Ellies Holdings is hoping that it will return to profitability after taking the decision to cut off funding to its manufacturing division, which has been a financial drain for the past five years. It also plans to start with an application to liquidate the business after it couldn't find a buyer to take it over as a going concern.

Ellies is one of the smaller companies on the JSE and doesn't attract much attention from institutional shareholders. However, it's a household name and you likely own some of its electrical products.

Read on for more on that story as well as Delta Property Fund's attempts to reduce debt as it also fights for survival. Meanwhile, Emira Property Fund has warned shareholders to expect a lower payout this year due to the impact of Covid-19 on its property portfolio.

There's better news from Vivo Energy; it says it should be able to match its 2019 dividend payout after its retail fuel business recovered faster than expected from last year's lockdowns.

In the latest Magic Markets podcast, The Finance Ghost and Mohammed Nalla (Moe-Knows) discuss the VIX index and how investors and traders can use it to time their market entries and exits more effectively. They also touch on the recent earnings boom among local mining companies in the podcast, which you can access for freehere.

Have a great week.

Stephen Gunnion

Managing Editor, InceConnect

The latest from Ingham Analytics

Kuaishou Technology, the startup with a TikTok-style video app that is part-owned by Tencent, listed in Hong Kong earlier this month and what a ride it has been. "Kuaishou bounce" analyses the financial situation and impact on Tencent, which also indirectly washes over into Prosus. Such is the enthusiasm, could ByteDance list Douyin? And a cool, succinct analysis of what has driven GameStop mania can be found in "Stop the Game - I want to get off".