- RMH‘s net asset value has decreased by 4% driven by the strengthening of the Rand. The firm says loss from continuing operations improved in the comparable period thanks to the elimination of funding costs during its unbundling. RMH says headline earnings decreased by more than 100% as the results of FirstRand are no longer included.
- Northam Platinum announced an increase in normalised headline earnings to R3.3 billion and an increase in headline earnings per share of nearly 74% for the 6 months ended in December. Sales revenue increased by just over 50% The group did not declare an interim dividend.
- South Africa announced the preferred bidders to provide emergency power to boost supply as Eskom continues to implement rolling blackouts that are weighing on the economy. The eight bidders will provide a total of almost 2000 megawatts from various technologies to be connected to the grid by August 2022, according to Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe. The projects equate to private sector investment of R45 billion.
- US company ImmunityBio will have its first Covid-19 vaccine made in South Africa by The Biovac Institute, a partly state-owned company, once regulators approve it. Production of the vaccine in South Africa will bolster its role as the only country in Africa to produce the shots.
- China is restricting the use of Tesla cars by its military and some government agencies, citing national-security concerns, say people familiar with the matter.
- The collapse of Greensill Capital left many investors out of pocket, including multiple German municipalities. The Wall Street Journal reports that while the company’s bread and butter was providing ‘safe, short-term loans’ to ‘risk-averse investors’, its founder preferred a more speculative and risky approach to deal-making. This attracted the attention of regulators, raised questions from business partners and lead a crucial insurer to walk away.
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