Rates, Risks and Resources: Markets Brace for SARB Call as Global Trade Tensions and JSE Reforms Collide
Rates, Risks and Resources: Markets Brace for SARB Call as Global Trade Tensions and JSE Reforms Collide South Africa heads into a critical week with markets balancing cautious optimism at home against rising global uncertainty. Investors are watching the South African Reserve Bank’s first Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting of 2026, as debate intensifies over when the next interest rate cut […]
From Ghost Malls to Illicit Trade: Economic Fault Lines Shadow a Flat Close on the JSE
From Ghost Malls to Illicit Trade: Economic Fault Lines Shadow a Flat Close on the JSE In Pretoria, a once-ambitious shopping centre now stands silent, its unfinished storefronts and empty corridors a stark reminder of South Africa’s unresolved economic fractures. The Villa Retail Park, a R3.5 billion development intended to rival Menlyn Park, has remained abandoned […]
Rand Strength, JSE Decline, Visa Restrictions, and Smelter Relief Shape South Africa’s Markets
Rand Strength, JSE Decline, Visa Restrictions, and Smelter Relief Shape South Africa’s Markets South Africa’s markets and industries faced a mixed day on Friday, with domestic and global developments driving investor caution. The JSE All Share Index slipped, the rand held its strongest levels since 2022, visa restrictions tightened for South African passport holders, and the […]
US Slams South Africa Over Iran Naval Drills as Markets Turn Cautious and Zero-Tolerance Drink-Driving Law Looms
US Slams South Africa Over Iran Naval Drills as Markets Turn Cautious and Zero-Tolerance Drink-Driving Law Looms The U.S. once again tops the headlines, sending a clear diplomatic signal that South Africa’s foreign policy choices are under growing international scrutiny. Washington’s unusually blunt condemnation of South Africa’s naval exercises with Iran has landed at a sensitive […]
Sugar tax strain, jobs losses and foot-and-mouth crisis frame cautious trade on the JSE
Sugar tax strain, jobs losses and foot-and-mouth crisis frame cautious trade on the JSE The sugar fairy can start to relax, as South Africa’s mandated sugar tax, introduced in 2018, has increasingly proven the saying about cutting off your nose to spite your own face. While the levy was intended to improve public health, industry data now […]
JSE hits record high, but trade risks, weak growth and policy uncertainty weigh on South Africa’s outlook
JSE hits record high, but trade risks, weak growth and policy uncertainty weigh on South Africa’s outlook The JSE has been pushed to a fresh record this week, driven by strong commodity prices and gains in heavyweight mining shares. Yet the broader economy remains under pressure, with new trade threats from the United States (U.S.), rising regulatory demands on employers, […]
South Africa Faces Complex Challenges as Markets Rally and Key Social Issues Emerge
South Africa Faces Complex Challenges as Markets Rally and Key Social Issues Emerge President Cyril Ramaphosa faces sleepless nights as South Africa’s unemployment crisis deepens, leaving millions without work, even as the country continues to attract jobseekers from Lesotho, where opportunities are far more limited. At the same time, the 2025 matric results hit a record 88% […]
From New Year’s Resolution to Oil Shocks: Market Firm as Resource Lead and Global Risks Mount
From New Year’s Resolutions to Oil Shocks: Markets Firm as Resources Lead and Global Risks Mount Every year begins the same way: bold resolutions made somewhere between leftover Christmas pudding and a creeping sense of dread about January debit orders. This is the year people will finally use that gym membership instead of donating to […]
From Trump’s Venezuela takeover to falling markets and booming car sales: the forces reshaping South Africa’s economy
From Trump’s Venezuela takeover to falling markets and booming car sales: the forces reshaping South Africa’s economy Relations between Washington and Pretoria are fragile, shaped by diplomatic tension, growing global uncertainty and stark public protest. On Thursday, dozens of people gathered outside the United States Embassy in Pretoria to condemn the US intervention in Venezuela and the […]
Markets soften as structural pressures tighten across economy
Markets soften as structural pressures tighten across economy South Africa’s economic landscape on Wednesday reflected a familiar but sharpening contrast: financial markets paused after a strong run, while underlying pressures on workers, households and municipalities continued to mount. Equities retreated modestly, the rand held its ground, and commodities cooled — yet beneath the surface, unemployment, […]