South Africa’s “big year” starts this week
South African business leaders and President Cyril Ramaphosa and his teams will be attending their first bilateral meeting this week to set the agenda for what is to be a crucial year ahead for the country’s economy and promised reforms. Read the full Businesstech article here>
South African rand hovers near 9-month low against buoyant dollar
South Africa’s rand hovered near a nine-month low early on Monday against a buoyant dollar, amid an uncertain outlook for further interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. Read the full Reuters article here>
Consumers brace for impact as South African Reserve Bank prepares to announce interest rates decision
Consumers will hope for some much-needed reprieve from their monthly budgets at the end of this month when the South African Reserve Bank Governor, Lesetja Kganyago, announces the Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) decision on interest rates for the country. Read the full IOL Business report here>
Financial Indicators by Sharedata.co.za

Asia stocks tumble as markets temper Fed rate cut expectations
Asian stocks fell sharply on Monday led by losses in Australian and Hong Kong shares as investors reassessed the likelihood of U.S. interest rate cuts following stronger-than-expected payroll data released last week. Read the Investing.com article here>
Oil Prices Jump to 4-Month High on Fresh U.S. Sanctions
Crude oil prices started the week with a gain that pushed Brent crude to the highest in four months following the introduction of a fresh package of sanctions against Russia by the Biden administration. The sanctions focused on Russia’s oil industry. Read the full article on Oilprice.com here>
Gold steady amid US policy uncertainty
Gold prices were flat on Monday as a stronger-than-expected US jobs report reinforced the Federal Reserve’s cautious stance on rate cuts, while uncertainty surrounding the incoming Trump administration’s policies continued to fuel safe-haven demand. Read the BusinessDay report here>