It really was a huge day of news on the local market yesterday. For some reason, loads of companies all decided to release results at once, with SENS lighting up like a Christmas tree. Strap yourself in.

Firstly, it helps to be up to date before dealing with the craziness of yesterday. Ghost Wrap makes that really easy. You need just five minutes to catch up on Super Group, Grindrod, ADvTECH, STADIO, CA Sales Holdings, Transpaco and Master Drilling. Find it here, brought to you by Mazars.

Also, bookmark this great podcast with Brian McMillan from the structured products team at Investec. If you want to learn about how derivatives are used to make index-style investments more interesting, then this episode of Ghost Stories is for you. We worked through the Investec USD S&P 500 Autocall in detail. The closing date for that investment is soon, so don't wait long before listening to this show>>>

There's still time to improve your diary today. You can join Curro's management team on Unlock the Stock at 12pm, brought to you by A2X and available for registration here. You can also join the bizval team at 2pm, as we welcome Tony Cotrupe from the US to talk to founders about exit planning strategies. With tons of investment banking experience, Tony will be invaluable for company owners. Register for that event here>>>

With that out the way, let's dive into a very busy day of updates.

The good, the bad and the downright ugly

There's a lot in here. I'll briefly touch on the extent of the news in this email, but the only way to stand any chance of knowing what's going on is to read Ghost Bites, which summarises the entire day's news in one place.

Starting from the top, we had disappointing numbers from De Beers (part of Anglo American). Aspen released two announcements yesterday, one of which was an earnings announcement that the mar ket didn't like. Bidcorp released fabulous numbers and Blue Label Telecoms released numbers that hardly anyone truly understands. Cashbuild is having a very hard time at the moment, whereas Caxton & CTP is doing just fine thanks based on the trading statement. Harmony Gold can justify the big share price increase of the past year based on earnings. KAP is in the opposite position, with two major divisions suffering at the moment and dragging the entire result down. Motus is big on revenue but not on free cash flow. Murray & Roberts isn't big on anything really, except perhaps heartbreak. Nampak has sold some assets in Nigeria, putting a small dent in its debt. STADIO is doing incredibly well and Woolworths is enjoying the fashion side of its business, with the food side incurring major costs thanks to Eskom.

It's a mouthful, isn't it? The only way to get through it is one Ghost Bite at a time. Read it all here>>>

A global lens with Magic Markets

Don't fall behind on Magic Markets shows, especially during a busy time on the local market. In the latest free show, we discussed the latest results from Disney and Y um! Brands and what we can learn from the earnings call for each company. Find it here>>>

The rand looks happy between R18.40 and R18.60

TreasuryONE highlights that despite dollar volatility, the rand has been stuck in a range. US data has been disappointing this week, with 2nd quarter GDP missing expectations. With PCE data and non-farm payrolls to come, it's not a guarantee that the rand will manage to stay in this range.

The winner at the moment is gold, with the market finally running towards the yellow metal for safety. The gold price traded at $1,945 an ounce.

Across the pond, European CPI is still burning red hot. Germany printed higher than expected at 6.1%, leading to calls from the market that the ECB could hike again in September. Of course, with the latest US data looking weaker, there are arguments that the Fed is done hiking and that this would reduce the likelihood of hikes elsewhere in the world as well.

Enjoy getting stuck in on a very meaty day of content!