To think, in 2011, Brent Crude was at $120 barrel. And today is barely hanging onto $40.
This was all thanks to the Corona-crisis.
In fact, we are now seeing a resurgence in Europe with new restrictions and lockdowns.
And just look at who's contracted the virus.
• President Donald Trump and the first lady
• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson
• Brazil's Jair Bolsnaro
• ... ››› more
Over 90 days has passed for 2019, and the JSE is already up over 8% for the year.
This was mainly due to the ever-rising resource stocks, which make up a big percentage and weight of the JSE Top 40.
In fact, my Red Hot Storm Traders have managed to bank over 200% gains on six winning resource stocks this year alone.
If you missed this first quarter of profits, you have nothing to wo... ››› more
I was wrong about the rand. I thought it was going to go up to R10 a dollar, but I'm not going to cry about it.
You can see looking at the USD/ZAR (United States Dollar versus the South African Dollar) weekly chart, a large wedge pattern formed from January 2016 up ‘till August 2017.
A wedge pattern is known as a reversal pattern where the price wedges down into a triangle formation. And a... ››› 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
BHP Billiton came into being in 2001 from the merger of Broken Hill Proprietary Company Ltd (BHP) and Billiton Plc. As one of the world's biggest diversified mining and commodities firms, it's one of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange's Top 40 companies…
Full name: BHP Billiton Plc
Short name: Billiton
Ticker: BIL
Sector: Basic resources – mining
Five top facts about BHP Billiton
F... ››› more
“There is no crisis with the supply of coal to Eskom.”
These are the words of Brian Molefe, Eskom's new acting CEO in an interview with MiningMX.
Clearly he's unaware of the fact that Glencore is busy closing down its 10 million tonne a year Optimum Coal operations…
Or perhaps he's forgotten about the fact that a huge amount of Eskom's long term coal agreements are coming to an end ... ››› more
In August, BHP Billiton announced its decision to move some of its non-core assets to form a new company.
So does such a move by a company present investors with a good opportunity?
Let's take a closer look…
Why spin-offs can be good for investors
Generally speaking, when one company buys another company, the shareholders often lose out. That’s because the price the buyer pays i... ››› more
In August, global commodity giant, BHP Billiton, announced its intentions to spin off some of its assets into a new company.
The company said it planned to list the company in Australia and South Africa. But late yesterday, BHP Billiton announced that it's changed its mind and the new company will also list in London.
Let's take a closer look at what's going on…
BHP Billiton changes ... ››› more
Earlier today, Transnet announced that it had entered a new deal with diversified miner BHP Billiton.
The deal is worth R24 billion and is for the duration of ten years.
Let's take a closer look at the agreement…
The coal contract will last ten years
Earlier today, Transnet and BHP Billiton “signed a ten-year R24 billion coal transporting contract,” reports Fin24. Transnet is ... ››› more
Last week, along with its results, BHP Billiton announced the creation of a new company, Newco.
In a bid to streamline its business, the resources giant is creating a new company with some of BHP Billiton's assets.
BHP Billiton wants to make its core business more focused and niche.
So what does it mean for shareholders? And will shares in Newco be worth investing in?
Let's take a clo... ››› more
Yesterday, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange felt the strain as one of its heavyweights tumbled.
BHP Billiton announced the creation of a new company along with its results. Investors were hoping for something else.
Shoprite also disappointed investors as the retailer showed slow profit growth in its results.
The JSE's poor performance was in spite of a global trend higher on the markets.
... ››› more
Earlier today, BHP Billiton released a number of news announcements to the stock exchange.
The company released its results for the full-year to the end of June. And the company unveiled its plans to create a new company at the turn of the year.
Shares in BHP Billiton fell sharply following the news releases.
Let's take a closer look at what's going on and why investors are unhappy…
... ››› more
When it comes to producing iron ore, no one does it better than BHP Billiton (JSE: BIL) and Rio Tinto (LSE: RIO). These are the world's biggest iron ore producers by far.
In fact, they've produced 56.6 and 57.5 million tons respectively. And that's in the last three months alone. These figures represent a 19% increase for BHP Billiton on a year ago and an 11% increase for Rio Tinto.
But wha... ››› more
Sometimes when you look at charts, you see things that no one else sees.
From patterns to shapes, formations to unexpected objects…
And talking about strange objects, today I saw a rare but bullish formation lining in the resource sector.
It's what I like to call the vuvuzela formation.
It's rare, but when it plays out it can be very profitable and powerful!
So powerful that, in... ››› more
Earlier today, the government said the quality of coal supplied to Eskom's coal-powered power stations must improve. Eskom blamed wet coal for load shedding last Thursday. And the power utility has since asked BHP Billiton for a quality report on the coal supplied last week. Let's take a closer look at what's going on…
Government gives mining sector an ultimatum
Yesterday, the spokesman for... ››› more
Shale Gas could've been the next big boom sector in South Africa.
The Karoo is the fifth largest gas field in the world, and local as well as international companies are interested in developing it.
After all, according to estimates, shale gas extraction from the Karoo will lead to 9% GDP growth for South Africa!
And just imagine the possibility of extracting cheap shale gas and using it ... ››› more
Yesterday, the power utility Eskom declared a power emergency. Eskom is responsible for providing 95% of the electricity supplies in SA. Eskom says its power supply was under severe pressure and asks users to cut down on usage. Let's take a look at why Eskom declared this latest power emergency…
Yesterday afternoon, Eskom declared a power emergency, reports Fin24. The company says that this wa... ››› more
As the rand falls, the price of just about everything goes up. And this means rising inflation will hit South Africa.
Now, our Reserve Bank has a mandate to protect against excessive inflation. And the simplest way for it to do this, is to raise interest rates. This has two effects:
1) It makes it more inviting for foreign investors to invest in rands because they can get a better return on... ››› more
Yet again, the JSE had a record breaking day. The local bourse closed firmly higher after US job figures disappointed. The dollar fell, boosting commodity prices. But can the JSE continue this run for much longer? Let's take a closer look at the day on the JSE...
The JSE “steamed to record highs” again, reports Fin24. Gold miners took it strongly higher, along with a stellar performance from... ››› more
Earlier today, BHP Billiton released its first quarter operational review. And the commodities giant surprised investors with an upbeat report. Most notable was the boost in iron ore production and its forecast. Let's take a closer look at what the operational review for the first quarter revealed...
Shares on the JSE of BHP Billiton have risen nearly 4% on the back of its first quarter operatio... ››› more