Smart Money – PortfolioMetrix CIO Philip Bradford discusses the South African fixed-income market

In this Smart Money with Alishia Seckam interview, Philip Bradford discusses South African government bonds.

Bradford is the Chief Investment Officer for South Africa at PortfolioMetrix Asset Management – a leading investment management organisation.

He began his career in the financial sector at Investec in 1999, working in asset management and as a bond and interest rate trader.

In 2008, he was appointed as the CIO at Absa Wealth – and he held this position until 2014.

He then moved to Sasfin Asset Managers, where he again worked as the company’s CIO until taking on his current role at PortfolioMetrix Asset Management in 2021.

With over 25 years of industry experience, Bradford brings extensive experience to the PortfolioMetrix Asset Management team.

He is a multiple-award-winning fund manager, including winning two Morningstar awards and four Raging Bull awards.

Bradford currently manages a number of fixed-income and multi-asset class funds for PortfolioMetrix Asset Management.

He is a CFA Charterholder and the past president of the CFA Society South Africa.

The interview

In this Smart Money interview, Bradford discusses the most significant challenges he has faced when managing large, award-winning funds.

He talks about PortfolioMetrix Asset Management winning Best DFM at the Professional Adviser Awards 2025.

Bradford then focuses on SA government bonds, discussing his view on them in the context of South Africa’s rapidly rising debt burden.

He also advises those considering buying long-dated SA government bonds as a buy-and-hold strategy.

Bradford concludes the discussion by unpacking the ways retail investors can get exposure to government or corporate bonds.

Watch the full interview with Philip Bradford, below.