With inflation worries on the horizon internationally and locally, many are concerned that this could adversely affect economic growth and corporate earnings, which have just started to recover from the extreme downside caused by the global coronavirus pandemic. As inflation increases, central banks are tapering off stimulus packages, and need to do so in a…
The rand was surprisingly strong this week, gaining 2.3% against the dollar. What is unusual is that it achieved this in the midst of a stronger dollar and slightly softer global equity markets. Ordinarily global risk-on sentiment leads to a weaker dollar, rising global equity markets, and stronger emerging market currencies. At the moment, the…
International markets seem set on strong growth, with the S&P 500 closing several days at new highs. The S&P hit its 50th all-time high on 24 August 2021, placing it 20% up for the year to date. It seems this market is pricing in job gains with the US probably having added 725,000 jobs in…
Covid-19 has catalysed an innovation culture with many new software applications, security solutions, devices, and ways of working coming out of people’s need to hunker down at home while carrying on with their day-to-day jobs. An explosion in small business registrations and start-up activity bodes well, since small enterprises drive economic growth. According to the…
South Africa’s Department of Social Security raised eyebrows this week by proposing a comprehensive overhaul of the social security system that could significantly increase the tax burden for most taxpayers. This comes at a time when government has broken the social contract through its inability to rein in corruption and deliver efficient, quality social services…
The market is closely watching US inflation, which was in line with July expectations after dramatically exceeding them in June. For much of the year, investors have been concerned that inflation, which is generally linked to growth, could spike – leading to a drastic, market-shaking change in monetary policy and that the US Federal Reserve…
This week’s edition focuses on the global airline industry, as its operational status serves as a primary indicator of whether the global economy is truly open, or not. On the home front, the major development was President Ramaphosa’s announcement last night of a Cabinet reshuffle. Our analysis is summarised in terms of positives and negatives…
Chinese tech giants lost hundreds of billions of dollars in market capitalisation early this week as the government widened its crackdown on the sector – a move that has unnerved international investors who remember how Beijing last year put the brakes on the planned initial public offering (IPO) for Ant, one of the country’s largest…
An article in the New York Times this week asks whether the US economy is running too hot or too cold as it reboots in the wake of Covid-19. Although the economy is alive with possibilities, inflation is outstripping pay gains for many workers, with the number of those employed far below pre-pandemic levels. Both…
