Rate cut; Capitec falls; MultiChoice, retailers bounce; Essential goods hike ban; Zim/SA fence; Nersa

Loading player...
In today's news headlines:
- The South African Reserve Bank cut its benchmark interest rate to 5.25% as it seeks to support an already fragile economy that’s expected be hit hard by the coronavirus;
- There were large drops on the JSE again yesterday, Capitec the biggest casualty with a 38.51% drop but MultiChoice and retailers benefitted from consumers digging in to weather the restrictions of movement due to the coronavirus. The rand fell to R17.42 against the dollar;
- New regulations have been introduced by the Government to prevent price hikes in essential products like toilet paper, hand sanitiser and baby formula for the next three months. Private medical tests for Covid-19 are also covered by the regulations.
- The Government is going to erect a 40km fence at its biggest border post with Zimbabwe to prevent people infected with coronavirus from entering the country as a measure to contain the spread; and
- Nersa has issued public consultation papers to procure emergency power and to allow the building of more privately owned power plants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
19 Mar 2020 1PM English South Africa Investing · Business News

Other recent episodes

BN Daybreak Thurs 15 Jan: Abedian on SA Silence about “21st Century Nazis”; Mining Indaba's back story; Sasol Surges

In this morning's briefing, Alec Hogg unpacks a volatile geopolitical landscape where conflicting reports emerge from Iran—Donald Trump claims de-escalation while internal memos suggest mass casualties. We speak to Iranian-born and bred entrepreneur and former UCT Economics Prof Iraj Abedian, who delivers a scathing critique of the South African government's…
14 Jan 11PM 17 min

BN Briefing: Leaked Iran death toll, US-SA relations, and Equities vs Gold

In this BizNews Briefing, Dr. Iraj Abedian reveals leaked reports of 12,000 deaths in Iran, questioning the South African government’s silence. The Hudson Institute's Josh Meservey analyses Pretoria’s alignment with American adversaries. Plus, David Shapiro discusses the "survival mode" of South African business, and Peter Major explains why equities historically…
14 Jan 5AM 13 min