Alibaba promoting IPO

September seems to be an exciting month for investors with the launch of Apple’s products tomorrow and the announcement that Alibaba has finalised its IPO price range for its listing on the New York Stock Exchange which is expected to be the biggest IPO in US history. But even giants such as Alibaba need to … Read more

Stolen photos of stars find ‘safe harbour’ on the Internet

By Michael Liedtke Imagine what the Internet would be like if most major websites had imposed controls preventing the naked photos stolen from Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence and other celebrities from being posted online. The Internet would be less sleazy, but pre-screening more content might also mute its role as a megaphone for exposing abuses … Read more

Barclays & Diamond compete for Africa’s Banking promise

By Steve Slater and Helen Nyambura-Mwaura LONDON/JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Gaborone and Lusaka are the unlikely settings for a battle between one of the world’s most famous investment bankers and his former firm over the future of African banking. American banker Bob Diamond last week unveiled plans to raise $400 million to double the war chest of his African venture Atlas … Read more

When emerging markets index falls, US S&P 500 falls too – analysis

In South Africa and other emerging markets we’ve been bracing for more investment pain, partly on the expectation that China will have a smaller  appetite for resources. Offshore diversification is usually recommended to reduce investment risk associated with having all our money in Johannesburg-listed shares. But, as this piece by Ryan Vlastelica of Reuters highlights, … Read more