The Markets Daily

Robin Hood, a heroic outlaw taking from the rich and giving to the poor. Not so for enraged hedge-fund goliaths that incurred billions of US dollars in losses after the no-fee Robinhood trading app sent the stocks that those funds had shorted into the stratosphere, as one news agency put it.

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It’s mostly cloudy in Johannesburg this morning with a strong chance that the drizzle will persist throughout the day. Like the weather forecast, the covid outlook is looking decidedly wet as we contemplate 100 million cases globally and approach almost 11 months in lockdown in SA. Covid remains the most searched topic at home while information on vaccine availability and efficacy is the most sought after online globally.

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) released its world economic outlook yesterday. Global economic growth has been revised upwards, with GDP expected to have contracted by 3.5% in 2020 and projected to grow by 5.5% in 2021, compared to estimates of -4.4% and 5.2% previously.

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I like bubbles – particularly when I can use the world sparkling to describe them – sparkling water, sparkling wine! I also quite like a bubble bath, and playing with bubbles outside with children is honestly great fun and a good way to take one’s mind off the mundane concerns of day-to-day life.

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As we hit the beginning of the last week of January, it is worth looking back and absorbing how much has already happened this year, how much things have changed and how much they have not. And the final week of January promises to be filled with many data releases, which should be interesting.

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It is with much sadness that the presidency informed us of the passing of one the country’s stalwarts, Minister Jackson Mthembu, a loyal and ferocious disciple of democracy.

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This is the first of my daily musings for 2021. There’s much to ponder: variants vs. vaccines, inflation vs. stimulus, policy vs. politics...

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Today marks the beginning of a new era, with President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harries to be inaugurated into office.

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Today will mark the end of an era, sadly not the covid-19 era, which remains firmly entrenched globally, but the end of Donald Trump’s presidency...

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Your daily musings are back as of today. I do hope that a good rest was had by all over the festive season. I stayed in Johannesburg as is my general preference for December – a lovely time of year in the highveld as the weather is warm, with spectacular storms bringing some relief, and the roads, quieter than normal.

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