Editor’s pick
Apple's Record Quarter Came With a Near-$500 Billion Hangover
The iPhone maker posted its strongest-ever June quarter, then watched a looming memory-chip shortage knock almost 10% off its share price.
Editor’s pick
The Roundup — Friday, 31 July 2026
The business day in five minutes — Friday, 31 July 2026.
A Faraway War Is Emptying South African Planes
FlySafair says domestic demand has fallen about 14% since the Middle East conflict sent jet-fuel prices soaring and priced ordinary travellers out of their seats.
Big story
Anglo American Is Betting Everything on Copper
Record copper prices tripled the dividend and lifted core profit by more than a third, but writing down the coal business it is selling still tipped Anglo into a loss.
Microsoft's AI Cloud Is Minting Money, Even as Xbox Keeps Slipping
A record year for Azure and a $3.2 billion windfall on its Anthropic stake carried Microsoft past $90 billion in quarterly sales, while the games and Windows businesses stalled.
BMW Is Cutting Thousands of Jobs as the Good Times Fade
A deal with its own workers will shrink the German carmaker by a reported 8,000 people, after quarterly profit tumbled and Chinese sales slid.
Woolworths' New Boss Has Inherited an Old Problem
A solid year on paper hides a second half knocked off course by the Middle East war and rising interest rates, just as a new chief executive settles into the job.
South Africa Wants to Know Why It's So Hard to Buy Into a Franchise
The Competition Commission has opened a sweeping inquiry into the R1-trillion sector behind KFC, Spar and Pick n Pay, asking whether the deck is stacked against the small players trying to get in.
The Roundup — Thursday, 30 July 2026
The business day in five minutes — Thursday, 30 July 2026.
A World Cup gave Coca-Cola its best quarter in years
Coca-Cola beat expectations and raised its full-year outlook, crediting a global World Cup marketing blitz for a jump in demand.
PayPal to its lurking suitor: not at that price
After beating earnings, PayPal signalled a $53.4 billion takeover bid from Stripe and Advent undervalues it, without ruling a deal out.
South Africa's gas-import plan hangs on one overdue call
A banker says naming the winners of the country's first gas-power auction is the decision that will make or break its plan to import natural gas.