Business morale remain subdued with the RMB/BER Business Confidence Index falling to 38 points during the fourth quarter. That’s after a rebound in building confidence offset downbeat morale in the wholesale and retail sectors. Business Day unpacked the print with Chief Economist at RMB, Ettienne le Roux.

Momentum in the construction sector seems to be picking up. That's as Infrastructure South Africa confirmed that about 48 projects worth R193 billion are currently being built. Business Day TV spoke to RMB's Siyanda Mflathelwa for more of the detail.

Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe has distorted Omnia's results. During the half-year period, headline earnings per share (HEPS) increased by 3% but when the Southern African nation's operations are excluded adjusted HEPS grew 31.9% to 401c, boosted by a 19% jump in revenue. To make sense of the numbers, Business day TV spoke to Omnia's CEO, Seelan Gobalsamy.

South Africa's government says it's urgently looking into making funds available for Eskom so that the state electricity utility can buy the diesel it needs to fuel auxiliary power plants and prevent load-shedding from intensifying. Efficient Group chief economist Dawi Roodt believes the state can do this but says that the more logical approach would be for Eskom to cut costs as a way to fund the diesel purchases. Business Day TV spoke to Roodt for his take on the situation.

In Trade of The Week, Independent Analyst Loyiso Mpeta gives a quan-tech-mental analysis on Impala Platinum, Northam Platinum and Royal Bafokeng Platinum.

Cement producer PPC has delivered what it calls a 'sound performance' for the six months to end-September as group revenue rose 9% to R4.2bn. This however excludes the group's Zimbabwean operations which have suffered under the weight of hyperinflation. Revenue including Zimbabwe fell 1%. Business Day TV spoke to PPC CEO Roland van Wijnen for more detail.​

Astral Foods has delivered a surge in profit. During the annual period the poultry producer’s headline earnings per share more than doubled to R27.62. This helped boost Astral’s payout to shareholders, as it declared a total dividend of R13.80, reflecting a rise of 97%. Business Day TV discussed the factors that drove growth with the company’s CEO, Chris Schutte.

Netcare has reported a healthy set of annual results. The private hospital operator recorded a 5.4% rise in total paid patient days as it recovered from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This further boosted profit, with headline earnings per share rising 20.3%. Business Day TV spoke to CEO, Richard Friedland for more detail on Netcare's full-year financial performance.

Life Healthcare has rewarded shareholders with a total dividend worth 40 cents, this despite recording a 4.5% fall in headline earnings per share. Business Day TV caught up with company’s CEO, Peter Wharton-Hood to discuss the factors weighing on its full year performance.

Britain’s finance minister, Jeremy Hunt has unveiled the country's autumn budget, saying that the UK is now officially in a recession. And in an attempt to deal with the current economic situation, Hunt said government would increase taxes and cut down on spending. Business Day TV got some on the ground analysis from Oanda’s senior markets analyst, Craig Erlam.