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BusinessLIVE - For Your Ear

Listen to the latest BusinessLIVE articles from the news desk of Business Day, Financial Mail and the Business Times.

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Daily English South Africa Business News · News
12,931 Episodes
308 – 328

Oil down to new low as petrol demand is weak

London — Oil prices extended losses on Thursday, falling to their lowest point since early August, as worries about weaker US petrol demand and a sluggish economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic dented sentiment. Brent crude fell 79c, or 1.8%, to $43.64 a barrel by 8.45am GMT. US West Texas…
3 Sep 2020 6AM 2 min

World shares at record highs as Europe gains and dollar fights back

London/Sydney — Europe kept record high world share markets marching forward on Thursday, while the dollar was in fightback mode and government bonds steadied after European Central Bank (ECB) efforts to tame the euro. The promise of ongoing global fiscal and monetary stimulus remained far too powerful to allow worries…
3 Sep 2020 5AM 4 min

The world does not need a currency war

“It’s our currency, but it’s your problem,” John Connally, Richard Nixon’s treasury secretary, told the world in 1971. Four decades later, the dollar’s weakness threatens to incite a full-blown currency war that could distract policymakers from their key task of mending the post-pandemic global economy. The US currency has been…
3 Sep 2020 5AM 5 min

Raging Arctic fires the worst on record

Midrid — The Arctic has experienced the worst fire season on record for the second year in a row, with giant wildfires sending over one-third more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than in 2019. Fires raging across the Arctic Circle emitted 244-million tonnes of carbon dioxide for the first six…
3 Sep 2020 4AM 3 min

At least one dead as Typhoon Maysak batters Koreas

Seoul — At least one person was reported killed and thousands were temporarily without power as Typhoon Maysak smashed into the Korean peninsula on Thursday, bringing heavy rain and lashing winds to areas still recovering from Typhoon Bavi. The ninth typhoon of the season and the fourth to hit the…
3 Sep 2020 3AM 2 min

Rise in risk appetite takes some shine off gold

Bengaluru — Gold on Thursday recouped some of the previous session’s hefty losses as the dollar steadied, though gains were capped by an uptick in risk appetite on recent better-than-expected economic data. Spot gold was up 0.2% at $1,945.59/oz by 3.40am GMT, after falling 1.4% on Wednesday in its biggest…
3 Sep 2020 2AM 2 min

NATASHA MARRIAN: Can bleeding DA capitalise on ANC’s Covid weakness?

With the governing ANC under fire for its role in Covid-19 corruption, you’d have to think the only way it can keep its majority in next year’s election is thanks to the weakness of its opposition. The local government elections next year are set to be hard fought in a…
3 Sep 2020 2AM 3 min

Slump in demand keeps oil at multi-week lows

Singapore/Melbourne — Oil prices edged up on Thursday, but held near multi-week lows hit overnight after US data showed gasoline demand fell and recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic was lagging. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 9 US cents, or 0.22%, at $41.60 a barrel by 3.49am…
3 Sep 2020 2AM 2 min

Asian markets rally on upbeat data

Sydney — Asian equities started strong on Thursday as a sustained recovery in China’s services sector and the prospect of additional US stimulus whetted risk appetite, while the dollar pared gains. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan climbed 0.5%, clocking its third straight session of gains to hover…
3 Sep 2020 1AM 3 min

JSE faces mixed Asian markets, while rolling blackouts continue

The JSE faces mixed Asian markets on Thursday morning, with no major catalyst to give direction, while locally rolling blackouts have intensified. Eskom has moved to stage 4 load-shedding from stage 2, and this is expected to persist for the rest of the week, dealing a further blow to SA’s…
3 Sep 2020 1AM 1 min

US blacklists ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda over Afghanistan war crimes probe

Washington — The US on Wednesday imposed sanctions on International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, over her investigation into whether American forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan. Pompeo also said Phakiso Mochochoko, the head of the ICC's jurisdiction, complementarity and co-operation division, had…
2 Sep 2020 5PM 2 min

GIULIETTA TALEVI: Seaside home sales boom, as SA’s cities at a crossroads

The freshness of a week away from the city has been quite staggering and, I’d say, necessary for most of us after what feels like months of relentless slog and grim getting-on. It’s also helpful when you start really losing perspective on SA — though, arriving back to a powerless…
2 Sep 2020 5PM 3 min

XHANTI PAYI: Labour unions fit for the moment?

The nature and structure of our economy have changed fundamentally as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. As we try to reimagine this — and especially the future of work — we have to consider a key stakeholder: the labour sector. In particular, we have to ask whether unions have…
2 Sep 2020 4PM 4 min

STEPHEN VAN COLLER: Stealing from SA’s future

As companies around the world struggle with Covid-19, I can’t help but draw parallels between managing a company in crisis, and a country in crisis. Strictly speaking, financial systems are a zero-sum game and so you have only a few levers to pull when faced with a crisis. I read…
2 Sep 2020 3PM 5 min

EDITORIAL: ANC is lavish on rhetoric, meagre on action

The bold outcome of the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) meeting, announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa, suggests the governing party is well aware that it’s been placed on notice by a corruption-fatigued electorate.On paper, the party’s promises look good: those facing corruption cases must step aside from their government posts,…
2 Sep 2020 3PM 3 min

EDITORIAL: Trigger-happy thugs

SA politicians have a history of exhorting the police to violence. In 2008, deputy safety & security minister Susan "Bang-Bang" Shabangu told officers to "kill the bastards if they threaten you or the community. You must not worry about the regulations."It was a sentiment echoed by police minister Nathi Mthethwa…
2 Sep 2020 2PM 1 min
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