Jaltech has launched its latest offshore capital protection Structured Products, and is hosting a webinar to delve into the mechanics around Structured Products and their latest investments. Click here to register.

Speaking of things to register for, make sure you're on the list for Unlock the Stock tomorrow at 12pm featuring PBT Group in a solo slot. This means that full focus for nearly an hour is on this company, giving you a wonderful opportunity to dig into the investment thesis. Brought to you by A2X, attendance is free but you need to register here>>>

Fedgroup: friendlier than the Fed

Jerome Powell might be hurting most of us, but Fedgroup isn't. In fact, Fedgroup has built an impact investing platform that I think is rather wonderful. It makes alternative assets fun and accessible in a way that I'm confident can make a difference to the savings culture of South Africans.

To learn a lot more about this, make time for the Ghost Stories podcast with Grant Field, the CEO of Fedgroup. We had a detailed discussion around investment opportunities ranging from nursery saplings to solar panels and lettuce stacks! You can listen to it here>>>

For those who prefer to read, you can also refer to this article from Fedgroup on the importance of alternative assets in a portfolio.

These Choppies numbers made no sense to me

It's pretty unusual for a SENS announcement to confuse me this much. Choppies has managed it, announcing the acquisition of Kamoso Group after a long period of trading under a cautionary announcement. I understand the strategic rationale for the deal, which is to get hold of a liquor licence in the Botswana retail operations. I cannot for the life of me understand the purchase price, goodwill and any of the numbers really. If you managed to figure it out, please let m e know!

Invicta also released a deal announcement, with yet another offshore acquisition. It's a small one, so they focus on the strategic rationale rather than underlying numbers. It's great to see the momentum at Invicta, not least of all because I own shares in it.

For these updates and the latest from Conduit Capital and RMB Holdings, read Ghost Bites this morning>>>

Podcasts for the win

Here's a selection of podcasts for you to consider making time for today:

• You need 8 minutes to listen to Ghost Wrap, a whirlwind update on Spear REIT, Attacq, AngloGold, Brikor, Mondi, Sappi, Telkom and RCL Foods. Ghost Wrap is brought to you by Mazars. Find it here>>>
• With an investment of 26 minutes, you can listen to Magic Markets to learn about the impact of competition regulators in the tech and especially the gaming industry. This show was recorded before the big news of the US authorities saying that the Microsoft - Activision Blizzard deal should be allowed to go ahead, but you can get all the background you need from Justine Brophy of AnBro Capital Investments as our guest on the show. Listen to Episode 132 of Magic Markets here>>>
• For the entrepreneurial minds among you, spend 30 minutes on the latest bizval podcast where I spoke to Adi Kaimowitz about how to spot gaps in the market and scale into them using tech. It really was a terrific conversation and I guarantee you'll learn something from it. Find it here>>>

A great day for the rand

With the market awaiting the US inflation data on Wednesday this week, US two year yields edged higher on Tuesday while remaining below the 5% threshold. TreasuryONE notes that although inflation has cooled significantly from a year ago, measures stripping out more volatile food and energy prices have come down more slowly. This is a concern for the Fed, with the market expecting a resumption of interest rate hikes later this month.

Despite this, the rand enjoyed the breather in the market, within sight of the R18.50 level. Oil is heading towards $80 a barrel, with a decent chance of going above that level with supply being slowed.

Have a great Wednesday!