> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.businessbagel.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Roundup — Thursday, 29 October 2026 - URL: https://www.businessbagel.com/the-roundup-thursday-29-october-2026/ - Published: 2026-10-29T04:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-29T03:59:59.000Z - Author: Christian Maidman Today’s edition Moroccan Roll Presented by[![All Weather](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/24/9724ffa3-48e9-48a7-a5f7-e38b7d2c9b36/content/images/2026/09/allweather-logo.png)](https://allweather.co.za/?ref=businessbagel.com) Good morning, it’s Thursday the 29th of October. South Africa has been overtaken by another country in a major African investment ranking, but there’s more to the numbers than you might think. Also in today’s roundup, businesses are discovering the hidden costs of AI, and South Africa’s love for chicken is helping one poultry company deliver some cracker results. Let’s get into it. --- MARKETS ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/24/9724ffa3-48e9-48a7-a5f7-e38b7d2c9b36/content/images/2026/10/markets--73-.png) --- OVERTAKING LANE ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/24/9724ffa3-48e9-48a7-a5f7-e38b7d2c9b36/content/images/2026/10/investment-ranking.png) ## Morocco has moved ahead of South Africa in an investment ranking, but there’s more to the numbers Every year, Rand Merchant Bank ranks the best places in Africa to invest, and this year Morocco has moved ahead of us into 4th, with South Africa slipping to 5th. The reasons are worth paying attention to. Morocco’s economy grew 4.9% last year against our 1.1%, and its car industry has boomed since 2015, building about 502,000 vehicles last year with the capacity for more than a million. But before you start booking calls with emigration agencies, the money tells a more mixed story. **Where the money went:** - **Morocco:** foreign investment jumped 91% last year to $3.3 billion, according to UNCTAD, the UN’s trade and investment body. - **South Africa:** a net outflow of $2.3 billion, but mostly companies moving money internally, sending profits overseas and doing deals, not investors abandoning their factories. - **New projects:** South Africa still attracted more, 160 worth $6.9 billion, against Morocco’s 103 worth $6.6 billion. The sting is in the cars. Our economy is more than twice the size of Morocco’s, yet we build only about 20% more vehicles, and we’re chasing the same contracts. [**Read the full story →**](https://www.businessbagel.com/south-africa-has-lost-its-spot-to-morocco-in-an-investment-ranking-but-the-data-is-split/) --- TOKEN GESTURES ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/24/9724ffa3-48e9-48a7-a5f7-e38b7d2c9b36/content/images/2026/10/ai.png) ## Companies are rationing their AI, and the tokens they never see are a big part of why Businesses around the world are rethinking how they use AI, and it’s because of tokens. Every time you ask ChatGPT a question, your words essentially get broken into these little pieces called tokens, and businesses using AI through an API pay for these tokens they send in *and* the ones that come back. Some models also generate extra tokens while working out an answer, which you never see but still pay for. So even if the price per token falls, the bill can keep climbing. Companies are discovering exactly that. A survey of 1,500 IT leaders for data company Cloudera found 89% have limited or redesigned how they use AI because of rising token use. Only 19% continuously monitor their token spending, while 24% have already paused or cancelled projects over costs. South Africa wasn’t included in the survey, but the problem applies here too. With Gartner predicting AI coding costs will overtake the average developer’s salary by 2028, expect AI companies to compete on efficiency, not just intelligence. [**Read the full story →**](https://www.businessbagel.com/companies-are-rationing-ai-because-the-bill-keeps-climbing-even-where-the-sticker-price-has-fallen/) --- BAGEL BITE **Which city’s historic centre spans over 100 small islands?** **A.** Venice **B.** Amsterdam **C.** Stockholm --- DOING THE ROUNDS ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/24/9724ffa3-48e9-48a7-a5f7-e38b7d2c9b36/content/images/2026/10/african-rainbow-minerals.png) **African Rainbow Minerals plans to spend nearly R16 billion on its mines.** Its latest annual report shows R15.2 billion going towards developing its Bokoni platinum mine, which won’t reach full production until 2032\. Another R753 million will restart a nickel mine in Mpumalanga, with mining expected to resume this month. ARM ended June with R10.2 billion in cash. Its recent profit growth was largely driven by higher platinum prices, although the company acknowledges that electric vehicles threaten future platinum demand. [**Full story →**](https://www.businessbagel.com/african-rainbow-minerals-is-betting-almost-r16-billion-on-platinum-and-nickel-after-a-year-carried-mostly-by-platinum-prices/) **Cheaper feed, a stronger rand and growing demand for chicken have given Quantum Foods a boost.** The JSE-listed company, which produces animal feed, chicks and eggs, has released a trading statement expecting annual earnings per share to rise between 17% and 29%. But not every part of the business performed well, with its chicken farming and egg businesses earning less, and egg prices falling 5%. Full results are expected around 27 November. [**Full story →**](https://www.businessbagel.com/quantum-foods-expects-earnings-up-by-as-much-as-29-and-cheaper-feed-did-a-lot-of-the-work/) **Mercedes-Benz has become the third major German carmaker to cut its profit forecast this year, following Volkswagen and BMW.** The company now expects annual profit to remain flat, rather than grow by at least 15%. The biggest problem is China, where Mercedes’ vehicle sales fell 29% in the first nine months of the year. With Chinese competitors like BYD and Chery taking customers, and rising raw material costs eating into profits, Mercedes isn’t just selling fewer cars. It’s also making less money on the ones it sells. [**Full story →**](https://www.businessbagel.com/mercedes-benz-deliveries-in-china-fell-another-29-and-now-its-forecast-for-the-whole-year-has-gone-with-them/) **Food Lover’s Market is getting into the liquor delivery business.** Its liquor retail brand, Market Liquors, has launched a new app allowing South Africans to order wine, beer and spirits straight to their doors. The app is available in areas served by Market Liquors and Diamond Discount Liquor stores, with exclusive deals and free delivery on your first eligible order. And with South Africa’s online retail market expected to grow 22.5% this year, it’s another example of traditional retailers looking beyond their physical stores to reach customers. [**Full story →**](https://www.businessbagel.com/p/7101e4a0-8ea7-4d52-b13d-1d4799bf29fc/) --- WEATHER ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/24/9724ffa3-48e9-48a7-a5f7-e38b7d2c9b36/content/images/2026/10/weather--71-.png) --- BAGEL GAMES ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/97/24/9724ffa3-48e9-48a7-a5f7-e38b7d2c9b36/content/images/2026/10/Wordle--73-.png) Have you got what it takes to win today’s Wordle? [**Play here →**](https://puzzel.org/en/wordle/play?p=-P528s5E9j43iIYYxQ7Y&ref=businessbagel.com) --- THE ANSWER As for the Bagel Bite, the answer is: **A. Venice** Venice’s historic centre spreads across 118 small islands in the Venetian Lagoon. Canals separate the islands, while bridges and pedestrian routes allow people to move between them on foot. Boats provide transport along the waterways. Wooden piles form an important part of the foundations beneath many historic structures, including the famous Rialto Bridge. The wider municipality also includes mainland areas, so the island description applies specifically to the historic city. --- That’s your Thursday sorted. Enjoyed it? Forward it on, a friend can subscribe in a click. Written by the Business Bagel crew.