Market Forces
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14 April 2025
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Consumer inflation in the US increased slightly in February compared to January. In March, US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Chinese officials introduced a special plan to boost the economy and are considering various measures to stabilise the Chinese stock market. On the domestic front, the US issued an executive order to immediately suspend funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to South Africa. -
8 April 2025
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Global interest rates remained steady across major economies, including the US, UK, and South Africa, as central banks maintained their current policy stance. A key underlying factor for these central bank decisions is the tariffs introduced by US President Donald Trump. -
13 March 2025
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For this year’s budget speech analysis, we turned to Melanie Stockigt, Portfolio Manager and Analyst at Laurium Capital, for her insights. The key takeaway? The budget reinforces fiscal discipline while aiming for pro-growth spending. Market reactions were mixed, with bonds and the rand seeing some volatility. -
12 March 2025
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Global economic trends presented a mixed picture in the latest quarter. US economic growth slowed in the fourth quarter, but consumer spending grew over the same period. On the domestic front, South Africa saw positive developments, with retail sales expanding both in the final quarter and over the year. Encouragingly, the unemployment rate declined across all demographics, including youth, as job creation gained momentum across multiple sectors. -
12 March 2025
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Inflation continues to be a global concern, with notable increases in SA, the US, the UK, and Japan. SA inflation edged up slightly in January, after the first release since Statistics South Africa updated its consumer price basket. Despite the uptick, the headline inflation rate remains within the lower end of the central bank's target range. -
20 February 2025
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Results of an in-depth survey with some of SA’s leading asset managers for their views on what may lie ahead in 2025.
