South Africans are eating out again, particularly the more well-heeled. While turnover at its restaurants is returning to more normal levels, Spur Corporation says its upmarket The Hussar Grill is almost back at the same levels as before Covid-19. Spur Steak Ranches is also recovering well, as is its RocoMamas burger chain.

The market welcomed a trading update from Spur yesterday, sending its shares more than 7% higher. Long4Life, the lifestyle investment group started by Brian Joffe, also closed higher despite warning that first-half earnings would be almost entirely wiped out by the impact of Covid-19 and the lockdown. Still, it said recently that it expected to bounce back in the second half of its financial year.

More on those stories to follow, along with updates from construction and roadbuilding group Raubex and half-year results from PSG Konsult, which is paying a dividend.

Today's Trustee brings potential good news for those with unclaimed benefits sitting with retirement-fund administrators. Liberty is taking the lead in effecting the reinstatement of wrongly cancelled retirement funds and is increasing its efforts to trace and pay beneficiaries. Read about it here and in today's newsletter.

All the latest from DealMakers too.

Have a great weekend.

Stephen Gunnion

Managing Editor, InceConnect

The latest from Ingham Analytics

Ingham Analytics have issued an Energy Monitor, a new theme which looks at developments in the broad energy basket. The MSCI Global Industry Classification Standard or CIGS includes Energy, which comprises companies engaged in a wide range of activities in the value chain. This new analysis takes assesses current developments affecting companies. "Over a barrel?" features BHP, ExxonMobil and Sasol. BHP in fact is not just iron ore as it has a large and growing petroleum division and has recently engaged in a corporate action that suggests oil could be bottoming out. What about ExxonMobil - the stock has been hit but is there value? And Sasol - is selling the family silver going to stave off a rights issue or not?

Also this week, "Fuhgeddaboudit!" looks at labour force, consumption and savings patterns that should be taken into account in investment strategies. Other recent notes that have been popular include "All that glitters?" and "Outsized Big Five".