A tale of two South Africas: booming markets, billionaire gains — and households under strain
A tale of two South Africas: booming markets, billionaire gains — and households under strain South Africa enters 2026 caught in a familiar but deepening contradiction. On the one hand, financial markets are rallying, billionaires are getting richer, and leading economists are talking up political and economic renewal. On the other hand, millions of households earning […]
Markets Hold, Consumers Falter: A Fragile Start to 2026 for South Africa
Markets Hold, Consumers Falter: A Fragile Start to 2026 for South Africa Six days into 2026 and South Africans are already feeling the strain — from jittery markets and global geopolitical shocks and conflict to pressure on household finances and sweeping changes to how cash will work in the economy. While the JSE closed firmer on Monday, the gains masked […]
Trump Orders U.S. Operation That Captures Venezuelan President Maduro, Markets Respond
Trump Orders U.S. Operation That Captures Venezuelan President Maduro, Markets Respond Global attention shifted dramatically over the weekend after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during a military operation in Caracas and transported him to the United States to face federal charges, including alleged drug-trafficking and narco-terrorism offenses. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would temporarily oversee […]
South Africa Ends Week with Firmer Markets, Policy Debates, Global Culinary Award, and Proposed Gambling Tax
South Africa Ends Week with Firmer Markets, Policy Debates, Global Culinary Award, and Proposed Gambling Tax South Africa closed the week on a mildly positive note, with the JSE recording gains, the rand strengthening slightly, and commodity prices supporting trade across key sectors. Beyond the financial markets, the country made headlines internationally after a Cape Town […]
Markets Weaken, SABC Faces a Blackout Threat, Black Friday Turns Into a Toilet-Paper War, and Pepkor Shuts Shoe City
Markets Weaken, SABC Faces a Blackout Threat, Black Friday Turns Into a Toilet-Paper War, and Pepkor Shuts Shoe City The JSE sank further into negative territory on Thursday as big-name counters dragged the market down, overshadowing a handful of resilient sectors. Beyond the trading screens, the SABC is inching perilously closer to a national broadcast blackout as its financial crisis deepens. […]
South African Markets Surge Amid Economic Strain and Social Controversy
South African Markets Surge Amid Economic Strain and Social Controversy South African markets powered higher on Wednesday, with the JSE All Share Index rising 1.42% to 111,862, extending gains to 19.3% year-to-date and 33% over the past year. Strong performances in resources, mid-cap, and small-cap stocks underscored investor confidence, even as the country grapples with structural economic […]
Markets Edge Into Recovery as Political Tensions and Courtroom Dramas Dominate the National Mood
Markets Edge Into Recovery as Political Tensions and Courtroom Dramas Dominate the National Mood South Africa’s markets are slowly clawing their way back from last week’s bruising declines, but the broader national mood remains shaped as much by politics and courtroom theatrics as by equity performance. While the JSE showed early signs of stabilising on Tuesday, the headlines were […]
Markets Hold Their Nerve as JSE Edges Higher, Rand Firms, and Policy Tensions Rise
Markets Hold Their Nerve as JSE Edges Higher, Rand Firms, and Policy Tensions Rise South Africa’s markets navigated a messy yet ultimately positive start to the week, with the JSE managing a modest climb despite choppy sector performance, a steady rand, and fresh political and economic headwinds. Underneath the green close, investors were still visibly cautious — turning to […]
Markets Stumble as G20 Turbulence Dominates, but Wiese Strikes a Note of Defiant Optimism
Markets Stumble as G20 Turbulence Dominates, but Wiese Strikes a Note of Defiant Optimism South Africa closed out a bruising trading week with investors rattled, global politics intruding sharply on local sentiment, and the G20 summit in Johannesburg turning into a diplomatic spectacle. Yet in the middle of the noise, billionaire Christo Wiese cut through […]
G20 Rift Casts Shadow Over Market Optimism as JSE Powers Ahead
G20 Rift Casts Shadow Over Market Optimism as JSE Powers Ahead South Africa’s hosting of its first-ever G20 Summit on African soil comes at a fraught moment — a diplomatic showdown with the United States (U.S.) is unfolding even as the JSE surges to new heights, driven by a powerful mining rally. Investors seem unfazed by the geopolitical tension for now, but […]