Editor’s pick
The headlines say bleak August for the rand. The smart money is betting the other way
As bond outflows and a shock rate hold darken the mood, options traders have quietly cut their bets against the rand to a year low.
Business Bagel News
Daily news from the Business Bagel desk — the markets, money and company stories shaping South Africa, reported fast and kept clear.
Editor’s pick
Apple finally fixed Siri, so why does the launch feel flat?
Apple's long-promised Siri overhaul has reached iPhones in beta and it actually works well, but critics say it arrives too late to feel exciting.
Telkom is pulling BCX out of the corner and betting on “One Telkom”
Telkom has put acting BCX boss Hasnain Motlekar in charge of merging BCX, Telkom Business and Openserve into one offering for business customers, after a decade of lost ground.
Your peanut butter could get a 20% import tax, and the regulator is watching prices
South Africa's trade regulator wants to lift the import duty on peanut butter to 20% to protect local makers, while warning shops not to use it as cover for price hikes.
Big story
Nedbank's profit looks flat, but the real number is 12%
Nedbank's half-year profit barely moved on paper, yet strip out a business it sold and it grew double digits, even as the bank scraps one of its most senior jobs.
Capitec is changing its name, and you probably won't notice
Capitec Bank Holdings is becoming Capitec Limited after shareholders and the corporate registrar signed off, but the share code, listing and history all stay put.
Coronation is buying Absa shares while openly doubting its comeback
One of South Africa's largest fund managers has taken a stake in Absa, betting a cheap price outweighs its long-held doubts about the bank's retail turnaround.
Stor-Age is buying its biggest rival's sites, and a competitor is crying foul
South Africa's largest self-storage company has struck a R387 million deal to absorb ten Xtraspace properties, but a rival says it hands Stor-Age a national monopoly.
Amazon just joined a five-company club worth three trillion dollars
Amazon's market value topped three trillion dollars for the first time after a booming quarter, but its own boss says the AI spending is only getting started.
Big story
A mining windfall has Goldman betting on another SA ratings upgrade
Company tax is pouring in far ahead of budget, and Goldman Sachs thinks Moody's and S&P will reward South Africa with upgrades within a year.
The Premiership kicked off. The SABC couldn't show it.
A stalled sub-licensing deal with DStv's new French owner left free-to-air viewers staring at blank screens on opening weekend.
Wall Street braces for a jobs report, a Fed puzzle and SpaceX's debut
A busy week of US data and megacap earnings could set the tone for global markets, with shares near record highs and little room for disappointment.