Raw market data without the spin—make of it what you will
Think of the JSE All Share as a rough temperature check on SA business confidence. When it climbs, someone somewhere is feeling optimistic. When it drops, well—everyone starts checking the news.
What actually moves it? Everything from earnings reports and commodity prices to what the Fed said last week. These things connect in ways that take years to really understand—and even then, markets still surprise people.
The Rand is many things: a way to measure how nervous global investors feel about emerging markets, a daily headache for importers, and occasionally a pleasant surprise for exporters. It rarely sits still for long.
If you hold investments outside SA or buy anything imported, exchange rates become your silent business partner—whether you like it or not. Worth keeping an eye on.
Gold has been money's backup plan for centuries. When paper currencies wobble, people still reach for the shiny stuff. Call it tradition, call it paranoia—but it's worked so far.
South Africa's mining history makes gold prices feel a bit more personal here. Less of an abstract commodity, more like part of the national story.
The Reserve Bank's repo rate is basically the price of money. When they raise it, borrowing costs more. When they cut, everyone refinances their home loans. Simple mechanics, complicated ripple effects.
Rate changes touch everything from bond prices to property valuations. Even if you never look at the repo rate, it's quietly shaping what your investments are worth.
SA government bonds offer yields that look generous compared to developed markets—that's the emerging market premium (or risk tax, depending on your perspective). Higher potential return for accepting more uncertainty.
The shape of the yield curve is finance's version of reading tea leaves. Steep curve? Investors expect growth. Flat or inverted? Someone's getting nervous about the future.
South Africa isn't competing in isolation—it's one option among many for investors scanning the emerging world. Brazil, India, Indonesia, Vietnam—the comparison set is crowded and changing.
Sometimes SA looks cheap relative to peers. Sometimes it looks fairly priced. Knowing where we sit in that global lineup helps you understand when foreign money might flow in—or out.
What things cost keeps creeping up—especially groceries and petrol. This number shapes everything from wage negotiations to retirement planning.
The economy is growing, but not exactly sprinting. Infrastructure issues and global uncertainty keep putting the brakes on faster expansion.
The hardest number to look at. One in three people without work changes everything about how the economy functions.
What the government pays to borrow for a decade. High by global standards—that's the premium investors want for taking SA risk.
Numbers are snapshots, not predictions. Markets move, situations change, and yesterday's data doesn't tell you what tomorrow brings. We share this for context and curiosity—not as a roadmap for your money. If you're making actual investment decisions, talk to someone qualified. Don't rely on a website.
