Three weeks into the US-Israel military campaign against Iran, the conflict appears to have entered a dangerous new phase. Israeli strikes on South Pars, the world’s largest natural gas field, prompted Tehran to retaliate with attacks on energy infrastructure across neighbouring Gulf states. Markets responded swiftly to the prospects of a wider regional war and…
With the Israeli-US military campaign against Iran ending its second week, financial markets are grappling with what the long-term consequences might be. For now, markets are not pricing in the worst-case scenarios, despite the International Energy Agency (IEA) describing the situation as the largest disruption to oil supply in world history. Iran’s effective closure of…
On 28 February, the United States (US) and Israel launched a wide range of coordinated strikes on the Iranian military as well as political targets. Iran responded shortly thereafter with attacks across the Gulf States and Israel. According to The Economist, Israel’s objective in the war is clear: to eliminate the threat posed by Iran’s…
Last year, South Africa’s National Budget Speech was mired in controversy. Disagreements among parties in the Government of National Unity (GNU) over a proposed two percentage point increase in VAT delayed the presentation of the final budget and rattled markets. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s National Budget Speech this year offered a striking contrast to that…
For investors who simply follow the indices, it may look as if equities markets are taking a breather during the early months of 2026. The S&P 500 is essentially flat for the year-to-date, a striking contrast to a wild ride in 2025 that ended with the index up 17.9% to record its third consecutive year…
Fears of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) apocalypse were once the stuff of science fiction. Now, investors are contemplating whether the launch of powerful new AI tools from Anthropic, one of the world’s leading AI startups, will lead to the extinction of many well-established companies and sectors in the knowledge economy. The new functionality for Anthropic’s…
US President Donald Trump last week named Kevin Warsh as his preferred chair for the US Federal Reserve at a fraught moment for monetary policy. Warsh’s nomination comes at a time when many market participants are concerned about the Fed’s independence and the pressure Trump has placed on the central bank to slash interest rates.…
The US dollar started 2026 in much the same way as it spent most of last year: under pressure. The American greenback had, until Wednesday, lost around 1.9% of its value against a basket of developed-market peers, and although having retraced 0.5% as of Friday, extended a slide that has gathered pace since Donald Trump…
The world’s political and business elite gathered in Davos, Switzerland, this week, raising questions about who sets the rules and who is forced to live with them during this time of geopolitical realignment. US President Donald Trump made himself the centre of attention before the event even started with a renewed demand that the US…
