Great production at the right time

Good morning Voornaam,

We kick off with gold this morning - starting with the swimming pool, of course! Massive congrats to Tatjana Smith for achieving South Africa's first gold medal at these games, finishing first in the 100m breaststroke. This takes us to 12th on the medal table, with one gold and two bronzes thus far.

Moving on to the gold sector, there's nothing that mines can do about the price of gold. All they can do is try and run effective operations and increase production, with the hope that the gold price will do the rest of the work. Pan African Resources is seen as one of the more consistent operators in this space, with the latest results looking great. The real story though is the substantial expected increase in production next year. Read about it here>>>

There's a brand new episode of Ghost Wrap out in the wild, covering four companies that are facing challenges right now. Learning how to spot difficulties is half the battle won in avoiding disappointing investments. In this episode, I decided to focus on Balwin, British American Tobacco, Mr Price and Vodacom. With thanks to Forvis Mazars for making it possible, you'll find it here>>>

Geopolitics: a topic that people tend to love or hate. Whichever way you feel though, the reality is that markets and major global events are closely related. Success in the markets is much harder to achieve if macro considerations are ignored. In the latest Magic Markets podcast, we covered the policy differences between the Democrats and Republicans and how they impact both the US market and emerging markets. There's obviously far more to this topic than can be covered in a single podcast, but there's a strong overview for you here>>>

And don't forget: applications for the two Investec structured products close on 8 August. You don't have much time left if you want to get involved here. Find out all the details about these investment opportunities here>>>

There's plenty in here for you to enjoy. Have a great day!

FEATURED: Ghost Wrap

Ghost Wrap: Get the latest on Balwin, British American Tobacco, Mr Price and Vodacom, all in just a few minutes in the Ghost Wrap podcast.

FEATURED: The Trader's Handbook Ep 2

IG Markets Episode 2: Shaun Murison of IG Markets South Africa joined me for a discussion on leverage, the importance of newsflow and how stop losses work, alongside other trading concepts. Learn about this wonderful element of the markets at this link>>>

FEATURED: Investec Structured Products new product applications close on 8 August

Investec Structured Products: Applications for the Nikkei 225 Autocall and Euro Stoxx 50 Autocall close on 8 August. Don't miss the opportunity to learn about these offshore investment opportunities.

FEATURED: Brick by brick, a private company masterpiece

Dominique Olivier: It turns out that everyone's favourite brickmaker has quite the back story, including a wonderful tale of family legacy and the need to innovate to survive. Get the story of Lego here.

Local company news:

Ghost Bites: Get the latest on Pan African Resources, Rex Trueform and South32 in Ghost Bites here>>>

Unlock the Stock: Attacq and Capital Appreciation returned to Unlock the Stock to present the recent numbers and take questions from the attendees of the live event. Learn about both companies by watching the recording here>>>

Podcasts:

  • Magic Markets: Even down here in South Africa, we need to keep a close eye on US elections. In this podcast, Mohammed Nalla shared his views on Democrat vs. Republican policies and how they can impact us, along with how the Trump Trade works. Find it here.
  • Investec No Ordinary Wednesday podcast: The market may be unpredictable, but your investment strategy doesn’t have to be. Investec Investment Management experts share their insights on what approaches are winning, common mistakes investors make, and why staying the course is important. Enjoy it here>>>

International Business Snippet:

McDonald's missed second-quarter earnings and revenue estimates, with same-store sales down for the first time since the fourth quarter of 2020. That's not just a worrying sign for the company, but for consumers in general.

A year ago, US same-store sales were up 10.3% thanks to the Grimace Birthday Meal. Now all they can do is grimace really, with same-store sales down 0.7% in that market.

When you see stuff like sales pressure at McDonald's, you have to believe that interest rates are too high.

Our latest Magic Markets Premium report covers CrowdStrike, which is highly topical after a software update broke Windows computers. Having shed a quarter of its value in the past week, is it a buy at these levels? To get access to this research and the rest of the vast library, subscribe to the platform here.

IG Morning Call: daily macroeconomic update

Futures markets are pointing to a slightly negative start this morning, continuing overnight losses in global equity markets. The moves suggest some caution ahead of a busy week in terms of economic data.

The week still awaits rates decisions from the Bank of Japan, Bank of England and the Federal Reserve, as well as unemployment and payroll data out of the US.

The dollar is consolidating its overnight gains this morning. The rand is trading around its worst levels of the last week.

Oil prices have slumped once again, trading to their lowest levels since early June. Markets continue to assess Chinese demand and the conflict in the Middle East for short term direction.

Gold softened overnight and  is trading flat this morning in lieu of movements in the US dollar.


Key Indicators:
USD/ZAR
R18.44/$ | US 10yr 4.17% | Gold $2,386/oz | Platinum $954/oz | Brent Crude $78.70

The macroeconomic update is based on IG's morning call update