An agreement has been reached to pave the way for the merger of insurers Metropolitan and Momentum, the parties announced on Wednesday.
FirstRand expects business volumes to remain subdued after posting lower first-half profit as bad debts continue to hurt its corporate unit.
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/ 15 September 2009
FirstRand posted a drop in full-year profit on Tuesday as bad debts mount, and said it expected its operating environment to slowly improve from 2010.
FirstRand has appointed Sizwe Nxasana, head of its core banking unit and a former chief of telecoms firm Telkom, as its new chief executive.
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/ 22 January 2009
Winner — Best Corporate Employee Involvement Programme Award: FirstRand.
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/ 29 October 2008
As part of the greater FirstRand group’s international strategy, RMB is now looking to expand its footprint into Africa.
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/ 28 October 2008
FirstRand is adequately capitalised and has liquidity buffers in place to see out the credit crisis, its chief executive said on Tuesday.
Remuneration report shows chief executives are rolling in it.
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/ 17 September 2008
Financial services group RMB Holdings has reported a 6% decline in headline earnings per share to 311,7 cents for the year ended June.
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/ 16 September 2008
FirstRand, South Africa’s second-biggest banking group by assets, reported a 13% fall in full-year normalised headline earnings on Tuesday.
The all-share index has been buoyed by resources, but there is no hiding the carnage.
South African stocks remained modestly weaker at noon on Thursday, with banks weighing heavily on a deteriorating inflation outlook after worse-than-expected producer price inflation data and the South African Reserve Bank governor’s comments that the bank was considering a 200-basis-point interest-rate hike.
The JSE hit a fresh record high on Thursday, buoyed by miners on firm commodity prices and a weaker rand, but overall the mood was dampened by global inflation worries due to the rising oil price. At noon, the JSE’s all-share index was up 0,98% at 33 230,590 after earlier touching a fresh all-time high of 33 309,820.
The JSE kept toying with an all-time high by midday on Wednesday as resources continued to fuel the bourse. By noon, the JSE’s broader all-share index had risen 1,02% to 31 600,360 points. It reached an intra-day high of 31 700,350 points earlier, just off its all time high of 31 728,180 points hit in October last year.
Talk of China’s interest in a stake in BHP Billiton has sent the resources index northward and, in turn, helped the JSE advance further by midday on Wednesday. Dow Jones newswires said that the <i>Australian</i> reported in its Wednesday edition China is in the early stages of planning to buy a stake in miner BHP Billiton.
South African banking group FirstRand on Friday said it was not in talks with a Chinese bank over selling a stake. ”We are not in discussions with a Chinese bank,” FirstRand spokesperson Sam Moss said. Shares in FirstRand rose earlier on Friday after the China Daily reported that a state-owned Chinese bank was in talks to buy a stake in First National Bank.
The JSE was up 0,82% at midday on Tuesday as advances in the platinum and resource sectors added support. However, financial and bank stocks had started to weigh. By noon, the JSE’s platinum mining index advanced 2,14%, resources gained 1,75% and the gold mining index edged up 0,08%.
South Africa’s FirstRand said on Tuesday that first-half diluted normalised headline earnings per share rose 12% to 105,6 cents, at the lower end of its forecasts, despite tough market conditions. The group said it was unlikely to meet its long-term targeted growth in earnings of 10% above inflation in the current financial year.
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/ 14 February 2008
Firm world markets and stronger metal prices continued to support the JSE by noon on Thursday. At noon, the broader all-share index had risen 1,34%. Banks collected 2,33% and financials climbed 1,07%. Industrials advanced 1,44%, the platinum mining index gained 1,4%. Resources were 1,35% higher and the gold mining index added 1,16%.
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/ 24 January 2008
Bargain hunting among global equity markets underpinned a solid performance on the JSE on Thursday, lifting it by 3,3% at noon. By the same time, resources had collected 4,74%, the platinum-mining index advanced 5,1% and the gold-mining index added 1,51%. Industrials perked up 2,25%, financials gained 2,2% and banks were 2,07% higher.
The JSE was firmer by midday on Tuesday as a weaker United States dollar helped precious metals boost mining stocks on the bourse. By noon, the broader all-share index was 0,57% better, led by a 1,74% climb in the gold-mining index. The platinum-mining index gained 1,4% and resources added 1,17%.
An indication from positive United States futures that a battered Wall Street could open firmer on Monday, led to a slight recovery on the JSE by noon. The JSE was down over 1,5% in the morning session on concerns that the US market could go into a recession after job numbers came out worse than expected on Friday.
South African stocks were sharply higher at noon on the first trading day of 2008, but volumes remained low as most traders are still on their festive-season break. By noon on the JSE, the all-share index was 1,05% higher. Resources added 1,24%, the platinum-mining index was up 1,88% but the gold-mining index was flat.
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/ 28 December 2007
The JSE had recovered some of its earlier losses by midday on Friday, but was still over half a percent in the red. It had been down as much as 0,93% for the day. By noon on the JSE, the all-share index was 0,55% lower. The gold- and platinum-mining indices pulled back 2,42% and 1,17% respectively, while resources lost 0,46%.
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/ 16 November 2007
The JSE was slightly firmer at midday on Friday than it was during the morning session but it remained negative, as commodity stocks continued to be paralysed on the local bourse. By noon, the JSE’s all-share index declined 0,72%, led by a 2,25% drop in the platinum mining index.
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/ 14 November 2007
The JSE was higher at midday on Wednesday as positive local results extended its gains from the morning session. In the morning, the JSE had opened stronger on Wall Street’s overnight rally, which created positive sentiment for overseas markets. By noon, the JSE’s all-share index had climbed 1,09%.
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/ 7 November 2007
The JSE was a touch higher at midday on Wednesday, lifted by miners on soaring metal prices, but weaker overseas markets and the stronger rand dampened the overall mood. At noon, the all-share index was up just 0,12% higher, thanks to a 2,31% and 1,70% gains by the gold and platinum mining indices.
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/ 11 October 2007
Resource stocks added plenty of extra muscle to the JSE on Thursday, which was underpinned by strength in gold and platinum. Earlier in the session the JSE hit a fresh trading high of 31 628,820 points, but was slightly below that level by midday.
The JSE had edged up slightly by midday on Tuesday as platinum- and gold-mining stocks started to recover earlier losses. By 12pm, the all-share index was 0,08% in the black as the platinum-mining index gained 1,31%, resources lifted 0,72% and the gold-mining index recovered 0,13%. However, banks and financials were off 0,88% and 0,60% respectively.
The JSE was up sharply by midday on Tuesday, adopting the strength in overseas markets that were driven higher by a powerful performance on Wall Street overnight. By 12.03pm on the JSE, the all-share index had collected 1,01%. Financials advanced 2,02% and banks collected 2,86%, while industrials added 1,06%.
The JSE was up 191 points at midday on Monday, but off its record high it hit earlier as gold stocks tumbled on news that Anglo American was selling half of its stake in AngloGold. Anglo said in a statement that it expects the offering to represent a major step in the completion of its stated objectives for its stake in AngloGold Ashanti.
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/ 4 September 2007
South African banking group FirstRand plans to reduce its stake in health insurer Discovery Holdings, giving its shareholders a direct stake in the company, it said on Tuesday. The unbundling, for which FirstRand will seek shareholder approval, will improve Discovery shares’ liquidity on the Johannesburg bourse.