Having covered MercadoLibre in Magic Markets Premium this week, we had Latin America on the brain. Combined with the mess around the South African budget speech (or complete lack thereof), this triggered the idea to consider whether the reforms seen in Argentina under Javier Milei could work in South Africa.

Moe certainly took this assignment seriously, with a detailed discussion on the approach taken in Argentina and exactly which bits might work in South Africa - and which ones are a step too far! The conversation then evolved into points around the effect of reforms on growth and the ability for platform businesses to scale effectively within South Africa.

Wandile Sihlobo is an agricultural economist, an advisor to President Ramaphosa and one of the leading voices in the agriculture space in South Africa. We value his balanced views and his approach to what he does, so we invited Wandile to join us at a time when South Africans are divided rather than united.

Dealing with topics like expropriation, the view of Afrikaans commercial farmers in response to the US approrach to offering refugee status, the rate of transformation in land ownership as well as common misconceptions around AGOA, this is a hard-hitting discussion that adds to the current discourse in South Africa.

As always, our goal is to drive constructive debate. This podcast is well worth your time, as Wandile is a true expert in this space. As South Africans, the most important thing we need to do is keep talking.

For companies seeking capital, founders wanting to exit their stake and investors who desire diversification and solid returns, private debt and equity markets offer a vibrant ecosystem. Dino Zuccollo of Westbrooke Alternative Asset Management joined us to discuss activity across the capital stack and some of the key trends coming into 2025, as well as the general levels of adoption of this asset class in South Africa and abroad.

To learn more about Westbrooke and to connect with the team, visit their website here.

Westbrooke Alternative Asset Management is an authorised Financial Services Provider, FSP number 46750.

Given the widespread impact on the companies that we follow, it's hard to ignore the geopolitical fires that are raging around Trump and the countries that he has been targeting. Canada, Mexico and now South Africa - is anyone safe?

Of course, these issues are nuanced and the relative negotiating power of each country becomes relevant. In this show, we talk about the response of Canada (where Moe has a front-row seat) and Mexico, as well as Ghost's concerns around how this is all coming at a bad time, with South Africa's economic recovery still in its infancy.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

As we sign off on January, it's been a month of major moves in markets. Globally, the valuation risks in AI were thrust into the spotlight in recent days based on the emergence of DeepSeek. Geopolitical risks are also a major feature of 2025, with some of Trump's recent actions showing that we are in for a bumpy ride.

And yet, there are some turnaround stories out there that had a great January. Is the market looking for value opportunities in unusual places based on fear of how far tech has run? Nike, Walgreens and Burberry have all been researched in Magic Markets Premium this month and we highlight that basket in this show. 

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

The banking industry is part of the fabric of any economy. This is both good and bad, as success in that sector therefore depends on broader economic activity. This has been the problem for most of the South African banking sector options over the past decade, but could that change in 2025? And what are the key metrics to look out for?

With reference to key macro points as well as more granular analysis into banks, we talked about topics ranging from the differences between US and South African banks through to sources of revenue like NII and NIR. We also talked about perhaps the most important thing of all for banks: the interest rate cycle.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

Stories like Nike and Walgreens in the international market (both recently covered in Magic Markets Premium), as well as Pick n Pay in South Africa, tend to grab the imagination of investors as they go through a turnaround.

In this episode, we start off with some of the key macroeconomic indicators that investors and traders use to assess the health of the retail industry. We then go into the process of a typical turnaround, along with the milestones that are usually seen.

Turnarounds in the retail sector are highly speculative and therefore offer strong rewards for those who get them right. This podcast will increase your understanding of how these turnarounds work.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

To kick off the year, we couldn't resist talking about the major themes that have carried over from 2024 into a new calendar year. US - China relations, interest rates, frothiness in equity valuations - it's all in here, along with a sobering discussion that gives context to the JSE performance last year vs. global alternatives.

Get excited about the markets this year in this episode of Magic Markets, with a fast-paced overview of the big stuff that you should be following.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

In our final free show for the year, we look back on a year that has been dominated by gold and bitcoin, along with US equities that have shot the lights out. We consider a strong finish for China, along with the ongoing disappointment of Europe.

And of course, we talked about the positive surprise of South Africa this year and how political change can drive investment returns.

As we look forward to another exciting year in the markets in 2025, this is the perfect way to cap off the Year of Elections worldwide.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.

Although the terms blockchain and crypto are often used interchangeably, this hides the diverse use cases for blockchain technology - even in traditional applications like financial markets. On this podcast, Connie Bloem (co-founder and managing director of Mesh.trade) joins regular Magic Markets guest Justine Brophy of AnBro Capital to explain how blockchain technology on Mesh.trade is making it easier for investors to invest in funds managed by AnBro.  

For more information, visit the AnBro website and the Mesh.trade website.

This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Please speak to your personal financial advisor.