BAT gets smoked

Good Morning Voornaam,

Recap the most interesting stories of the week with Ghost Wrap, a quickfire podcast brought to you by Mazars. I covered Clicks, Nu-World, Purple Group, Cashbuild, Oceana, Raubex, various mining houses and Standard Bank.Listen to it here>>>

Speaking of Purple Group, my Ghost Stories interview with CEO Charles Savage proved to be highly popular yesterday. To find out why and to listen to this important discussion, follow this link>>>

Ahead of the long weekend, I also have an early release for you of the latest Magic Markets podcast. In episode 122, Dino Zuccollo of Westbrooke was our guest along with Matthew Norwood-Young and Peter Little, both of Anchor Capital. We facilitated a well-rounded discussion on alternative assets and how they are used in portfolios, with the perspective of the Anchor Capital team adding great value to the conversation. Find it here>>>

Bling bling

The luxury sector is all the rage at the mome nt. The shares are as expensive as the handbags and timepieces that are a feature of this industry. To learn more about the key global protagonists and their technical and fundamental drivers, read this excellent article by the team at Trive South Africa.

A smokin' hot fine

British American Tobacco is paying a lot of money to the US government. It seems as though sanctions are an excellent business model, with the Americans due to receive USD635 million plus interest from the tobacco company. That's even higher than the provision that was raised in the interim results.

Why is this fine payable? It all relates to the company's dealings with North Korea between 2007 and 2017. Why does this entitle the US government to this huge amount of money? Now now, don't ask awkward questions.

Moving right along, yesterday's updates included important production numbers from the Anglo American stable (i.e. including Anglo American Platinum and Kumba Iron Ore). We also saw numbers come through from Astoria, Hammerson and Quilter. Prosus has sold more Tencent shares and Sibanye-Stillwater is being strongly supported by the Finnish government in its lithium project in that country. Also look out for an update from Steinhoff. You'll find all of this and more in Ghost Bites>>>

The dollar marched on

Despite a US consumer confidence print that missed expectations, the dollar gained ground and the rand traded as the weakest emerging market currency for the day. Sigh. TreasuryONE highlights that the risk-off sentiment was also seen in other asset classes, with several hurdles to still get over before next week's FOMC meeting.

With US data driving the markets this week, commodities traded all over the show. There were mixed and substantial moves in both directions, as volatility remains the core feature of this market. Remember to speak to TreasuryONE to help you manage volatility in forex and other areas.

Have a wonderful day off tomorrow - I'll be back in your inboxes on Friday morning.

PS: don't forget to read the Technical Toolbox that I wrote for bizval, one of my startups. In this article, I take a look at what we can learn from recent corporate deal announcements.

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