The news that incumbent ANC President managed not only to arrest the decline in his party’s share of the vote but reverse it to win 57.5% is a small but encouraging step for the ZAR and the nation.
Hard on the heels of the imposition of US tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods comes the news that talks are going to resume. Having sifted through the goods affected, it is clear that the main area is that of computer and communications technology. Given the push that China continues to make to become a leading global player in that market, it is no coincidence that they will be returning to the table with sharpened pencils. Meanwhile global equity markets lost 2%+ across the board led by the Shanghai Composite that bore the brunt of the poor trade talk.
If you are worth $50 Billion what do you buy? Answer: the toyshop itself. India’s richest man Mukesh Ambani snapped up the loss making Hamleys flagship store at the end of last week from the Chinese company C Banner Intl. A shrewd move given that his company Reliance already manages 88 Hamleys stores across 29 Indian cities and with GBP at the level it is. Could it be better? Both a toyshop and a FX play!
More than 4 out of 10 species of frogs globally are on the edge of extinction due to rising temperatures which encourage the spread of the disease ranavirus. Before you think this is not a UK problem, it is, and the croaking of frogs in ponds and streams will be reducing and likely becoming a rarity in the next ten years. SGM-FX’s James was spotted in his wellies looking for tadpoles in the wetlands of South London over the weekend-bless!
Discussion and Analysis by Humphrey Percy, Chairman and Founder

How do we really feel about tariffs? As we wrote yesterday, financial news outlets erupted as if it were Christmas come early upon the initial suggestions that the Supreme Court would likely find Trump’s tariffs contrary to law. Upon the realisation later on during the US session that this expectation had become reality, headlines doubled […]
An upset in the minutes Minutes of the Federal Reserve’s January meeting were published yesterday evening. As you may tell from the market reaction, the contents of such minutes were far from in line with market consensus. If you cast your mind back to January 28th, the FOMC voted 10-2 to keep rates on hold. […]
A bank holiday breather A US bank holiday yesterday meant that FX ranges have been relatively contained so far this week amidst lighter volumes. The Dollar itself has stalled in its latest attempt to claw back ground lost over the past few months as debasement fears grew. In addition to yesterday’s US bank holiday limiting […]