Analysing the journalistic basics of becoming a top young analyst

On 27 May, Oberholzer was named top young analyst of the year for non-equities research for his research on South African Thermal Coal at the Financial Mail Top Analysts Awards 2015.

James Oberholzer

The category Oberholzer won, Top Young Analyst of the year, is an especially worthy accolade as it's a brand new category, introduced to recognise and award analysts under the age of 30 and get them noticed in an industry of giants and highly experienced professionals.

Winners are awarded according to various measurement criteria and the Awards, previously called Ranking the Analyst, are dubbed the 'Oscars' of the financial industry. Sponsored by INET BFA in partnership with research company Intellidex, they've have become the benchmark of SA's leading assessment of institutional stockbrokers.

I chatted exclusively to Oberholzer about his win...

1. Congratulations! How did it feel to win? Was this your proudest career moment?

Oberholzer: It was a great honour to win Top Young Analyst and I'm thrilled that the category was introduced in time for me to be considered. It is the highest accolade achieved in my career to date. The standard of research produced in South Africa is exceptionally high, so to be recognised for your work is always great.

2. Tell us about the state of financial journalism in the country and what it takes to write a good financial article...

Oberholzer: What we (analysts) do is less financial journalism and more research, analysis and knowledge dissemination. I suppose the real challenge is to come up with new and interesting ways to add value to the lives of your clients. I find that the most value is often created with spending time on a "deep dive" piece of research that goes into detail on a particular topic or issue that has some kind of investment angle. The less researched, more complex and more relevant the topic, the more value is added.

3. Journalism's usually all about the words - what's the importance of stats interpretation and good analytical skills in financial journalism?

Oberholzer: The words are only relevant in so far as it makes the report easier to read and/or increases the likelihood that it will actually be read. The 'what' is far more important than the 'how' given (one hopes) that the information exchanged will ultimately result in a positive investment decision outcome.