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The tail wagging the dog – how politics is driving the value of the rand

15 November 2018 | Economy

In recent years the financial market landscape has changed dramatically, and the way we analyse countries and their risk has followed suit.

World market turbulence in October saw $2 trillion loss

14 November 2018 | Economy

World markets faced turbulent times throughout October, with an estimated loss of $2 trillion. The month started positively, in reaction to positive NAFTA trade talks between the three major North American countries: US, Mexico and Canada. The Dow Jones did well as a result, with big manufacturing names such as Boeing stocks seeing increases. A staggering drop in the technology sector pushed Amazon down over 8%, with Microsoft trailing due to poor earnings figures. This caused the Nasdaq, Dow Jones and S&P 500 (with over 20% exposure to technology shares at September’s end) to drop significantly. The Dow is now at its third lowest point in history. The exception was Netflix, where positive earnings led to a 10% increase in the stock price.

Notes from the Trading Desk – Europe

13 November 2018 | General

Equity markets experienced mixed fortunes last week. US markets outperformed following the midterm elections but European equities lagged as uncertainty from the Brexit situation and Italy’s budget spat with the European Union (EU) weighed on sentiment.