BizNews Radio

In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, scenario planner Clem Sunter unpacks the big risks of 2022 including flagging the possibility of World War Three; Free thinking Steven Nathan explains why he is optimistic about 2022; Corion's David Bacher talks tech stocks and share performances; and the IRR's John Endres offers insights into the first volume of the Zondo Commission's report.

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News headlines:

*A South African court has charged a man suspected of starting a devastating fire that gutted South Africa’s parliament with “terrorism”, adding to robbery and arson accusations, as he made his second appearance in court on Tuesday.

*After the State of the Nation Address next month, parliament will continue sitting in the parliamentary precinct, moving to the Good Hope Chamber which was spared in the fire earlier this month.

*Fixed fees and electricity price hikes are making life for Joburg residents hell when it comes to affordable power, with a price comparison showing that post-paid residential customers in the city are getting a raw deal.

Clem Sunter's article on the five key issues we need to pay attention to in the coming 12 months was extremely popular among the BizNews community, with more than 25 000 having read the piece within 48 hours of being published. In this in-depth interview with BizNews editor Alec Hogg, SA's top scenatio planner Sunter goes into greater detail on the things that keep him up at night - including the risk of World War Three.

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Steven Nathan, founder of 10X and former top rated JSE investment analyst, shares his insights into what awaits investors in 2022. In discussion with BizNews editor Alec Hogg, Nathan offers a rational perspective on topical items ranging from mandatory vaccines and Clem Sunter's concerns at growing risks around WW3 through to Bob van Dijk's gigantic bet on his company's shares and tech stocks generally.

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John Endres, Director at the Centre for Risk Analysis, warns South Africans to temper their expectations in the wake of the release of the first instalment of findings by the State Capture Inquiry. While the quest for greater accountability grows, South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority is struggling under the burden of dwindling resources and mounting pressure from the public for action.

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Currency expert Andre Cilliers gets us up to speed with the driving forces behind the Rand's outperformance over the festive period and his expectations for the currency heading into 2022.

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South Africa’s favourite market commentator David Shapiro provides insight into a host of interesting developments that unfolded in the markets over the festive period. The US Federal Reserve’s December minutes spooked investors as the world’s most prominent central banker took a more hawkish stance on the accommodative policies that have been the primary tailwind, which has pushed markets higher since the onset of the pandemic. Despite this, the JSE was incredibly resilient over the holiday season, trading slightly below its all-time high at a shade below the 75,000 level. The Cristal Challenge – an investment competition where each participant chooses five JSE-listed stocks in an equally weighted portfolio – is discussed following its popularity in 2021. Interestingly, the most popular share in the competition, the Purple Group (parent of EasyEquities), was one of several companies in the BizNews portfolio that outperformed significantly in 2021. 

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In this episode of the BizNews Power Hour, latest addition to our team, well known broadcaster Michael Appel, looks into the story of a Zimbabwean "prophet" who splurged R1.4m on a boozy celebration at a Pretoria nightclub on Saturday night (no, it wasn't ANC-related); OUTA's Wayne Duvenage shares the back story to SA's driver's licence debacle where an ancient machine broke, creating a licence backlog for half a million; David Shapiro and his Twitter followers pick Purple Capital as the stock to back in 2022; and TreasuryONE's Andre Cilliers unpacks what's behind the bouncing Rand.

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News headlines:

*President Cyril Ramaphosa says the ruling ANC will push forward on the issue of land expropriation without compensation in 2022.

*Mandatory vaccination policies have taken centre stage in the tertiary education sector as thousands of pupils and staff at these institutions prepare for the start of the 2022 academic year.

*The interim board of state-owned South African Airways (SAA) says it intends to institute internal investigations and disciplinary processes with the aim of "cleaning the company of all vestiges of its shameful past" as exposed in the Zondo Commission's report.

After complaints from many OUTA members, Wayne Duvenage's organisation took a close look at the reasons for the delay in the issuing of an estimated half a million driver's licences. The investigation exposed a money-making racket at a government department whose officials are more interested in raking in cash than serving the public - with disastrous consequences as the ancient machine which produces the cards has broken down.

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