| Good morning Voornaam, It turns out that being a smoothie operator is big business. I'm a huge fan of Kauai, with the chain being an incredible example of the power of differentiation in the market. Thankfully, it's not the only growth driver at Virgin Active, with things looking up for the group in general. The latest Brait numbers (and the share price chart) make for happy reading.
As for Renergen, I'm afraid that it was another stop-start quarter for them. ASP Isotopes will need to inject some proper operational capability into this thing if the deal goes ahead. It's hard to see how the deal won't go ahead.
And speaking of deals, Metrofile shareholders are still waiting with bated breath for news of whether the potential acquirer is going ahead with an offer.
Get the details on all these updates and the Nibbles in Ghost Bites at this
link>>>
In a country with such a high unemployment rate, it's amazing to think of talent scarcity as a concept. Of course, unemployment is an overall measure, while scarcity relates to specific skills and the gap between supply and demand for those skills. Forvis Mazars in South Africa has released many great insights in their C-Suite Barometer: Outlook 2025 report. In this piece, Daniella Frank and Susan Truter take you through the skills shortage insights.
Finally, if you're serious about adding global stocks to your portfolio, then our research offering in Magic Markets Premium is perfect for you. Each week, we release a subscriber-only podcast and report dealing with the bull and bear case, a strategy overview, the latest financials, a competitor review, the depth of the management team, the technical trading indicators and a final investment thesis based on fundamental valuation concepts. Together with my partner Mohammed Nalla, the goal is to get you up the curve on stock analysis.
And the price? Just R99/month, giving you access to the entire library and a new report each week that you can choose to read or consume as a podcast. What are you waiting for?
Have a lovely day! |
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| FORVIS MAZARS: Talent Scarcity: How South African Businesses can Overcome the Skills Shortage |
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| | | With talent rising as a strategic priority in 2025, just under half of organisations in the Forvis Mazars C-Suite Barometer: Outlook 2025 continue to report a struggle to recruit talented people, with the emphasis shifting to high-quality employees at more junior levels. Daniella Frank and Susan Truter give more details. Get the details in Ghost Bites>>> |
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| SATRIX: Life after COVID - a five-year review of the markets |
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| | | Five years ago, the world was a wild place. We were "staying home and staying safe" - and global central banks were cutting rates dramatically in an effort to stimulate economies under impossible circumstances.
With a great selection of statistics to share with the listeners, Siyabulela Nomoyi of Satrix was a wealth of knowledge in this podcast about how markets have performed in recent years, particularly in terms of which indices did well and which were disappointing.
Get a healthy dose of market insights at this link>>> |
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| PODCAST: Capital Markets in South Africa - the Think Big South Africa Competition |
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| PSG Financial Services is the proud sponsor of the Think Big South Africa competition, in collaboration with Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA).
PSG wants to encourage South Africans to get involved in their country at the highest level, bringing forward policy ideas and constructive solutions to drive conversations and real change in our country. PSG CEO Francois Gouws joined me to explain why they are such strong supporters of this initiative.
Enjoy it here>>> |
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| GHOST BITES - Making sense of SENS on the local market |
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| | | Brait has been boosted by a much stronger Virgin Active story, alongside Premier's excellent growth. Renergen had another stop-start quarter. A potential Metrofile deal is still in the works. Get the details in Ghost Bites>>> |
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| Unlock the Stock - Greencoat Renewables |
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| In the 55th edition of Unlock the Stock, Greencoat Renewables joined us for the first time ahead of their debut on the JSE. The recording of the management presentation and interactive Q&A is available at this link>>> |
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| DOMINIQUE OLIVIER - "Big Ostrich": feathers, food and a high-flying future |
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| | | Ostriches might not fly, but their numbers (and their impact) are soaring. From dusty Karoo farms to global sustainability debates, this big bird is quietly paving the future of meat production. Welcome to the surprising world of ostrich farming, as explained by Dominique Olivier in this piece>>> |
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| INVESTEC PODCAST: No Ordinary Wednesday - a 20-year perspective on global investing |
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| | | Twenty years on, the managers of the Investec UCITS World Axis Core Fund reflect on what two decades of global investing have taught them and what investors should expect next. Join Investec Investment Management’s Head of Multi-Manager Investments Ryan Friedman and Fund Manager Bronwen Trower in conversation with Jeremy Maggs in this podcast>>> |
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| International Business Snippet: |
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| Nippon Steel has finalised the takeover of U.S. Steel, although there were some major regulatory hurdles that the deal needed to overcome. The Biden Administration initially blocked the deal entirely based on national security concerns, as they didn't want this iconic American industrial group to fall into foreign ownership (as you've probably guessed, Nippon Steel is Japanese). Trump took a more practical approach, allowing the deal to go ahead with a "golden share" arrangement that gives the president the power to veto certain decisions related to moving the operations or reducing American jobs.
So, a bit like a competition regulator approval with conditions, but with far more of a dictatorship flavour to it.
Recent research in Magic Markets Premium has covered Intel, Waste Management (possibly the best company you've never heard of), Novo Nordisk, Simon Property Group, TJX and NVIDIA. Our focus is on giving you broad exposure to global stocks, with enough underlying detail to help you make better decisions and learn tons along the way. The entire library is available for just R99/month, a deliberate strategy to make it as accessible as possible. Invest in yourself and give it a try! |
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| Magic Markets: Mesh.Trade and the Titans |
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| | | Magic Markets listeners have become familiar with AnBro’s approach to building global equity portfolios with different mandates. Titans is just one such example, focusing on an equal-weighted portfolio of best-of-breed stocks across various sectors.
With Titans now available on Mesh.Trade’s platform alongside the other AnBro offerings, it was the perfect opportunity for Craig Antonie of AnBro to join us to talk about the fund strategy, accompanied by Connie Bloem of Mesh.Trade to talk about the platform offering.
We covered these topics here>>> |
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| Macroeconomic indicators and macro update |
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| A cautious Federal Reserve has tempered expectations for interest rate cuts this year. While officials still anticipate some easing of borrowing costs, they have reduced the expected pace of cuts due to the risk of higher inflation linked to uncertainties over President Trump's proposed tariffs.
The Fed raised its inflation forecast for 2025 to 3%, up from 2.7%, and lowered the economic growth projection for the year to 1.4% from 1.7%.
Escalating tensions in the Middle East are weighing on markets globally, with US and European futures, as well as most Asian equities, tracking lower amid fears that the US might enter the Israeli-Iran conflict.
The US dollar index has strengthened on the Fed's more hawkish stance and safe-haven demand, putting downward pressure on gold prices, which are trading lower today. Crude oil prices remain elevated due to geopolitical risks.
The rand continues to weaken against the stronger dollar amid risk-off sentiment, and the JSE All-Share index is expected to open lower in line with global markets.
This update is provided by Shaun Murison. Connect with him on LinkedIn here.
Key Indicators: USD/ZAR R18.12/$ | US 10yr 4.39% | Gold $3,357/oz | Platinum $1,311/oz | Brent Crude $72.73 |
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