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Plunging down south to the Big Freezer
February 09, 2009
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“This is your Captain speaking … we have a 10 metre [35ft] swell on the Starboard beam driven by a 50 knot South-westerly wind. Conditions are going to be rough – so please take all precautions to secure yourself and your personal items in your cabin”. That was the news th
Continue Reading →Global Markets – 4th quarter 2008 : The credit crisis – how it all began
November 09, 2008
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When the rumblings of the sub prime credit crisis first emerged in August last year, nobody envisaged the extent to which this would unfold and later become the catalyst for a crisis within financial markets and banking systems around the world. A recent article by Kevin Lings [Econom
Continue Reading →Global Markets – 3rd quarter 2008 : The widening income disparity in South Africa is a cause for concern
August 09, 2008
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The Business Day recently published an article, based on research that had been done by the Bureau for Market Research at Unisa, which reported that “income disparities in SA have widened in the past two years, boosted by more rapid growth in high-income earners…” According to the res
Continue Reading →Global Markets – 2nd quarter 2008 : Food prices in crisis
May 09, 2008
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Did you read the article titled “World Food Riots Spread” that was published in the Business Times in April? We found it enlightening and rather disturbing. The article confirms that global leaders have been raising serious concerns about the food crisis for some time… “while there is
Continue Reading →Global Markets – 1st quarter 2008 : Electricity – now a rare commodity in SA?
February 09, 2008
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“Load shedding” and “blackouts” are words now used with frustration on a daily basis in South Africa. Nobody is immune to these frustrations and none can escape them. Most of us have a “load shedding” table handy at all times, having learnt how to make sense of them in a hurry. It wou
Continue Reading →Global Markets – 4th quarter 2007 : Standard Bank – what’s the deal?
November 09, 2007
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The market was caught completely by surprise in late October when Standard Bank announced that a 20% stake in the bank was being sold to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) for R37bn or R120 per share. Most people in South Africa are unlikely to have ever heard of the I
Continue Reading →Global Markets – 3rd quarter 2007 :Inflation – a daily reality
August 09, 2007
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We have all felt the impact of rising prices recently, most especially when filling up at the petrol station or shopping for groceries. This stands to reason as food and transport costs are the two largest components of the “inflation basket”, making up 28.62% and 15.20%,
Continue Reading →Global Markets – 2nd quarter 2007 : “TER” explained – what it is and why it’s a good thing
May 09, 2007
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You may be asking yourself what “TER” is and, more importantly, what it means to us as investors. “TER” is the acronym for “Total Expense Ratio” and it came into effect on 1 May 2007. The “TER” of “a portfolio is a measure of the p
Continue Reading →Global Markets – 1st quarter 2007 : China powers ahead – but at what cost?
February 09, 2007
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In 2006 the Chinese economy grew by 10.7%, which is the highest growth rate recorded since 1995, when growth of 10.9% was recorded. The main drivers of growth last year were investments and exports. After four consecutive years of growth above 10%, the government has been concerned ab
Continue Reading →Global Markets – 4th quarter 2006 : Uranium or oil – which will dominate as the primary energy source in the 21st century?
November 09, 2006
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I recently read an interesting article about the development of nuclear energy in China and India, which I have tried to summarise in this report for your interest. Currently the energy consumption of each of these countries is about 1/30th of that of the Americans and about 1/20th of
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