This week bore witness to various political leaders pursuing personal and party agendas above all else, risking the prosperity of their own countries in the process. From the closure of US and Chinese consulates, to President Trump’s protectionist election campaign, and President Xi Jinping’s clashes with India, Britain, Canada, and Australia, the scale of disruption…
In a similar pattern to that of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, it appears to be Main Street (small businesses, the middle class, and the general economy), and not Wall Street (large investment firms, major corporations, and super-wealthy individuals), who are carrying the real burden of the economic impacts of the coronavirus. Millions of people around the…
This week saw global equity markets rise once again, in defiance of worsening economic fundamentals and forward earnings forecasts, primarily caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. To explain this paradox, we have included a link to a piece by Robert J Shiller, an American economist, entitled “Understanding the Pandemic Stock Market.” Further underlying our cautious approach…
This week Gita Gopinath, the IMF’s chief economist, announced that the decline in GDP for 2020 would be worse than forecast a few months ago, and that the Fund has lowered its expectations for an economic rebound next year. Meanwhile in South Africa, our economy is forecast to contract by around 7% for the current…
“The individual investor should act consistently as an investor and not as a speculator.” – Benjamin Graham, a British-born American economist, professor, and investor Benjamin Graham’s statement was made in the context that the future is very difficult to predict and that decisions should be based on real facts and analysis rather than risky,…
“The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.” – John Maynard Keynes, a British economist These words especially resonate with us today as we evaluate the impact that Covid-19 will have on consumer behaviour and the way businesses will be reshaped. For example, to maintain business sustainability…
When the going gets tough, the tough get going: World leadership has been under a magnifying glass since the offset of Covid-19. Some leaders have excelled, such as Prime Minister of New Zealand – Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of Norway – Erna Solberg, Chancellor of Germany – Angela Merkel, and President of Taiwan – Tsai…
As we approach the end of May, the S&P Index looks set to post a gain of 4% for the month, with various stock market indices across the globe in sync with this trend. Meanwhile, in the US, 36 million Americans have filed unemployment claims and GDP has contracted by 4.8% in the first quarter…
Once again, markets this week were ignited by optimism that a potential vaccine to the coronavirus may have been discovered. Each time there is a glimmer of potential for Covid-19 preventive medication, markets tend to soar, but these fluxes are not based on fundamental tenets. Even if a cure were to be developed, approved, and…
