Ghost BitesAfrimat sees a drop in profitabilityAveng looks increasingly interesting with a strong Australian order bookGrindrod jumps 6.5% after a trading updateKarooooo releases solid second quarter numbersRCL Foods wants to unwind its B-BBEE dealFor these stories, along with news from Ascendis and PSG Konsult, make sure you re ad Ghost Bites>>> Carzuka bazooka*shareholder rant begins* Karooooo is the proud owner of Cartrack, a truly excellent business that is growing subscribers and running at an adjusted EBITDA margin of over 50%. It earns recurring revenue and is capable of growing globally. It really does tick a lot of the boxes. Inexplicably, Karooooo also owns Carzuka, a car dealership that the company tries to describe in a way that would get Cathie Wood excited all over again about the 4th Industrial Revolution. A quick look at the gross margins makes it clear that it really is just a car dealership and a loss-making one at that. When markets are under pressure, we want to see businesses focus on what they are actually good at. With a share price down 30% this year, Karooooo needs to be selling subscriptions, not an assortment of used cars in a sub-scale business. *shareholder rant ends* US CPI comes in above expectationsAs TreasuryONE highlighted, the PPI print gave us a sign that inflation is still running hot. The market expectation was exceeded with a CPI figure of 8.2% year-on-year. The market is now fully pricing in a 75bps hike in November, with a 50% chance for another 50bps hike in December. Volatility after the print was exceptional, with the rand losing nearly 27 cents immediately after the release and then settling back towards the R18.30s. The recording of this week's TreasuryONE webinar is now available. If you missed the event or if you just want a recap, then be sure to watch the recording here>>> DealMakersIt's Friday, which means DealMakers is here with great weekly summaries of the deals in the market, like this one on South African M&A activity. There's also a piece on legal considerations related to electronic meetings, written by a team at W ebber Wentzel. Podcasts: building businesses and buying sharesThere are two great podcasts to ease you into the weekend: Jonathan Kropf of Velocity Group joined me on the bizval podcast to talk about building, selling and investing in tech businessesIn Episode 97 of Magic Markets, Mohammed Nalla and I talked about common mistakes made in the market (including by us!)With that, I wish you a great weekend! | 