Investors are preparing for a potentially consequential week on both sides of the Atlantic. Today, 3 November, Americans head to the polls for the US midterm elections, followed just one day later by South Africa’s municipal elections on 4 November.
Read MoreThe government is preparing to rescue one of South Africa’s biggest industrial companies – (ACL). But there’s a crucial difference between saving a business and rewarding its shareholders.
Read MoreHave you ever noticed how a changing wind usually signals an approaching storm long before the first drop of rain falls? In the global financial system, the bond market is that wind. And right now, it is blowing harder than it has in years, and it is carrying a clear warning for anyone with money invested in the markets.
Read MoreLast Friday, a private company with approximately 5,000 employees in New York issued two statements.
By Monday morning, one country’s stock market had fallen to its lowest level in six years. Another had already lost 23% from its peak. Combined, the two markets faced the prospect of billions of dollars in forced selling that could make both situations significantly worse.
The company that caused this is called MSCI.
A company called CoreWeave (NASDAQ: CRWV) has been quietly imploding and if you own AI stocks, it’s worth understanding exactly what’s happening and why.
Read MoreMost South Africans who have a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) are doing the same thing: parking their R46,000 a year in a high growth, money market or a bland balanced fund, and moving on.
Read MoreThis week, two of the most powerful companies on earth made a bet that tells you more about the future of AI than any earnings call or analyst note published this year.
Amazon signed a 20-year, $3 billion power deal.
Then Google signed a 20-year, $4.3 billion power deal.
Both with the same company.
Both for nuclear energy.
Oil prices aren’t the only reason petrol and diesel prices are rising. Diesel prices have nearly doubled since the start of the Iran war, yet oil prices are up only about 60%. Why is this?
Read MoreIn just a few days, Brazil will choose between two very different political directions in their 2026 election. On 4 October, 156 million-plus eligible voters were expected to shape the country’s future. The first-round result delivered a surprise: Flávio Bolsonaro won 47.03% of valid votes, narrowly ahead of incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on 45.16%.
Neither won outright. Now they face each other in a runoff on 25 October.
Last week, one of South Africa’s most important financial stories of the year landed on SENS. Sanlam (JSE: SLM), through its subsidiary Sanlam Life, made a formal offer to acquire all remaining Santam (JSE: SNT) shares it doesn’t already own.
Read MoreLast week, the rand slipped past R16.60 to the dollar – its weakest level since July.
If you’ve been following South African financial news, you might be tempted to reach for the usual explanations. Political uncertainty. Load-shedding. The current account deficit. The structural weaknesses that South Africa carries like a weight around its neck.
Risk is one of those investment words everyone uses, but few stop to define. Is risk the chance of losing money? Is it volatility? Or is it simply the uncertainty of not knowing what happens next? The answer matters because once we understand risk, we can measure it and, more importantly, understand where it is coming from.
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