Financial News 19th October 2026

Market summary
The JSE All Share closed the week at 110 934.30 increasing by 2.30%. The biggest contributing sector was consumer staples, rising by 4.52%, while the health care sector decreased by 0.22% during the same period.
Looking globally, developed markets decreased by 1.09% (USD) during the week. Emerging markets decreased by 5.15% (USD) during the same period.

Local events
• South Africa’s mining production fell 12.7% year-on-year in August, the sharpest decline since October 2022, driven by steep falls in PGMs, iron ore and coal output.
• South Africa plans to phase out semi-knock-down vehicle assembly to support deeper local manufacturing.
• Moody’s says South Africa could receive a credit-rating upgrade, with government debt expected to decline from 87% to 84% of GDP by 2030.

Global events
• China’s trade surplus widened to $133.5 billion in September as exports surged 36.3%, highlighting resilient trade activity.
• US inflation rose to 3.7% in September, above expectations, as higher energy prices increased inflationary pressures.
• US producer prices jumped 1.3% in September, the largest monthly increase since March 2022, while annual PPI reached 6.3% as energy costs surged 10.8%.

Thanks to PPS Investments for the weekly Market Summary.

Financial indicators by Sharedata.co.za

Will Godongwana’s tax pledge survive medium-term budget?
The Middle East conflict has thrown a curveball at finance minister Enoch Godongwana, and his medium-term budget policy statement (MTBPS) on Wednesday will likely be missing the cautious optimism on the country’s GDP growth, debt outlook and other key metrics that characterised his February speech. Read the full article in BusinessDay here>

South Africa on path to investment-grade rating, Investec says
South Africa stands a good chance of regaining its investment-grade credit rating within two years and next week’s mid-term budget could take another step toward that goal, according to Investec Wealth & Investment International. Read the latest piece on Moneyweb here>

Good news expected this week for South Africa
South Africa’s Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) is expected to bring good news for businesses and the government over the country’s debt levels. Read the full article and the implications for South Africa in Businesstech here>

South Africa has passed its breaking point with taxes
South Africa’s tax system is not suitable for a developing country because it is complex and difficult to comply with. This results in a highly concentrated tax base that can afford to comply with the country’s tax system and go through the rigorous administrative process. Read about the impact of the tax system on individuals and business in the Daily Investor here>

Euro drops amid high energy prices and street riots in France
The euro fell on Monday as high energy prices compounded concerns over France’s political stability after the country was rocked by some of its worst unrest in years. See the full Marketscreener article here>

Gold edges higher as traders ease rate-hike bets on Warsh speech
Gold edged higher as traders pared bets on the Federal Reserve raising interest rates this month after remarks by Chair Kevin Warsh. Bullion rose as much as 0.5% to near $4,190 an ounce, reversing most of its losses in the previous week. See the full report in Moneyweb here>

Oil Prices Slip as Trump-Putin Diesel Deal Raises Supply Hopes
Crude oil prices began the week with a dip on traders’ expectations of a boost in diesel fuel supply under the deal agreed by the presidents of Russia and the United States. However, the dip in oil benchmarks came from a much higher point than a week ago, leaving prices palpably elevated. Get the latest updates from Oilprice.com here>

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