At the beginning of the year we said that we were pro equities — not because we were necessarily bullish, but because the environment at the time of low inflation and low interest rates, fuelling a rampant consumer, was more conducive to equities than bonds or cash.
Banking group Absa plans to spend R80-million on the upgrade and expansion of its automated teller machines (ATMs) and network of kiosks in the current financial year to the end of December 2006. The expansion will comprise 350 new ATMs, 115 self-service kiosks (non-cash terminals) and 250 internet kiosks.
Sounds of Zulu war dances and a military parade filled the air on Sunday as South Africans hailed a Zulu hero whose rebellion a century ago sowed the first seeds of black resistance. Soldiers and Zulu warriors, dressed in traditional leopard skins, joined thousands to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Bhambatha rebellion, an event that had huge ramifications in South African history.
A colleague recently calculated that if she had used bundled account pricing on her bank account she would have saved R3Â 500 in bank fees a year. That is a huge sum of money. A survey conducted by Pick ‘n Pay banking shows that, while most people feel their banking fees are too high, many have no idea what those fees are, writes Maya Fisher-French.
The Competition Commission’s probe into bank fees is yet to be formalised, but already there are signs of major price cuts and new competitive winds beginning to blow in the sector. Nedbank, one of the Big Four, this weekend announces fee reductions averaging 13% across the board.
Jeremy Cronin’s article ("What kind of presidency," May 26) should kick off a real debate. I have always enjoyed reading Cronin and believe his views are sobering for a developmental state like South Africa. However, in this article, he stumbles. To blame South Africa’s problems on a powerfully managed presidency does not add up.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid back below the 11 000 mark in early trading on Tuesday after falling nearly 200 points on Monday, as Ben Bernanke’s baptism of fire as chairperson of the United States Federal Reserve prompted a fresh bout of jitters on Wall Street.
Spain is about to take the world into uncharted legal territory. Later this month, a resolution is going before Parliament that, if passed as expected, will give a set of rights to chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orang-utans. These great apes will then be regarded in Spanish law as ”legal persons”.
The migration of whales to South Africa’s coastline has begun, just as another annual but far less rewarding spectacle is about to unfold in the Caribbean. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) meets from June 16 to 20 in St Kitts. Once more the tussle between pro-whalers and anti-whalers is poised on a knife-edge.
”I think it’s sexy,” Donald Bradford says of the bushy growth that has adorned his upper lip for the past two months.Largely shunned since the 1980s, moustaches are enjoying something of a renaissance among young New Yorkers, following a comeback trail blazed by such hip role models as actor Nicolas Cage and the ultra-trendy fashion photographer Terry Richardson.