Do you know what cognitive bias is? Even if you do, the latest episode of Ghost Stories can only be good for your awareness of this terrible impediment to our decision-making abilities. If you've never had exposure to this topic before, then you're in for a real treat. Kingsley Williams (Chief Investment Officer of Satrix) joined me to dig into the intersection of psychology and finance. I loved this show and you will too! Find it here>>>

Pastry for the pain

Look, we all have different coping mechanisms. The next time someone judges your comfort eating habits, you can remind them that many people seem to turn to pies for some feel-good carbohydrates at a reasonable price. We know this because of RFG Holdings, a company that understands the important of making profits rather than just growing market share for the sake of it.

In a different part of the grocery store, you'll find a variety of fast-moving consumer goods. Known as the FMCG industry, moving this stuff through the warehouses and the stores isn't as simple as you think. CA Sales Holdings specialises in doing exactly that, generating wonderful profits along the way. The latest numbers demonstrate that this mid-cap shouldn't be ignored.

Other major stories yesterday included a sharp rally in Astoria based on the release of results, as well as the news of Chris Seabrooke buying more shares in Trans action Capital (yay for me). There were also updates from Bytes, Nampak, Calgro, Master Drilling and OUTsurance. Although not on SENS yet, you'll also want to pay attention to Steinhoff in Little Bites and a massive purchase of Curro shares by an insider. Enjoy all this and more in Ghost Bites this morning>>>

Unlock the Stock: two events coming up

On Unlock the Stock, we give you the opportunity to attend a management presentation and ask questions directly to the management team. If you're ready to "do your own research" then this is for you. There are two events coming up: PPC is joining us on 28 March at 12pm and CA Sales Holdings (the FMCG group in Ghost Bites this morning) is scheduled for 30 March at 12pm.

It's a busy week next week with two great opportunities to learn. You can register for PPC here and CA Sales Holdings here.

25 basis points it is

The FOMC decided to hike interest rates by 25 basis points last night. The market will need to digest the commentary from the Fed and I look forward to a more detailed update from TreasuryONE during the course of the day. From a cursory look at the markets late last night, I can tell you that equities got severely hurt by this decision and gold traded at roughly $1,970 per ounce.

People hardly noticed yesterday, but local inflation data came out at 7% year-on-year for February, above the 6.9% expectation.

Don't fall behind on Magic Markets

If Formula One has you revved up for an exciting year of wondering who will come third on the podium each race (sigh), then you'll enjoy the most recent episode of Magic Markets. Barry Dumas of Trive South Africa joined us to talk about Aston Martin and whether the success on track can translate into improved results for the battered holding company . You'll find the show here>>>

With that, I wish you a great Thursday!

PS: Ramadan Mubarak to my Muslim readers. I'm just hoping that my partner in Magic Markets, Mohammed Nalla, will be a bit less grumpy this year during the fast - he's been reducing his coffee intake to help manage those withdrawal symptoms! He may or may not kill me for writing this in Ghost Mail...if you don't hear from me on Friday, you know where to send the authorities!