JSEDirect with Simon Brown

 🇿🇦 South African Budget & Political Risk Budget framework passed (barely) – VAT increase to 15.5% effective 1 May. GNU under pressure as ANC signals reformulation talks with partners. Rand volatility: Touched nearly R19.90/USD before recovering to ~R18.70. 💥 Global Markets in Turmoil S&P 500 down 18.25%, Nasdaq down 22.5%. Massive selloff: One of the steepest 4-day drops since 1950. But historic...

Simon Brown chats with Glynn Allen from Shyft Global on the history of the app and the recent introduction of JSE shares and a look ahead to new features.

  S&P 500 Bounce? After a rough start, Monday's trading saw a small recovery. But with Trump's "Liberation Day" tariff announcements looming, markets could be in for more volatility. Budget Vote Approaches: The ANC lacks votes to pass the postponed budget, with opposition parties like MK and EFF holding out. Political and economic uncertainty remains high. Commodities on a Quiet Rally: Gold (+19.5...

Education Stocks: Winners and Losers Stadio: Strong performance with double-digit growth and 50,000+ learners. Benefiting from a shortage of university spaces and the struggles at UNISA. Potential for further growth through distance learning and university status. ADvTech*: Long-term holding with solid but not as aggressive growth. Strong presence in tertiary education and schools. Expansion into...

  Market Overview: Top 40 Index: Hit an all-time high of 82,378, currently at 81,800. SA markets remain strong despite a US market selloff. Top40 | Weekly | 18 March 2025 Gold: Broke $3,000 for the first time last week, currently around $3,030. Continues to rise amid geopolitical uncertainties. Gold | Weekly | 19 March 2025 Rand: Trading at 18.07, briefly touching 18.0088 earlier. Dollar weakness...

  The Atlanta Fed's GDP Forecast The Atlanta Fed GDPNow predicts a -2.4% GDP contraction for Q1 2025. Market uncertainty due to tariffs and economic policy concerns. Corporate travel and consumer bookings showing signs of weakness as Delta Airlines downgrades their expectations from mid January . Market Reactions and Sell-Offs Nasdaq and S&P had their worst single-day drops since 2022. Major stock...

Anglo-American's Cash Raid on Anglo-Platinum Anglo-American's decision to unbundle its stake in Anglo-Platinum raises concerns. Declaring a special dividend of R59 per share wipes out the company's entire R17.6 billion cash reserves. Implications for investors: selling pressure expected as shares land in new brokerage accounts. China's Tech Revival? The appearance of Jack Ma and Xi Jinping togethe...

Market Updates & Analysis: Sasol Reversal Pattern? – Examining Sasol's technical setup and the significance of a 'kangaroo tail' pattern. Rand Stability Amid Trump's Threats – Despite geopolitical concerns, the rand remains steady. Top 40 at All-Time Highs – Market momentum and investor confidence. South Africa's Budget Speech (Wednesday, 2 PM SAST) Revenue shortfalls and potential tax bracket adj...

  Trump Trade Tariffs & Global Market Impact: Initial tariffs of 10% (China) and 25% (Canada, Mexico) announced but later revised. U.S.-Canada relations strained, with Warren Buffett warning of reputational damage. Global negotiation shifts—China, Russia, and Europe eye opportunities. Continued U.S.-China trade tensions, including semiconductor restrictions and rare earth tariffs. Market volatilit...

The Cristal Challenge runs until October, with participants picking five local stocks (no ETFs or sub-20c stocks) to hold through the year. Simon's picks include a mix of stable "banker" stocks and speculative plays: Richemont*: High-end luxury giant with strong fundamentals and global market appeal despite challenges in China. Trading near R3,500, with long-term potential boosted by luxury market...

TSMC's Record-Breaking Results Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) hit $26 billion in quarterly revenue. A strong contender in the AI supply chain with growing global operations. Gold: Continuing the Bull Run Gold remains a strong investment pick for Simon, with a potential to hit $3,000/oz. Gold | Weekly | 21 January 2025 Brent Crude Oil Concerns Rising oil prices could hurt both th...

