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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
748 – 768

US halts Hong Kong agreements over Beijing’s new security law

Washington — The US state department said it notified Hong Kong on Wednesday that Washington has suspended or terminated three bilateral agreements with the semi-autonomous city following China’s imposition of a sweeping national security law. The ending of the agreements follows US President Donald Trump’s order in July to end…
20 Aug 2020 3AM 2 min

DEON GOUWS: Two-timing the market

Let me tell you about Tom*. He is a client, a high net worth individual who has been an entrepreneur all his life. He’s a self-made man. Tom is a smart guy; when he talks, I listen. He does lots of business with China. He travels there at least once…
20 Aug 2020 3AM 4 min

Dovish Fed sparks slump in Asian stocks

Tokyo/New York — Asian equities and US futures fell on Thursday, hurt by the US Federal Reserve’s cautious view of the economy, tensions with China and new clusters of coronavirus infections. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slid 1.79%, the biggest daily decline in five weeks. US stock…
20 Aug 2020 2AM 3 min

Oil slides amid warnings of slow demand recovery

Tokyo — Oil prices fell on Thursday as major producers warned of a risk to demand recovery if the coronavirus crisis is prolonged, while US crude inventories dropped less than expected. Brent crude was down 36 US cents, or 0.8%, at $45.01 a barrel by 4.42am GMT, having slipped 0.2%…
20 Aug 2020 2AM 2 min

Gold regains traction amid Fed fears over Covid-19 recovery

Bengaluru — Gold on Thursday bounced back from the previous session’s hefty losses after the US Federal Reserve raised concerns that a recovery from the coronavirus-induced economic slump faced a highly uncertain path, weighing on risk sentiment. Spot gold was up 0.9% at $1,946.09/oz by 3.07am GMT, after falling more…
20 Aug 2020 1AM 2 min

Sketchy darknet websites are taking advantage of Covid-19 – buyer beware

Underground markets that sell illegal commodities like drugs, counterfeit currency and fake documentation tend to flourish in times of crisis, and the Covid-19 pandemic is no exception. The online underground economy has responded to the current crisis by exploiting demand for Covid-19-related commodities. Today, some of the most vibrant underground…
19 Aug 2020 4PM 5 min

GIULIETTA TALEVI: The $2-trillion club

As Groucho Marx famously once said, “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” It’s one of the best one-liners of all time, but I’m not sure Apple CEO Tim Cook would share the sentiment. Yesterday, Apple’s shares traded above $468 for the first time,…
19 Aug 2020 4PM 2 min

How grants eased the Covid pain

To minimise the pain of the Covid-19 lockdown, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a R502bn stimulus package on April 21 — R50bn of which was directly for vulnerable households. The transfers were meant to last six months, and include an increase in existing social grants (covering 18-million beneficiaries). There was also…
19 Aug 2020 1PM 3 min

Trade & industry department downplays delays in ventilator rollout

The government on Wednesday downplayed the delayed production of ventilators, saying that even if the need for them eases locally as Covid-19 infections drop, there will still be a huge demand for them across the continent. Ventilators are crucial in the fight against Covid-19. They keep Covid-19 patients in the…
19 Aug 2020 1PM 3 min

EDITORIAL: New tax resistance threat to fragile SA

South Africans — illicit cigarette smugglers, the ANC Women’s League and a smattering of EFF populists aside — may have been united in their delight at moving to a less restrictive level 2 lockdown this week, but that’s probably where the sense of national unity ends. One of the harshest…
19 Aug 2020 12PM 3 min

EDITORIAL: Sasol’s history-making financial disaster

Adherents of the private sector efficiency theory will have been startled to read that the bungling engineers at Sasol turned in an epic R91.3bn loss for the year to March. It not only exceeds SA’s entire loan from the International Monetary Fund and African Development Bank, it leaves state-owned basket…
19 Aug 2020 12PM 1 min

War for eyeballs hots up in SA’s television industry

SA’s film and television industry has the potential to grow by close to R100bn over the next five years, according to data from consulting firm Accenture. Roman Magis, principal director for video, advertising and content at Accenture Africa, says its research shows that by embracing digital technologies, SA’s broadcasters could…
19 Aug 2020 12PM 5 min

Ron ’n Brian look back on the good old daze

INT. SAXONWOLD SHEBEEN (Somewhere in Saxonwold, Joburg).BRIAN MOLEFE and RONALD REAGAN are seated at the bar, having a drink. The lighting is dim, the atmosphere convivial.REAGAN: You look down, man. What’s up?MOLEFE: Having a bit of trouble remembering things, Ron. Struggled to even find this place this evening.REAGAN: That’s too…
19 Aug 2020 12PM 1 min

Belarus leader orders police to quash protests as EU turns up the heat

Minsk/Brussels — Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ordered his police on Wednesday to put down protests in the capital, Minsk, signalling an escalation after a week-and-a-half of mass demonstrations against his rule. The EU held an emergency summit on the crisis, rejecting Lukashenko’s re-election in a disputed vote on August 9…
19 Aug 2020 12PM 4 min

World Bank looking to trim poor nations’ debt stock faster

Washington — The World Bank is looking at ways to reduce the amount of debt owed by poor countries — rather than simply delaying payments — to attract more investors in the wake of the global pandemic and recession, president David Malpass said. The coming months and the annual meetings…
19 Aug 2020 12PM 2 min

A good week for Joe Biden

A good week You couldn’t do much better than having Michelle Obama and Bernie Sanders in your corner for the US presidential race. At this week’s Democratic national convention, where Joe Biden is set to be declared the Democrats’ candidate, Sanders declared "the future of democracy" to be at stake…
19 Aug 2020 12PM 1 min
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