Paper earnings are volatile

Good Morning Voornaam,

Happy Friday! Make it even better by listening to the fresh, shortened, now twice-weekly version of Ghost Wrap. In the latest episode, I covered the gold sector (AngloGold, Sibanye-Stillwater, Gold Fields and Pan African Resources), the telecoms sector (MTN and Telkom, the almost-hopeless sector (Ellies) and Curro. Jokes aside, Ellies needs to pull off a small miracle here. Find out why in Ghost Wrap, brought to you by Mazars and available here>>>

While we are on the topic of podcasts, make sure you're up to date with Magic Markets before the new show comes out in Ghost Mail. In Episode 135, you can hear us talk about recent trades in our portfolios, specifically dealing with global stocks. Get the insights here>>>

For more global insights and a fun look at what is really in a name (specifically in the context of Twitter rebranding to X), you can read this week's Ghost Global>>>

You also know by now that Friday means DealMakers here in Ghost Mail - the really helpful summaries of the week's activity. You can get the latest on local mergers & acquisitions, local corporate finance and deals in Africa.

Upcoming events

If you would like to attend the Money Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre on 14 September for free, then you just need to register at this link and use Ghost as the code. Snazzy, right?

You can also attend the Grovest and ENSafrica webinar on Monday at 4:30pm. With the provisional tax period upon us, the teams will be talking about how the Twelve B Energy Fund can help shield your income from tax. Register here to attend>>>

Beaten to a pulp

Mining is incredibly cyclical. If you didn't know that, recent results would've confirmed it for you. The same is true for the paper and pulp industry, with volatile commodity prices and stocking / destocking cycles at customers. Sappi is the best example of this volatility in its latest numbers, with Mondi nt>also showing a drop in earnings (and yet a jump in the dividend).

Mpact plays differently to those two within the broader paper and packaging sector and the benefits are clear to see. The company has released one of the most impressive set of numbers that I've seen all year. If you're a renewable energy enthusiast, you'll also love the benefit of solar installations that has come through for the group.

Ghost Bites also includes the latest from AB InBev, Sabvest, South Ocean Holdings (watch the balance sheet!) and Wesizwe. Get it all here>>>

The r and got klapped again

The risk-off sentiment this week is quite something to behold. The rand has lost 6% in the past 4 days, currently trading at R18.70 to the dollar. We aren't the outlier here (despite many media houses trying desperately to put a political label on this issue), as other emerging markets currencies also got hammered this week.

TreasuryONE notes the risk of further volatility today, with non-farm payrolls due to be released in the US. Keep an eye out for that.

Have a great weekend!

Ghost Bites (AB InBev | Mondi | Mpact | Sabvest | Sappi | South Ocean | Wesizwe)

It was a big day in the paper and packaging sectors, with numbers from three major players: Mondi, Mpact and Sappi. We also saw results from AB InBev and South Ocean, with ongoing labour issues at Wesizwe.

With the recent news of Twitter being rebranded to X, as well as vastly improved results at Meta, social media has been highly topical again. But what is in a name, really?

Ghost Global: What's in a name?
Who's doing what this week in the South African M&A space?

Weekly summary of Merger & Acquisition activity by South African companies

Weekly summary of corporate finance activity by South African exchange listed companies

Weekly corporate finance activity by SA exchange-listed companies
Who's doing what in the African M&A space?

Weekly summary of all Merger & Acquisition activity from across Africa (excluding South Africa)

 

Now released twice-weekly, Ghost Wrap is your summary of the most interesting company news on the JSE. Ghost Wrap is brought to you by Mazars.

 

Equity ETFs dominate the narrative among investors, particularly retail investors. Fixed income or bond ETFs are often ignored, which is a pity now that yields have picked up. With Siyabulela Nomoyi of Satrix, we put the spotlight on bond ETFs.

 

We used Episode 135 as an opportunity to talk through some of the trades we've each made in our portfolios recently. We focused on global stocks in this show, with reference to Magic Markets Premium research where applicable.

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