It's difficult to know what to say, really.

I'm writing this at 22:20 on Wednesday the 14th of July. For the past two days, we've watched in horror as large parts of our country burn to the ground. By the time you are reading this in the morning, we will know if the looting truly subsided overnight.

In this edition of InceConnect, every single article is a tough read. Every single article is an important read.

In difficult times, knowledge is power. Whether you are an investor or simply trying to understand what this means for our economy, you need to be reading as much as possible right now.

Mr Price is the lead article, in a nod to a management team that has given a frank appraisal of the challenges that lie ahead. I am extremely worried about retailers who must now navigate supply chain nightmares and the prospect of prolonged claim processes with SASRIA.

I'm even more worried about small businesses. Famous Brands is a franchise model, so when the company says that 99 stores were damaged and cannot trade, it means that many families have lost their businesses and their livelihoods. Of course, so have the staff members.

The destruction for SMEs is widespread and beyond anything I've seen in my lifetime. A number of property funds released updates on damage to their malls and other properties. The list is long and I'm sure we will see more such announcements today.

I end off with Cashbuild, which is a particularly unusual story. The company has suffered losses to many stores, yet the share price is up since Friday. There can only be one reason: the market is pricing in the prospect of higher sales of construction materials as our country is rebuilt.

That's the thing with the markets: they offer wealth creation tools available to anyone with a bit of money and a trading app on a smartphone. If you dedicate yourself to this art, you can make a lot of money from investing and trading.

Today however, we mourn. Lives and livelihoods have been lost.

Stay safe and remember to send me your letter to the editor. You'll find the link you need further down in this mail.

The Finance Ghost