For the twelfth year in a row Marc Ashton, Keith McLachlan & Simon Brown get together and make three predictions each for year ahead. They then also give their expectations for the local Top40 index and the Rand against the US$. But first every year they start by scoring their previous year predictions to keep things real and honest.

In the final show of the year Simon looks back at the many local and offshore winners (and a few losers) of 2024. There have been some excellent returns, but will they carry on into 2025?

  Boxer IPO Hits the Market Boxer* (JSE code will be BOX) lists on 28 November, debuting at R54/share after a highly oversubscribed IPO. Strategies discussed for trading or investing in Boxer shares, including buying through Pick n Pay shares. Key takeaway: Patience is key; wait for potential pullbacks. Two-Pot Retirement Savings and Market Impact Early evidence of consumer spending from the two-p...

  October Inflation Local CPI at 2.8%, yet prime is 11.5% ahead of the MPC decision this afternoon. The gap is far to wide, SARB needs to cut aggressively. South Africa | Prime vs. CPI Gold and Bitcoin Gold has bounced, but is this for real? Bitcoin heading for US$100k Rand weakness The US$ remains string and is hurting the Rand. US$ Index Astral results Good results Paid back R1.1billion short-te...

  Market Overview Crypto Surge, Gold Decline: Bitcoin rallies as investors shift from gold to crypto. Gold hit a recent high of $2,800 but is now pulling back, possibly towards $2,300-$2,400. Central banks continue to buy gold as a hedge against U.S. dollar dominance and geopolitical risks. [caption id="attachment_43623" align="aligncenter" width="849"] Gold | Weekly | 13 November 2024 Rand Weakne...

Episode Summary: Simon Brown dives into the week's biggest financial and economic stories, covering Trump's election win, Nvidia's inclusion in the Dow, rate cuts expected from the FOMC and BOE, and the latest updates on Murray & Roberts, palladium, and gold. Recorded after market open, this episode sheds light on key trades, trends, and the shifting global landscape. Trump's Victory – What's the...

  Local Inflation Update Inflation at 3.8% - lowest since March 2021 (3.5 years ago) Well below SARB's target range midpoint of 4.5% Q3 year-on-year inflation at 4.3% (vs SARB's expected 4.4%) SA CPI YonY September 2024 November MPC Meeting Outlook Rate cut expected, but size uncertain Possibility of 25bps vs 50bps cut Factors affecting decision: Rand weakness Rising oil prices Global economic con...

  Strong Retail Sales and the Two-Pot System: Retail sales show a positive trend, rising 3.2% in August, exceeding expectations of 2.1%. The Two-Pot System has already released R20 billion in six weeks, with the money used mainly for paying down debt, saving, and spending. Retail sales recovery, though from a low base, is a strong indicator of improved consumer health due to factors like slightly...

Overview: In this episode of JSE Direct, Simon Brown breaks down the latest market updates, key stock analyses, and insights into the South African investment landscape. Episode highlights include discussions on property developers Calgro M3 and Balwin, Capitec's strong performance, Purple Group's rise, Afrimat's challenging update, and Wilson Bailey's long-term chart breakout. The show also cover...

  China's Market Rebound Stimulus Measures: The Chinese government has initiated a stimulus, which includes cutting reserve requirements and lowering interest rates. While spending has not picked up fully, the China 50 ETF (in US dollars) has wiped out losses dating back to July 2022. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shows a similar trend. Market Sentiment: Short squeezes have played a role in pushing...

Summary: In this episode of JSE Direct, Simon Brown delves into the latest developments in South African markets, focusing on the impact of China's major economic stimulus and the strengthening of the Rand. Key highlights include: Rand Strength: The Rand has seen notable appreciation, reaching levels of R17.12 to the US dollar. Simon discusses the drivers behind this, particularly US dollar weakne...

Episode Overview: In this episode, Simon Brown dives into the current economic landscape with a focus on interest rates, inflation, and the state of the South African Rand (ZAR). He also explores asset-light businesses and why they make great investments, followed by a breakdown of the latest market activity and local company results. Rate Cuts & Inflation Outlook: South African CPI (August): 4.4%...