The Nielsen Network

The Property sector has been hard hit over COVID-19 and strength of balance sheet has been an imperative as tenants have come under pressure especially in the hospitality and leisure industry. Growthpoint's crown jewels, The V&A Waterfront, has understandably been hard hit. Norbert Sasse weighs in on managing under pressure with lack of visibility and he also discusses the Future of Work and where the needle will land on the virtual vs physical work equation going forward.

Highly anticipated Bank Zero launched to the public yesterday. The Bank is built to cater to businesses with small turnovers and large companies generating billions of rands.  It wants to serve close corporations, sole proprietorship's and big companies. The bank's fee structure is the same for individuals and business banking customers. Zero monthly account management fees , no fees for bank notifications, buying prepaid vouchers, debit orders, paying recipients in any bank or pulling a three month bank statement. Michael Jordaan weighs in with all the details. What are you waiting for?

In March of this year South Africa's long awaited plan to sell more high speed internet spectrum was thrown into doubt after Telkom won a court ruling suspending the process there is still no clarity on the way forward. Vodacom's Group CEO  Shameel Joosub says that this has been Telkom's modus operandi for years. The bottom line is that South African consumers stand to lose as lower data costs won' t be a reality any time soon. Joosub weighs in on this as well as the telecommunication giant's "super app" that promises to be a one-stop shop for online transactions.  @Vodacom RDC TV   @Vodacom SA ​

BioData is conducting a 12 month study to examine the difference in the quality of life and effects on chronic pain levels of participating patients by using medical cannabis as an alternative to traditional opioid use. It's being called South Africa's first real world study of medical cannabis involving 1000 participants whose medical cannabis use will be observed over a period of time.

The trial is expected to provide much needed insight into the link between cannabis genetics and patient outcomes. In this episode of The Business of Health Gisele Wertheim Aymes speaks to Dr Shiksha Gallow the Medical Director of BioData about this ground breaking clinical trial.

Two of South Africa's top economists come out in full support of South Africa's new Finance Minister despite the media's attention on his alleged sketchy past connecting him to a high profile pension scam in 2012. The matter was covered extensively at the time by South Africa's reputable Mail & Guardian. Godongwana is seen as the party guru on economics, he is said to be in favour of allowing for land reform with compensation in some circumstances. He is apparently sensible and stable.  Happy Days?!

Man I love it when a plan comes together and the story of Omnnia Holdings is exactly that. The diversified chemicals group has been on a two year turnaround journey which has just seen R1 billion rand in dividends being handed back to investors. The group reported its full year results in mid June for the 12 months to end of March 2021. 

With Omnia's clear focus on cash, customers and working capital the group is now in a strong but ever vigilant position with balance sheet strength and a core focus on growing its agricultural and mining verticals both locally and globally. The man at the helm Seelan Gobalsamy weighs in with all the details.

Naspers and Prosus make up more than 20% of the South African All Share Index. Within Naspers and Prosus 82% of the net asset value is in Tencent. Tencent is the biggest listed company in China and the company is currently around 40% off it's highs.

On balance Anchor Capital is of the view that shareholders, risk profile dependent, should hold fast in the face of market turmoil prompted by China's tightening regulatory grip over technology companies.

As always we assemble the experts to help you make the best investment decisions. In this edition we talk Chines regulation and the impact on Tencent, Naspers, and Prosus. US Tech earnings dominate with Amazon in focus. We also talk Anglo American.   

Stocks of Interest from our panel: Apple, Microsoft, Merafe, Alphamin, Truworths, and Massmart.

With an international footprint that serves people in more than 140 markets, Organon’s mission is to deliver impactful medicines and solutions for healthcare issues facing women in Sub-Saharan Africa.    

“As a new healthcare company in South Africa our focus is on listening to South African women’s healthcare needs, and develop solutions tailored to their needs. With our global reach and local mindset, we know there is much we can do for women’s health in South Africa,” explains Organon South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa Managing Director, Dr Abofele Khoele.  

Organon will also focus on its important biosimilars business, focusing on oncology and inflammatory diseases, while maximizing the value of its trusted dermatology, pain, respiratory and cardiovascular portfolio in countries around the world where there is still great need for these treatments. Dr Abofele Khoele joins Giselle Wertheim Aymes, Founder of World of Longevity, in The Business of Health studio.

The South African Reserve Bank keeps interest rates on hold and points to a gloomy growth outlook for the country. Commodities continue to rally with great updates from BHP Billiton and Anglo American but the big question is when do you get out of commodities?

US earnings are exceeding expectations which augers well for the global economy. We gather the experts to help you make the best money decisions.