Barloworld gets more starch in its diet

The deal was originally announced in March. Barloworld would buy the Starch division from Tongaat Hulett for R5.35 billion in a critical move for Tongaat which is on a recovery road. As ever, the deal remained subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals. The norm for corporate transactions is to include something called a Material Adverse Change clause, or MAC clause. …

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Print media on a downward spiral

Caxton and CTP Publishers, Printers and Distributors has a long name and a longer history, dating back to 1980 when it was founded by Terry Moolman and Noel Coburn. The company is one of the largest publishers and printers of books, magazines, newspapers and commercial print in South Africa. Unfortunately, this isn’t an industry with terrific fundamentals. It’s a R1.5bn …

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When the JSE can protect you in a delisting and when it can’t

Very few people understand what it means to be “listed” on a stock exchange. Perhaps more importantly, even fewer understand what a delisting means, even though this can become the reality for the likes of Comair, which will delist later this year as part of its approved Business Rescue plan. In this article, my intention is to explain some core …

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Naspers: Mind the gap

Do you have a pension? Do you have South African unit trusts? It’s more likely than not that you are a Naspers shareholder, albeit indirectly. Naspers made the news this week again, this time for an investment in Food Supply Network for an undisclosed sum. The company operates an independent business-to-business marketplace that improves the process of food delivery and …

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This Snowflake is anything but offended

In the year 2020, the term “snowflake” has become a commonly used derogatory term for anyone who is overly sensitive or easily offended. It’s often used with the word “triggered” which is the act of being offended. In the investment world, Snowflake has become a landmark tech Initial Public Offering (IPO) story for a number of reasons. The only thing …

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ARC: shareholders, can we have some more please?

African Rainbow Capital (ARC) Investments was “pleased to advise shareholders” that the board resolved to undertake a rights offer. That means they will tap into shareholders for another R750 million, which I’m sure shareholders can’t wait to give them after the ARC share price has dropped nearly 70% since listing. I’ll bet the board was pleased. So is anyone else …

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TikTok chooses a dance partner and NVIDIA expands

Well, that was a rather busy weekend. Not only did Bytedance choose Trump’s favourite Oracle as the preferred bidder for TikTok’s US operations, but NVIDIA continued to shine with an acquisition of a leading smartphone CPU manufacturer. Let’s start with TikTok, the social media sensation of 2020. TikTok visits the Oracle In case you missed it, Donald Trump’s general mistrust …

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Making space for SPACs

Capital markets are fascinating. They are the arenas for gladiators to make and lose fortunes, all in the pursuit of business greatness. Traders in the stands mercilessly punish failure and support success, driving the gladiators to put everything on the line. Investors seek out the gladiators with real staying power; the ones that have figured out how to survive multiple …

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Aspen prescribes bolt-on acquisitions

Aspen Pharmacare is a R60bn pharmaceuticals giant that used to be a lot bigger. The share price is down over 57% in 5 years, reflecting an unsuccessful strategy to push into developed as well as emerging markets, all while steadily building up a debt pile. It’s a story that seems to play out over and over again: South African corporates …

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Luno pays off for Naspers and RMI

Cryptocurrency isn’t a topic you’ll read about often on The Finance Ghost. In fact, this is probably the first time I’ve written anything on it. My reasoning is simple: cryptocurrency is like religion; you either believe or you don’t. It’s not a topic for rational debate. I don’t invest in cryptocurrency because, to this day, nobody can give me a …

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