The ink had hardly dried on the 2011 MediumTerm Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) when Moody’s announced that it was revising its outlook for South Africa’s credit rating from stable to negative. Two months later, about a month before the release of the 2012 national budget, Moody’s was followed by Fitch with a similar decision. Both …. »
First things first. Here’s wishing our readers a very happy and prosperous 2012. While it seems a tall order at this early stage to wish for 2012 to be a slightly “easier” one than 2011, hope springs eternal and it isn’t the worst strategy in the world at least in the first few days of …. »
What has changed; what has not; and what does it all mean for SA investors? What has not changed? Amidst the global turmoil there have been some constants, and many of the themes they first named in 2010 continued to play out through 2011. We expect these to remain relevant for years to come. The …. »
South Africa’s economic performance is highly correlated with that of our traditional economic partners, including Britain, Western Europe the US and Japan. Evidence of the extent of this economic inter-relatedness follows from the fact that each time Europe has gone into recession in the last two decade, South Africa has followed. Thus, whilst internal factors …. »
When I’m 67: Renaissance Capital sees public pension burdens at the heart of eurozone debt crisis Renaissance Capital, the leading emerging markets investment bank, has issued a groundbreaking report analysing the eurozone crisis and the reasons that prompted it. When I’m 67, authored by Charles Robertson, Renaissance Capital’s Global Chief Economist, and the Firm’s award-winning …. »
Which country’s economy grew the fastest over the noughties/2001-2010 decade? No, it’s not China Almost 10 years since the Angolan ceasefire, the country’s economy has risen like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes. Adrian Saville, CIO of Cannon Asset Managers, reviews Angola’s ten year of independence as its anniversary approaches in April 2012. When Angola …. »
An Ashburton update Governments tumbling and sovereign yields blowing out to alarming levels – another quiet week on the European front! It was time for the Italians to put their hard hats on and again, take the full force of the markets’ wrath. The week started off with a damp squib from the G20/’troika’ meeting …. »
Headline consumer inflation in the first nine months of 2011 mirrors that of the same period a year earlier at 4.6% but this masks the recent upward trend. Similarly, factory gate prices (producer price inflation) have risen 7.4% on average in the first eight months of 2011 compared to 5.9% over the same period last …. »
South Africans have begun to heed the calls to rein in their short-term debt and curb spending, rather than continuing to be charged high interest rates. That’s the primary finding of the fifth Old Mutual Savings and Investment Monitor, released today. Lynette Nicholson, chief researcher of Old Mutual, says: “These results indicate an increase in …. »
It was always, always, going to happen. Fortunately it has taken the less-hawkish ratings agency of the three (seen from a historical South African context at least) to draw the battle lines. On Wednesday morning Moody’s changed the outlook on South Africa’s government debt ratings to negative from stable, citing three main reasons for the …. »
Become a subscriber and reap the benefits of relevant, thought provoking articles. No hype, No Speculation, Just the facts! Subscribe Now!