SA in last chance saloon - Moody's; debt soars; world funds Congo revival; Zim protests; US equities soar

Loading player...
South Africa is fighting to preserve its last remaining investment-grade credit rating and avert a forced selloff of billions of rand of its debt after Moody’s Investors Services gave it just over three months to get its finances in order, says Bloomberg.

When Nelson Mandela came to power in 1994, he faced the challenge of uniting a nation divided by apartheid and healing an economy shattered by sanctions and mismanagement. A quarter of a century later, his one-time protege Cyril Ramaphosa faces perhaps even bigger obstacles, including a dismally low economic growth rate of 2%, says Bloomberg.

“Zuma and his allies erased about 20 years of progress,” Claude Baissac, the head of Eunomix Business and Economics, which advises on political risk, is reported as saying.

The World Bank could provide as much as $5bn to Democratic Republic of Congo over the next five years if its new government commits to raising more revenue, fighting corruption and opening up its economy.

Zimbabwe police have given public sector workers permission to march for better pay on Wednesday in what is widely seen as a test of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s willingness to tolerate dissent, reports Reuters.

US stocks climbed to records while Treasuries tumbled as trade optimism fuelled demand for risk assets, says Reuters. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 140 points at the open on Monday to claim its first all-time high since July. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 Nov 2019 12PM English South Africa Investing · Business News

Other recent episodes

BNC#8; John Endres Q&A - Jobs, politics and the investment freeze no one wants to admit

South Africa’s future hinges on one simple truth: jobs come from growth, and growth comes from political choices. This sharp discussion unpacks how policy, ideology, and global alignment are choking investment and costing livelihoods. Inside the ANC, paralysis, fear, and patronage block reform - despite clear evidence of what works…
10 Apr 9AM 32 min

Roy Tilley: The municipal "Rates Randage Monster" strangling South Africa's property owners

Durban businessman Roy Tilley says a deeply flawed municipal rates formula is pushing property owners and small businesses toward a financial breaking point. In this interview, the Queensmead industrial property owner explains why he believes ever-rising rates are becoming impossible to absorb, hurting tenants, jobs and investment, and argues that…
10 Apr 9AM 20 min

BNC#8: Magnus Heystek Q&A - The brutal truth about South Africa’s financial future

A sharp, no-holds-barred conversation on South Africa’s financial reality - rising offshore limits, shrinking property values, and the struggle for economic revival. From Johannesburg’s decline to gold’s surge, and investor psychology to policy failures, this discussion cuts through the noise. It’s a candid look at risk, resilience, and the tough…
10 Apr 6AM 34 min