The Markets Daily

South Africa’s third wave of covid-19, dominated by the delta variant, has seen South Africa’s stricter lockdown levels last almost 3 months – after all we moved to level three lockdown in June. Fortunately, the powers that be feel that this wave has now dissipated enough for SA to move down to lockdown level 2. 

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I’ve hit many a brick wall this morning in trying to pen something inspirational to close the week. Nothing is impossible, I’m told. If NASA’s space rover Perseverance can collect and successfully warehouse mineral samples from the surface of Mars, then we can make it through to the end of another emotionally draining week. 

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Representatives of SA’s economic policy cluster have been quite vocal over the last two days. Whether in parliamentary briefings or keynote speeches, the messaging has been intriguing. 

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Representatives of SA’s economic policy cluster have been quite vocal over the last two days. Whether in parliamentary briefings or keynote speeches, the messaging has been intriguing. 

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Market activity will return to full speed today as the US returns after being on holiday on Monday. There is plenty of news in circulation for participants to contemplate. 

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Last week ended with a bit of a surprise. The highly anticipated US payrolls data showed that employment only increased by 235,000 people, which was substantially lower than the Bloomberg median expectation for 733,000 people. 

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The weekend beckons, but the working hourse of Friday, 3 September, promise some interesting news. Of greatest interest will be the US’s August jobs report which has markets expecting an increase in the number of people employed of 725,000 and as a result a decrease in unemployment.

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I was speaking to a colleague in KZN recently who reminded me that while the unrest in KZN and parts of Gauteng is over a month in the past, for some there are daily reminders of the events of July. 

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1 September, a day to mark the start of spring in the Southern Hemisphere – there is still a chill on the air in the mornings, but the days have become gloriously warm and sunny – the end of hunkering by a heater at night and longer sunlit hours beckon. 

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How often have you stared at an exotic screensaver over the last 18 months, longing to travel to far-reaching destinations? A privileged thought for those that can afford it but a guilty, perhaps even necessary, pleasure for most after five hundred and something days in lockdown.

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