In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Alec Hogg is joined by co-host David Shapiro, Denker Capital's Kokkie Kooyman on FNB's booming update, Thungela CEO July Ndlovu on new JSE listing, William Saunderson-Meyer on Zweli Mkhize's options and the BizNews Power Hour team.

Africa's most valuable financial services group, First Rand, today announced in a voluntary trading update that conditions have unexpectedly improved to the extent that it has reversed billions set aside to meet anticipated lickdown-related losses. In this podcast our go-to man on the sector, Denker Capital's Kokkie Kooyman, helps investors put the news in perspective - for FirstRand itself and other JSE-listed banking stocks.

* 75% of youth in South Africa are unemployed, reports The Times of London.

* FirstRand sees profit rising more than expected, and by at least 35%, after the South African economy rebounded strongly from the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.

* Anglo American South African coal mines, which will be listed in a new vehicle this week, are worthless given the scale of environmental clean-up costs, according to a research report from short-seller Boatman Capital.

* The rand’s value was helped as offshore investors bought South African stocks and bonds.

* El Salvador may become the first country to make bitcoin legal tender, President Nayid Bukele has announced.

* Former finance minister Trevor Manuel, in an interview with the IMF, says the decade under Jacob Zuma wasn’t just ‘lost as though everything was static...the country regressed'.

The rand is strong - and quite possibly as strong as it is likely to be for some time - which makes it a great time to diversify investments outside South Africa. Andre Cilliers, currency strategist at TreasuryONE, says you may be disappointed if you wait for further rand strength. Even if you took funds offshore at R16 and R17 to the US dollar, keep moving money outside South Africa so that you lower the average cost. He was speaking to Jackie Cameron, in this week's episode of the BizNews Currency Focus.

* This podcast is proudly brought to you by TreasuryONE, South Africa's leading treasury solutions company that unlocks financial value for your business.

In this podcast, South Africa's favourite market watcher David Shapiro provides perspective on the three big stories of the moment - drawing on the wisdom earned through decades of experience in the markets.

This morning's debut by new JSE listing, coal mining group Thungela Resources, was tarnished by a research report claiming the company has massively understated liabilities and is essentially worth zero. Tungela's share price lost 10% from early trading levels. The parade-rainer came in the form of a 39-page research report from Boatman Capital, which reckons SA's new legislation on mining rehabilitation will swallow more that the Anglo American coal division spinoff is worth. In this podcast, Thungela CEO July Ndlovu argues the Boatman report is fatally flawed because it assumes draft legislation will be enacted in its current form. He says neogtiations with government, which have already lasted six years, are far from finalised. Veteran mining analyst Peter Major also weighs in.

News agency Bloomberg quotes two reliable sources that SA's health minister Zweli Mkhize has been given three options by his boss: resign; step aside while the corruption probe continues; or be fired in the next reshuffle. In this podcast, political commentator and Medical Brief editor William Sanderson-Meyer provides background to the R150m scandal and suggestions on what is likely to happen next.

Dawie Roodt, bekende markkommentator en hoof ekonoom van die Efficient Group verduidelik vir Charl Botha wat monetêre en fiskale beleid behels en hoe dit werk. Luister gerus, Dawie ken sy storie.

In today's headlines:

*Mantashe denies that he was involved in the evaluation of the bids for emergency power, the lion’s share of which went to Karpowership.

*The European Union and the U.K. opened formal antitrust investigations into Facebook Inc.’s classified-ads service Marketplace, ramping up regulatory scrutiny for the company in Europe.

*South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize is considering resigning over an investigation into a tendering scandal, two people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

*The South African Medical Association (SAMA) has warned that thousands of doctors will leave the country ahead of the planned introduction of the National Health Insurance (NHI).

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, Jackie Cameron is joined by Satrix CEO Helena Conradie who is stepping down after 8 years at the helm, Grace Harding CEO of Ocean Basket, while wine guru Carrie Adams chats to Woolworths specialist wine buyer Rebecca Constable and James Diack who is opening a new wine bar in Parktown North, and the BizNews team.