As Donald Trump commences his second term as US President, markets have been gripped with uncertainty over exactly what this will mean. Locally, the CPI data due out on Wednesday will be a key focus this week.
Last week, local bond market activity started picking up following the December holidays, but with the market on the backfoot following impressive performance in 2024. Continued talks of tariffs from US President-elect Donald Trump and strong US employment figures reinforced the view that the Fed will follow a cautious approach to interest rate cuts this year…
Fixed Income Analyst Taku Makotore evaluates the recent MTBPS, which took place against a backdrop of significant global and local macroeconomic pressures…
Several Central Banks are expected to deliver their last policy announcements for this year over the coming days, while Moody’s issued their scheduled South Africa review, deciding to leave their outlook at ‘stable.
US FOMC minutes released last week confirmed that US policymakers are unlikely to be hasty in lowering rates. Locally, the South African economy unexpectedly contracted by 0.3% in Q3 2024, driven by a sharp slump in farm output due to drought.
Last week, US equity markets rallied, and treasuries strengthened, as investors sought safe-haven investments in the wake of the escalating Ukraine-Russia conflict. Locally, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) unanimously decided to cut the repo rate by 25 basis points to 7.75% in line with market expectations.
The United States could see fewer cuts than previously forecasted. Locally, S&P revised the outlook on South Africa’s local (BB) and foreign currency (BB-) from stable to positive.
Last week, Donald Trump was won the 2024 US elections in a historic comeback. Trump claimed a convincing victory also winning the popular vote The Republicans also won control of the US Senate and retained a majority in the House of Representatives.
Last week, the US non-farm payrolls (NFP) for October significantly undershot expectations, wqhile locally, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana delivered the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) for 2024, painting a cautious picture of growth…
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana delivered the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) for 2024. In his statement, he paints a cautious picture for growth while highlighting an ambitious infrastructure-driven plan…
