Tag: global recession

Despite getting a bad rap in the past, millennials – defined as those born between 1981 – 1986 – are now all grown up. And, for an age group that was once unfairly dubbed the most narcissistic generation of all time, they’re actually pretty good parents.

The untapped potential of Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) in the country is astounding. However, the red tape placed on them is even more startling. In South Africa we wouldn’t stand for our national teams playing with their hands tied behind their back.

You don’t have to be an economist to notice that inflation is biting at the moment. In fact, you’ve probably felt it yourself, noticing how, every month, a little more of your salary goes into things like food and fuel. In fact, South Africa’s monthly inflation rate has consistently been above the upper limit of the Reserve Bank’s three to six percent target range since April this year, peaking at 7.8% in July. 

Which are the main factors driving the possibility that a company and its board of directors may be sued by investors or other stakeholder groups in 2023? A poor financial performance or even insolvency amid economic uncertainty and the prospect of a global recession, a lack of robust cyber security and governance processes, or an inadequate or non-compliant response to environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are among the key risk trends in the Directors and Officers (D&O) insurance space

Looking at global news headlines, we are inundated with negative news – from concerns about the war in Ukraine, the possibility of a global recession and uncertainty about the future of global inflation and interest rates. Locally, things appear equally uncertain and gloomy.

This year has been nothing, if not eventful. We started 2022 with Russian President, Vladimir Putin, declaring war on Ukraine. This event then triggered an energy crisis and has driven inflation, in major economies, to unprecedented levels, along with interest rates. And now, as the year draws to a close, COVID-19 has snuck in again to dominate headlines.

There is so much uncertainty in the world today – from the two-year-long fight against the pandemic and consumers’ battle against war-induced fuel hikes, to investors trying to interpret global recession concerns or South Africans’ struggle with Eskom.

People are worrying about a global recession and with good reason. But what if the factors driving rising prices are beyond the limits of policymakers’ control? I discuss what central bankers’ next move might be, what markets are pricing in and what the probability of a recession is.

One year after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, CEOs are voicing record levels of optimism in the global economic recovery, with 76% of global business leaders predicting that economic growth will improve in 2021. Coming off of a global recession (3.5% decline in world GDP) and a GDP contraction of 7% in SA, a record share of CEOs are optimistic about global economic growth this year.

To prepare for uncertain times, we need to develop robust business models and structures that allow for experimentation and to see what grabs and what doesn’t grab. The engineering and construction sector has been operating in the same way for decades, is one of the least digitised industries in the world (21 out of 22 industries) and has not enjoyed significant productivity growth in recent years.