Geopolitical shifts have a profound impact on the markets. If the stocks in your portfolio are fish in a pond, then your fish-picking skills are irrelevant if the entire park is polluted and everything dies. Now, trying to predict the outcome of an election is hard and trying to figure out the subsequent economic events is even harder. Forecasts are a best guess, but a best guess is better than no guess at all. IG Markets South Africa has released an article with their views on how a Kamala Harris win in the 2024 election could affect South African markets. Give it a read here>>>

Friday was a busy day for company news. CA Sales Holdings stuck out for me with yet another solid bolt-on acquisition, giving me a great opportunity to talk about why I like that strategy. In other corporate activity, NEPI Rockcastle had no problem raising equity on the market.

In earnings news, Renergen and Santova both saw their earnings go in the wrong direction. Standard Bank has given guidance on third quarter performance and a reminder of full-year expectations. We also saw an interesting situation at Finbond where the effect of share buybacks is actually negative when you are making losses! Also look out for British American Tobacco's potential end to the Canadian litigation, along with Sibanye and more bad luck there (if you can believe it).

Get all of these updates along with the director dealings and other Nibbles in Ghost Bites>>>

There's a world of interesting investment opportunities out there, not least of all the Investec Rand India Accelerator - a structured product that gives clever exposure to the Indian market. Go draw a chart of the Indian market ETF vs. China (or South Africa for that matter) and the appeal will be obvious. To understand the mechanics behind the structure and to understand why the Indian market has been doing so well, listen to this podcast featuring Brian McMillan of Investec Structured Products. Of course, there's a full transcript as well. Get it here>>>

To brighten up your Monday and to inspire you to make your customers part of your product design plans, Dominique Olivier has written on examples of what happens when brands turn to their customers for ideas. Lego, PepsiCo and DHL all feature, amongst others. Find it here>>>

I have some exciting plans for 2025 around entrepreneurs in South Africa and bringing you unique content to help grow your business and connect with other entrepreneurs. This is a terrific opportunity to have your business story featured on podcasts and possibly in a book (I'm still deciding about that one). I'm looking for businesses that have grown past the point of self-employment. I'm specifically not looking for the typical VC-backed businesses that get all the attention already despite making losses for years. This is real-world stuff, aimed at business owners who have usually bootstrapped their way to hacking out a profit in a tough economy. If that's you, I would love to chat. Send an email to help.me@thefinanceghost.com with just a couple of paragraphs introducing yourself and your business.

Have a great day!

The turnaround plan at Starbucks is starting to look like a Chipotle reverse takeover, with Brian Niccol picking up the phone to former colleagues to get them into the Starbucks team. When Niccol took over at Chipotle, he created a Global Chief Brand Officer role. He's now done the same thing at Starbucks and he asked ex-Chipotle executive Tressie Lieberman to take the job. Both Niccol and Lieberman worked together at Yum! Brands as well, so it shows how these executive connections develop in an industry and how important that becomes later on when there's an opportunity to achieve a turnaround.

As for further details on the turnaround, investors are waiting for October 30 and the 4th quarter earnings call.

Boeing makes Starbucks look like a walk in the park at the moment, with the industrial action at Boeing now in its 6th week. Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems has had to furlough 700 workers, showing how this impacts everyone in the value chain. It's truly a mess.

Our latest research in Magic Markets Premium is on Stellantis. This is a great example of a stock that we were correctly bearish on, with the automotive group suffering immense competition and the outcome of its own bad decisions. Are things improving yet? You'll find out in the latest report for our subscribers this week.

While US and European benchmarks tested short-term high territory on Friday, futures are suggesting a marginally softer start for the day. Asian benchmarks are ultimately trading lower on the day after a positive start and despite news that The People's Bank of China has cut lending rates further.

On balance, we are expecting a flat to slightly softer start for the JSE All-Share Index this morning.

The dollar and US treasury Yields are tracking marginally firmer as Trump gains ever so slightly in US election polls. The rand is softer against the greenback.

Oil prices are flat this morning after having declined roughly 7% last week on Chinese demand concerns, and news that Israel might not attack Iranian oil facilities in retaliation to recent events.

Gold prices have moved further into new high territory still supported by monetary easing prospects and safe haven demand amidst geopolitical uncertainty.

Key Indicators: USD/ZAR R17.63/$ | US 10yr 4.08% | Gold $2,725/oz | Platinum $1,021/oz | Brent Crude $73.01

The macroeconomic update is based on the morning call update by IG Markets