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Can coalitions stabilise the economy?

With the right amount of planning, political coalitions can work – and even create the environment for better economic solutions

John Orford, Portfolio Manager at Old Mutual Investment Group.

The five trends that may impact your investment outcomes in 2024

As the world changes, so are the trends that influence your investment decisions, but long-term planning remains key

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. Photo: Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Mini-budget raises questions about SA’s growth prospects

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has emphasised the need to address supply-side constraints, such as the country’s energy and logistics crises

Markets are anticipating that the conflict will be contained. A wider Middle East war would hit an already fragile and fragmented economy.

Global economy braces for Israel-Hamas spillover

A wider Middle East war would hit an already fragile and fragmented economy.

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. (Photo: Mlungisi Louw/Gallo Images)

Public purse sees tail end of mining tailwind

Mining windfall helped SA’s financial position, but lower revenues and additional spending will delay the end of fiscal consolidation

The decision to form a unity government has been broadly welcomed by economists.

Emerging markets unwinding? Not just yet

Chile and Brazil are leading the pack with their recent interest rate cuts but South Africa is on its own timeline

Brics countries have expressed commitment to collaborate on confronting global warming, with rapid urbanisation in the five member countries.

What’s in it for the ‘friends of Brics’?

A bigger alliance will give the group extra economic heft, but it remains to be seen whether its members can speak in one voice

Investor confidence is low as citizens and domestic private companies stash their cash abroad to protect it from the volatility of the weakened rand. (Getty)

Self-inflicted pain makes SA rand a sore thumb

The currency, which is usually a bellwether for other emerging markets, has diverged from global trends – thanks in large part to the energy crisis

Will the dollar hit a Brics wall?

The architecture of the global financial system hurts emerging market economies but the alliance has yet to offer an alternative

Since Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced last year that the government would relieve Eskom of a large portion of its debt, markets have been on the edge of their seats waiting for more detail. (Getty)

With little detail about Eskom’s debt plan expected, budget could disappoint

The utility’s R400 billion debt has fed into the country’s 15-year energy crisis and low growth potential, which has been identified as a key credit weakness

Builder: President Cyril Ramaphosa at last year’s African Mining Indaba. He inherited a struggling economy afflicted by state capture and slow growth and began an investment drive. Photo: David Harrison

Ramaphosa’s economy remains a work in progress

The government has struggled to claw back business confidence after the state capture years.

Don’t read too much into GDP growth spurt

Growth in the third quarter is encouraging, but analysts have cautioned against viewing the data as a sign of the economy’s improved health

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana. (David Harrison/M&G)

Controversial government spending cuts ‘paid off’

Fiscal consolidation is drawing to a close as the public purse was boosted by commodities, but the treasury will probably continue exercising restraint

South Africa is braced for a public sector strike, which, if all goes to plan, would be the largest in more than a decade. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Public sector strike will come at a cost

Commentators have weighed in on the Transnet strike’s economic hit, but strike season isn’t over yet

(Getty Images)

GDP contracts as SA’s sluggish economy embarks on a go-slow

Global dynamics and South Africa’s energy crisis will weigh on domestic growth for years to come. But green investment could, eventually, resuscitate the economy

Annual consumer inflation was unchanged at 3.2% in February at 3.2%, with increases registered in housing and utilities, food and alcoholic beverages and restaurants and accommodation offset by decreases in the services sector, Statistics South Africa said on Wednesday.
 (Guillem Sartorio/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Relief: Government must guard SA’s poor against inflation’s assault

It could prove difficult for government to loosen its grip on the public purse, but economists say the current extraordinary circumstances require intervention

(John McCann/M&G)

Covid caution infects investors

The pandemic has forced some companies to cancel or pause capital expenditure, jeopardising long-term economic growth