News in South Africa 29th September: 1. Global stocks dropping: World stocks were on track for their longest losing streak in two years on Thursday as the sight of oil prices nearing $100 a barrel compounded concerns about persistently high global interest rates. There was brief respite from the dollar’s strength in currency markets, but […]
News in South Africa 7th August: 1. Government credibility scares off investors: The government’s lack of credibility due to its poor economic policy, unsustainable debt burden, and policy uncertainty adds to the risk premium on South African assets, making investors fearful of investing in the country. Following the South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB) Annual General […]
News in South Africa 25th July: 1. Rand makes a comeback: The rand is looking set for a tough week ahead, with US rate hikes likely to weaken the local currency. The rand has been one of the worst-performing major currencies in the world and reached a record high of nearly $20.00/$ in May. The […]
News in South Africa 14th July: 1. Rand breaks through R18/$: The rand broke through the psychologically important R18/$ level for the first time in just over three months on Thursday, boosted by positive US data, along with hopes that Chinese stimulus will offer support to commodity prices. The local currency reached R17.99/$ in mid-morning […]
News in South Africa 13th July: 1. Stage 8 load shedding warning: South Africa’s sudden return to stage 6 load shedding after about a month of day-time suspensions of the rolling blackouts is not really a surprise, say energy experts – and the risk of things escalating remains a possibility. Eskom was forced to return […]
News in South Africa 30th June: 1. SA – dangerous and violent: The Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP) published its Global Peace Index (GPI) for 2023, showing South Africa is less peaceful than a year ago – dropping eight places in the rankings. South Africa also now ranks as the 20th worst country in […]
News in South Africa 13th June: 1. Rand on the rise: Sentiment towards South Africa is slowly shifting, with markets embracing talks between the government and business leaders to address the energy, logistics and crime crises – while the state puts some substance behind its claims of neutrality towards Russia. According to Investec chief economists […]
News in South Africa 30th May: 1. Sanction warning: The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) has warned of dire consequences should the country face censure due to its stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At worst, secondary or indirect sanctions could be imposed on the country and lead to a sudden halt to capital inflows […]
News in South Africa 24th May: 1. Grocery costs spike: South Africans are cutting down on groceries amidst challenging economic conditions. Stats SA will publish the latest Consumer Price Inflation numbers on Wednesday (24 May), with economists anticipating a slight drop to 6.9% from 7.1% in March. Inflation has remained sticky at elevated levels, sitting […]
News in South Africa 26th July: 1. The ‘real’ value of the rand: The Economist has updated its Big Mac Index for mid-2022, showing how the rand continues to be one of the most undervalued currencies globally, relative to the US dollar. The Big Mac Index is an initiative created by The Economist that aims […]
