Property owners will be relieved to know that there has been a pick-up in property activity over the past quarter, according to the latest FNB residential property barometer. The index, which gauges property activity through 150 property agents, has been declining since the second quarter of last year as a direct result of interest rate hikes last year.
Perhaps it was inevitable. When two leading internet pioneers came together this week to propose a set of guidelines that would filter out offensive and abusive comments from blogs, they were met by a torrent of offensive and abusive comments.
"In this particular month that it comes through, a 70c increase in the petrol price will probably push inflation up by 0,6%. If the petrol price had not increased, inflation would have been 5,4% in the month of April, but now it is going to be 6%. That is negative for the Reserve Bank, as it might persuade them to raise interest rates, which is the direct impact," says Dennis Dykes, chief economist at Nedbank.
The moderating trade deficit is a positive development against the stark backdrop of a 30-year record high shortfall on the current account. Down-playing fears about the current account deficit, the Reserve Bank is quick to note that unusually high oil import volumes widened the gap last year.
<i>M&G Money</i> has previously warned against falling for the status appeal of a gold card. The annual fees are higher, but the benefits are much the same as any other credit card — especially if you use it sensibly and pay off your full balance each month.
A debate is under way among analysts and civil society activists about how South African President Thabo Mbeki should proceed in fulfilling the mandate given to him last month by the Southern African Development Community to continue mediating between Zimbabwe’s government and opposition.
Just for argument’s sake, say I am trying to save R200 a month for the next 12 months. My first stop was FNB, which has a 32-day account that does not levy any charges at all. The bank escalates the interest from 4,35% for the first R200, which rises in the fifth month to 5,85%. What this means is that after 12 months I will have R2 463,75 — almost R64 of this money being interest.
”I have never really thought about who God is, I just know that he exists. In my mind, I suppose, he is a real person that can move around whenever he feels like it. I just know that I believe in him and he has always saved me from many bad situations,” says Nompumelelo Miya, a fruit and vegetables vendor from Alexandra.
Yesterday started with a walk to our local expo centre — the one whose white, wave-like roofs catch my eye every time I stare out at the view from our 20th-floor balcony. Normally, a R10 taxi ride would have sufficed to get us to the expo centre in Shanghai. There is something deeply gratifying about walking to a place when you know other people, writes Julian Hewitt.
Up to 400 people, far more than previously feared, were killed in Chad during a cross-border attack by Sudanese Janjaweed militia about 10 days ago, the United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday. The estimated toll followed a visit to the remote area on Sunday by a group of United Nations agencies which described the scene there as ”apocalyptic”.