On 8 September South Africa's GDP figures for the second quarter of 2020 was released.
Our economy shrank by 51% annualised in the three months between April and June 2020.
This has put us into the longest recession in the past 28 years.
Sectors like mining fell 73.1%, manufacturing fell 74.9% and construction shrank by 76.6%.
This is bad.
But even though it was just released, i... ››› more
On 24 February 2020, I sent out an article:
Coronavirus + Eskom + Moody's + Chart = Rand disaster
At the time the South African rand was trading at R14.20.
I predicted that the USD/ZAR would move to the first target at R16.00 within a couple of weeks…
This was due to the following factors at the time…
• The Coronavirus was declared by the WHO as a global health emergency. ... ››› more
March will be known as the worst month of all-time for the South African rand.
With the ongoing lockdown, the increasing rate of COVID-19 cases, the crumbling economy, and the downgrading from Moody's - It's just been bad news after bad news for SA.
And what happened last week?
Well we saw the South African rand hit record lows passing through the R19.00 mark against the US dollar.
... ››› more
Recent poll numbers show that President Trump has lost some serious favour with his core constituency.
I can't say I'm surprised.
The trade war has hit American farmers hard. With the Chinese increasing tariffs on US agricultural goods, Chinese customers are no longer buying them.
And that means that Trump needs to act - and fast - if he wants any chances at securing a second term in t... ››› more
The World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa 2019 is currently taking place in Cape Town. During this three-day event, our most senior politicians will be out in full force to convince the international community South Africa remains investable.
They'll discuss lofty matters such as the 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR), sustainability, digitalisation and stability. And, if history is any indication... ››› more
As I predicted last year, 2016 was a year of consolidation. Our market went nowhere. But shares are much cheaper today than they were a year ago.
And that makes me optimistic about 2017.
But there's one industry in particular that I've got my eyes on.
It was arguably the worst sector for 2016.
Agriculture.
One of the worst droughts in decades hit South Africa. Farmers lost crop... ››› more
There's a scary word floating around the investment world right now.
It's hanging over your portfolio like a black cloud. It's threatening your income, your investments and your financial future.
The frightening thing is many investors don't even know that their money is in danger. They're ambling along blind to the fact that they're about to lose a large portion of their investments.
... ››› more
So far this year, you've heard the word recession a lot. It's a real threat to the economy right now.
The third quarter of 2015 saw 0.7% gross domestic product (GDP) growth - the fourth quarter saw 0.6% GDP growth. Results of the first quarter of 2016 shows the economy contracted 1.2%.
Economists expected the economy to contract only 0.1%, which leads me to believe that nobody really knows... ››› more
The drought that's battering Southern Africa right now is going to wreak havoc on your pockets in the near future. South African corn farmers are expected to produce the lowest maize produce in 8 years.
The last time production numbers were this low was in 2008.
The numbers are concerning and it seems that South Africa will have to drastically increase the amount of maize it imports to 3.8... ››› more
If you're celebrating that we're almost through winter and had no load-shedding, I have some bad news for you.
You and I might have had an “uninterrupted” power supply this winter but it's going to cost our pockets, big time!
According to an article in the City Press newspaper this weekend, “The economy is set for a shock from the combined blows of Eskom's move to hike the cost of tw... ››› more
Last week, the Zimbabwean Government implemented a law causing major unrest in the border towns of Zimbabwe and South Africa.
The introduction of Statutory Instrument 64 of 2016 (SI64) restricts the import of certain goods from South Africa into Zimbabwe. This includes items like plastic pipes, doors, bottled water, window frames, baked beans, potato chips... Even peanut butter got the cut.
... ››› more
When I heard the results of the Brexit vote last Friday, I was watching TV, clutching a cup of coffee and snuggling under a blanket with my sons in the diamond city, Kimberley.
As soon as the news bulletin ended, my phone started to buzz uncontrollably.
First, a message from my brother asking, “Did you see the Brexit result?” I ignored it. Then, a message from a colleague, “How could... ››› more
This week, the South African Rand is at its highest level in seven weeks. It's clawing back against the dollar trading at around R14.74.
I don't know about you but I certainly didn't expect the rand to gain so much ground. I must admit that I had severely negative outlook for the rand this month.
With the political unrest in Tshwane and a new wave of violent strikes in the country, I expect... ››› more
If you thought politics and economics in South Africa is exciting, then you've been missing out on what happening in Europe right now.
The United Kingdom is about to make a drastic decision that could have an impact on the global economic system. On Thursday, the UK will have a referendum on the 'Brexit' - to decide if the UK stays or leaves the European Union.
Last week, a poll for the E... ››› more
Regular contributor to FSP Invest's South African Investor publication, Dawie Roodt, recently reported that he believes South Africa is already in recession.
As we know, Roodt doesn't make any statement lightly. He is usually armed with facts and figures before he makes a statement like this.
This begs the question, did South Africa slip into a recession and nobody noticed?
Let's take ... ››› more