Prestige

7 April 2020 – Ratings agency Fitch downgraded South Africa’s credit rating further into “junk” territory on Friday, another blow for Africa’s most industrialised economy, which is still smarting from a Moody’s downgrade last week. Fitch lowered its long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating to ‘BB’ from ‘BB+” and assigned a negative outlook. The agency cited …

Fitch downgrades South Africa’s credit rating to ‘junk’ status Read More »

6 April 2020 – The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world: It is possible that it will take years for the global economy to recover, which will have dire implications for South Africa’s economic prospects. The impending global depression and our weak state means that most South Africans will find the coming months extremely difficult …

The World and South Africa’s Economy After COVID-19 Read More »

3 April 2020 – Food security has been identified as one of the biggest concerns in Southern Africa amid the Covid-19 outbreak and ensuing lockdowns in countries across the continent. In a webinar on April 2, the World Health Organisation and the World Food Programme (WFP) said that, as most countries have imposed lockdowns to …

Food security identified as a great Covid-19 concern in Southern Africa Read More »

2 April 2020 – South Africa recorded its biggest trade surplus in 14 months in February as exports to Europe surged. The trade balance swung to a surplus of R14.15 billion from a revised deficit of R2.72 billion in January, the South African Revenue Service said in a report Tuesday. Key insights Trade with Asia …

SA records biggest trade surplus in 14 months Read More »

1 April 2020 – In South Africa, one of the worst-affected countries in Africa, the response to the crisis has been swift. Government has put in place restrictions that limit human movement and interaction, on the one hand, while maintaining the delivery of essential goods and services, on the other. Part of these measures was …

Implications Of Coronavirus For Regional Food Supply Chains Read More »

31 March 2020 – The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has resulted in mass production shutdowns and supply chain disruptions due to port closures in China, causing global ripple effects across all economic sectors in a rare “twin supply-demand shock”. With South Africa having just reported its first cases of COVID-19, Africa is beginning to feel its full …

The Impact of COVID-19 on Key Africian Sectors Read More »

30 March 2020 – Ratings firm Moody’s has downgraded South Africa’s credit rating to below investment grade, after three years being the only major firm to keep the country’s head above water. Moody’s downgraded South Africa’s long term foreign and local currency debt ratings to ‘Ba1’ from ‘Baa3’ with a negative outlook. The move did …

South Africa is fully junked – what happens now? Read More »

27 March 2020 – The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is causing a slowdown in world trade, disruption in global supply chains, changing tourism flows, and pressuring Chinese economic growth. The complexity of global supply chains means that businesses may be reliant on Chinese products without being aware of it. South African companies that have built …

The impact of trade-disrupting COVID-19 on South African business Read More »

26 March 2020 – South Africa enters into a 21-day lockdown period in the face of a global pandemic, an economy in recession and a possible downgrade by rating’s agency Moody’s. Most businesses will close and citizens will largely be confined to their homes as the country grapples with the spread of the coronavirus. This …

Moody’s could hold decision on SA downgrade — for now Read More »

25 March 2020 – The agriculture sector has weathered the storm over the past few years, coping with drought and policy uncertainty, while income and employment have remained stable. Recent results released by Statistics South Africa of the Census of Commercial Agriculture 2017 showed that the number of farming units in South Africa remained stable between 2007 …

Agri sector ‘holding up’ despite challenging decade Read More »