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Good morning Voornaam,

Sasol's share price trajectory is going from bad to worse.
Pepsico shows us that even Doritos chips have a price.
Get your 2024 financial story off to the right start by listening to Duma Mxenge of Satrix explain his views on personal finance and market concepts.
The Magic Markets podcast updates you on Meta and Microsoft.
TreasuryONE looks ahead to a very busy week of data.

Local company news:

Spare a thought for Sasol shareholders this morning. The share price has halved in the past year, so the popularity of Sasol among shareholders and climate activists is doing a great job of converging. Things aren't getting any better for investors, with a trading statement confirming substantial pressure on earnings. Full details are in Ghost Bites this morning.

Happier news on the market came from Kore Potash, where there is finally a draft EPC contract for discussion for the all-important project in the Republic of Congo.

There's also news of Brimstone selling down the stake in Equites, as well as enX releasing the circular for the disposal of Eqstra.

Get all the details in Ghost Bites>>>

International company news:

Thanks to data and automation specialists B2IT, Magic Markets is all about "big tech" in the brand new show. Meta and Microsoft are both in the Magnificent Seven, with the latter having been criminally overlooked in the FAANG era. With eye-watering share price movements over the past year, we dug into the latest results from these giants in this podcast>>>

Even Doritos have a price, it seems. For the first time since 2020, sales revenue dipped year-on-year at Pepsico. Pressure on volumes outweighed pricing increases. The Quaker Foods side of the business took the brunt of it - after all, cutting granola bars that become too expensive doesn't feel too difficult. The bigger surprise for me is that Frito-Lay North America also posted a drop in volumes. This means that even snacking is taking strain. It's been one of the most resilient aisles in the grocery store, so that's important.

And in case you've had a windfall of Randelas and you're feeling rather flush, here's something to bring you back down to earth. CNBC has reported that the most expensive house for sale in the US is a nine-acre monster in Florida with a private beach. The price? $295 million. Yes, that's R5.6 billion.

Back to work we go, I guess.

Have a great day!

READ: The Bumble story: if you need it, build it
(by Dominique Olivier)

Whitney Wolfe Herd went off and built the the business that she wished existed in this world. There's a lot to be said for that approach, even if the share price story hasn't worked out well. Dominique Olivier digs into the story of Bumble.

Learn about Bumble and how it differs from other dating apps

LISTEN: The 2024 kick-off with Duma Mxenge of Satrix

With a great mix of practical personal finance and investing concepts, this podcast with Duma Mxenge of Satrix will get you on the right path for 2024. Don't miss it!

Listen to the Ghost Stories podcast here (42 minutes long)

Currencies, commodities and rates: TreasuryONE Market Update

Currency markets have been in a narrow range ahead of the CPI print in the US. It's going to be a busy week of data that goes far beyond just CPI in the US. Other important releases include US retail sales and PPI data. In the UK, CPI and Q4 GDP are due, while Eurozone GDP Q4 figures are expected as well.

The rand is on the back foot this morning after an underwhelming SONA speech and the return of Stage 6 load shedding. Potential political backlash from the US over South Africa's stance on the Israel - Hamas conflict isn't helping either.

The rand is at R19.04 to the dollar this morning. US 10-year yields are 4.18%. Gold is at $2,022 and platinum ZAR is down at R16,589. Brent Crude is trading at nearly $82.

As a Ghost Mail reader, you have a wonderful early bird opportunity to register for the 2024 post-budget panel discussion hosted by TreasuryONE, Econometrix and ETM Analytics. I absolutely cannot recommend this enough and I will also be attending to learn from the panel. Get it in your diaries now already by registering at this link>>>

LISTEN: Magic Markets podcast

In Episode 161 of Magic Markets, we dug into Meta and Microsoft as two of the most important names in the Magnificent Seven growth stocks that continue to dominate headlines (and portfolios for that matter). What can we learn from recent earnings updates and the share price trends? Find out in this podcast, brought to you by international data and automation specialists B2IT.

Listen to Magic Markets Episode 161 here (22 minutes long)

READ: Mazars announces record global revenues

Mazars has announced record global revenue, building on its global ambition. Find out more in this article from the group that makes the Ghost Wrap podcast possible.

Learn about Mazars' impressive results in the past year

READ: Satrix launches Satrix JSE Global Equity ETF

Satrix is releasing a new product that gives a higher weighting to local companies with international listings. In other words: more of an offshore component. Find out more in this article.

Learn about this new product from Satrix in this article

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