Tag: inflation

The global economy is facing challenges on many fronts, with inflation and recession becoming the words of the day. As a result, budgets that are always tight (like IT) are under even more scrutiny than before. Any unnecessary spending needs to be curtailed, for obvious reasons, but does data management fall into this category?

Of the companies we research, the tobacco industry has some of the best structural fundamentals. Tobacco consumption is relatively price-inelastic, which means that price increases can make up for falls in sales volumes. Taxes make up a large portion of sale prices.

Nobody enjoys paying tax, but since it’s our legal obligation, we may as well make the most of it by legitimately saving where we can. Because tax savings - even if fractional - compounded over prolonged periods of time can contribute significantly to any person’s financial position.

An early start is at the heart of achieving sufficient financial resources for the lifestyle you desire for yourself and your family. It gives your investments more time to compound and grow. There are rules of thumb for younger investors who want to secure a strong financial future.

A record amount of R1.6 trillion is currently held in South African bank accounts as retail savings deposits. This is a staggering amount of money which is currently conservatively invested. In many ways, this movement of funds reflects the significant uncertainties faced by investors, both in South Africa and globally.

Although the world of crypto-related financial services is in turmoil at the moment, its underlying blockchain technology has a vital role to play in the future of banking and other financial services. In the world of finance, we are currently seeing real consensus between the traditional and the Web3 players that the combination of secure private banking, blockchain technology and Bitcoin custodianship is the future and holy grail of banking.

As the two countries implement reforms, the local situation is unlikely to spiral out of control as it did in France. In October 2010 there were massive strikes across France against pension reform. Activist Jean-Baptiste Reddé’s slogan “Ecoutez la colère du people" (Listen to the people’s rage) became world famous as the symbol that epitomised public sentiment.  

Rolling blackouts and the recently imposed 18.65% Eskom tariff hikes from April next month are likely to place additional stress on the South African consumer and businesses to the extent that further bankruptcies are inevitable. With the prospect of higher interest rates, low growth and still high inflation, many companies could face corporate failures particularly in the early part of 2023.

In a recent newsletter, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that South Africa knows what needs to be done to be removed from the greylist and that the fundamentals are in place. Eight areas of strategic deficiency have been identified by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) which government needs to urgently address in order to get off the greylist.

As South Africa’s electricity crisis worsens, accompanied by increased interest rates, food and petrol prices, the country's potential to enter a recession rises exponentially. As most economists have noted, South Africa presently falls short on both micro and macroeconomic benchmarks, from exports and imports to infrastructure development and ballooning interest rates.