By Alec Hogg It was all Oscar Pistorius yesterday. Even my autocue operator made an uncharacteristic slip, distracted by the OP channel in the control room. Biznews.com’s top stories listed as always at the bottom of this mail, reflect that reality. Fortunately, all of my CNBC Africa interviews are recorded. Then transcribed and published on … Read more
Some good news at last for shareholders of collapsed microlender African Bank. The SARB-appointed curator Tom Winterboer of PWC expects the “good bank” part to be re-listed towards the end of February 2015. He explains that the insurance subsidiary StanGen has some value that would accrue to those who hold formerly JSE-listed Abil shares. “They … Read more
By Alec Hogg September is a great month. It’s our official start of Spring. And reporting season for many of the country’s best companies. Which, for me, includes interviews with South Africa’s best capital allocators. In just over a week, it’s been my privilege to sit down with Brian Joffe of Bidvest; Markus Jooste of … Read more
BHPBilliton’s “SpinCo” where SA-based assets were put into an independent listing, Shapiro interpreted it as a vote of no confidence in the direction the country’s economic policies are taking.
As you’ll hear from this interview, Vestact director Sasha Naryshkine does his homework. Sasol, he says, was listed in 1979 at 100c a share. Had you been fortunate enough to buy the stock 35 years ago and simply put them away in a drawer, their annual compound growth rate of 28.5% handily surpasses even that … Read more
JSE chief executive Nicky Newton-King (47) has been a fixture at the JSE for the past 14 years. Her succession to the hot seat was well planned – serving as Russell Loubser’s deputy for seven years before taking the reins when he retired in at the end of 2011. An erstwhile member of the World Economic Forum’s … Read more
By Alec Hogg In the four years since 2011, South Africa’s respective placings in the WEF’s annual Global Competitiveness Report has been 50th; 52nd; 53rd; and now 56th. Thankfully we’re still in the top half of 144 countries covered, but Mauritius (39th) is out of site in the African league and Rwanda (62nd) catching up … Read more
I try to wear the world like a loose cloak. That’s the only way to make sense of it. But the garments have been tightening. Because it’s my job to track and analyse these things, every day there’s more evidence of how the unintended consequences of poor political decisions are bleeding the country. Like today, … Read more
By Alec Hogg Next to Vikings and butter, Denmark’s most famous export is the brilliant author Hans Christian Andersen. He had a wonderful way of entertaining while poking fun at those who needed it. My favourite Andersen story is the one about weavers who convinced the Emperor about their secret cloth that was only invisible … Read more
It’s well known RECM was been piling into the shares in Steinhoff’s beleaguered subsidiary, JD Group. So in today’s CNBC Africa Power Lunch I quizzed the firm’s Wilhelm Hertzog about his views after another disappointing trading update released late last night. Also in today’s interview, Hertzog offers his perspectives on Steinhoff, Net1 and Blue Label. – … Read more