BizNews Radio (OLD)
Welcome to BizNews Radio where we interview top thought leaders and business people from South Africa and across the globe.
Rate cut; Capitec falls; MultiChoice, retailers bounce; Essential goods hike ban; Zim/SA fence; Nersa
In today's news headlines: - The South African Reserve Bank cut its benchmark interest rate to 5.25% as it seeks to support an already fragile economy that’s expected be hit hard by the coronavirus; - There were large drops on the JSE again yesterday, Capitec the biggest casualty with a…
Kokkie Kooyman: Why Capitec has fallen 38% since Tuesday - and what to do about it
Capitec, the South African bank twice rated the world's best in the annual rankings by London-based Lafferty Group, was the biggest casualty on a wipeout day for financial shares. The stock's share price lost an astonishing 38.5% in two trading sessions, down from Tuesday's R1 110 to close at R682…
The brain surgeons hoping to transplant Groote Schuur success to solve Africa's brain disorders
Google the word ‘brain’ and the phrase ‘the least understood organ of the body’ and ‘final frontier’ pops up time and time again. What is intriguing about neuroscience as one of the scientists at UCT’s new neuroscience institute pointed out; you use an organ, the brain, to study itself. The…
WSJ Tech News: Working from home - the coronavirus edition
Silicon Valley's major tech companies were the first US employers to take their operations online because of the coronavirus. As the rest of the country prepares to follow their lead, Wall Street Journal reporter Rob Copeland joins to explain how they did it - and how we can avoid their…
Another rand/stock bloodbath; No civil service increases; SA won't run out; Political party unity; SA Express flights
In today's business headlines: - The Rand and stock market in South Africa tumbled again yesterday with the currency sinking to a four-year low, while stocks dropped to 2013 levels and bond yields spiked. Platinum miners were the worst hit; - Wage increases for South Africa’s 1.3 million civil servants…
Recession proof strategy: OrbVest shrugs off Coronavirus.
In this special podcast, OrbVest CEO Martin Freeman explains why the company is thriving in the current environment. While valuations in most other sectors have tanked, the slice where OrbVest focuses - medical sector properties in the USA - is shrugging off a coronavirus-induced economic recession. OrbVest has actually experienced…
The SA women smashing science stereotype - Neuroscientists Rachael Dangarembizi and Ursula Rohlwink
The Neuroscience Institute in Cape Town linked to Groote Schuur Hospital that secured a place in history with the world’s first heart transplant is a forward thinking institute aimed at ensuring that science in Africa does not get left behind and is adapted to suit the continent. It is a field…
SA political parties present a united front on tackling coronavirus
The South African Parliament is the last place that you would regard as a bastion of decorum and unity with constant bickering and interruptions, with the EFF using it as a platform for grandstanding. Many South Africans also appeared to have adopted the 'everyone for himself' attitude as people stockpiled…
The Journal: The race to cure coronavirus
Pharmaceutical companies are rushing to find drugs that can treat people infected with the coronavirus. The Wall Street Jounral's Joseph Walker explains which treatments are furthest along, and Dr. Andre Kalil, a researcher running one of the drug trials, talks about what's at stake.
Covid-winners: SA retail stocks, rebars replace gold, new billionaire; interest rates; Zim closes borders
In today's headlines: * A rush by worried South African shoppers to stock up on food and vital supplies spurred sharp gains in Johannesburg retail stocks Tuesday, after President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national disaster because of the coronavirus outbreak; * Eric Yuan, the founder of Zoom Video Communications, has added…
Claudius van Wyk: Practical ways to boost immunity, protect against Coronavirus
In this special podcast, Dr Claudius van Wyk, a globally acknowledged expert in holism uses the philosophy to recommend the best way to address the Coronavirus. He revisits principles pioneered by the late polymath, SA prime minister and Oxford University chancellor, Field Marshall Jan Christiaan Smuts, to suggest ways of…
Our Coronavirus correspondents, the Cronjes, home in SA - seek return to China soonest
Over the past month and a half we've had a couple of fascinating interviews with Durban teachers Gary and Andy Cronje while they were in the heart of Coronavirusland. Getting home - on their own steam - was quite a challenge, but they did so primarily for economic reasons as…
Old Mutual exec Andrew McPherson - testing positive, living with Coronavirus
In a refreshingly frank discussion from this week's Rational Radio, Old Mutual's Andrew McPherson recounts his movements ahead of contracting Coronavirus, and how his life has changed since he tested positive. The head of Balance Sheet Management at the large financial institution strongly supports president Cyril Ramaphosa's drastic steps to…
Coronavirus lockdown: JSE plunge 'worst on record', global economy in crisis; Naspers; Sun International; Domino's Pizza
In today's news headlines: * South Africa’s benchmark stock index plummeted the most on record after President Cyril Ramaphosa’s declaration of a national state of disaster over the coronavirus outbreak stoked investor concern about its impact on an already fragile economy; * The SA economy is set to shrink to…
David Shapiro on Coronavirus: SA has gone mad, but so has rest of the world
On another day when share prices on the JSE took a pummelling and panicking South Africans emptied shop shelves, SA's favourite market commentator David Shapiro applies his mind to the root cause, the ever spreading Coronavirus. His conclusion: the world has gone mad, with people dumping assets as though Armageddon…
Rational Radio 16 March: Coronavirus fever hits SA; plus Estate Duty ripoff
A focus on Coronavirus in this week's episode of Rational Radio as market commentator David Shapiro shares his thoughts on the latest developments and we also chat to Old Mutual exec Andrew McPherson who has tested positive for COVID-19 and our regular correspondents, previously China-based teachers Andy and Gary Cronje,…
SA coronavirus lockdown; Cosatu wants payment holidays; Sasol plans; Petrol bonanza
In today's business headlines: - The government has announced strict measures including travel bans, school closures and a ban on large gatherings to combat the spread of the coronavirus in South Africa. It comes as the official figure of positive cases rose to 61; - Cosatu has called on the…
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a major lockdown of South Africa to combat coronavirus
The measures announced tonight by President Cyril Ramaphosa include travel bans on foreign nationals to South Africa from several countries, and a ban on travel to the EU, US, UK, China, Iran and South Korea. 35 of the countries land ports will be shut from tomorrow and non-essential domestic travel…
Inspirational: Window to HIV reality - experiencing Yabonga, a lifeline for 1,200 kids
It took a year and a half to close the loop on my Yabonga experience - but as you'll hear in this absorbing podcast, it was worth the wait. After a London interview in November 2018 with Ursel Barnes, co-founder of this extraordinary organisation, she offered to show me what…
Market chaos: Forget coronavirus, worry about passive investing
While the coronavirus can take credit for much of the volatility we’ve experienced on the markets lately, it’s not the only issue. For years, the steady rise of passive investing may have been creating unexpected and important financial market vulnerabilities. In this podcast, featuring content from the Bloomberg Odd Lots…