview with Simon Brown, Tasneem Samodien, Research Analyst at Private Clients by Old Mutual Wealth, explains how brands like TFG, Mr Price and Woolworths are tapping into local insights to build private-label beauty offerings that resonate.

Once a beauty industry darling, Estée Lauder has lost over 80% of its value since late 2021. What went wrong — and can it be fixed? In this insightful podcast, Tasneem Samodien, Research Analyst at Private Clients by Old Mutual Wealth, unpacks how overexposure to China, reliance on travel retail, and missteps in management turned a premium beauty brand into a turnaround story.  “It’s not a brand problem. It’s a management problem,” says Tasneem. “And now it’s a wait-and-see story for the new leadership team.”

Google’s parent company is spending big on AI and cloud infrastructure — a 43% increase on last year’s capex. In this podcast, Private Clients by Old Mutual Wealth analyst Nadine Chetty-Khan explains why this bold move echoes past wins like YouTube, Maps and Android. “Alphabet isn’t just building AI models — it’s building the infrastructure for an AI-powered internet.”

Africa’s largest financial services provider, Standard Bank reported a resilient 2024 half-year performance amid a challenging credit market in SA. Private Clients Research Analyst, Tasneem Samodien, discusses the results and explains why the team expect Standard Bank to continue growing earnings over the long term.

Tasneem Samodien, Research Analyst at Private Clients by Old Mutual Wealth discusses Standard Bank’s 2023 full-year results and its exposure to Africa, which is expected to remain a meaningful earnings driver in the long term.