Walmart: knock-knock at the door for TikTok

Donald Trump threw TikTok’s future into the abyss when he announced on 6th August that the app would effectively be banned in the US in mid-September. He then issued a separate order which gave TikTok’s parent company Bytedance just 90 days to sell TikTok’s US operations and data. And there you were thinking that only the South African government cares …

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Walmart: knock-knock at the door for TikTok

Donald Trump threw TikTok’s future into the abyss when he announced on 6th August that the app would effectively be banned in the US in mid-September. He then issued a separate order which gave TikTok’s parent company Bytedance just 90 days to sell TikTok’s US operations and data. And there you were thinking that only the South African government cares …

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Blue Label: a mark of quality in whisky, but perhaps not in dealmaking

I am not completely sure whether the company was named after Johnny Walker’s finest, but I’ve seen the executive boardroom myself and there are many empty bottles adorning the walls. Each one has writing on it, which suggests that it was opened to celebrate a milestone. Blue Label Telecoms is a business that really needs to stick to its knitting. …

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Blue Label: a mark of quality in whisky, but perhaps not in dealmaking

I am not completely sure whether the company was named after Johnny Walker’s finest, but I’ve seen the executive boardroom myself and there are many empty bottles adorning the walls. Each one has writing on it, which suggests that it was opened to celebrate a milestone. Blue Label Telecoms is a business that really needs to stick to its knitting. …

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Earnings from learnings

I feel that I must apologise up-front for the annoyance of a company name in capital letters. For an education group, one might think that STADIO (see?) would know that only one capital letter is necessary. Nevertheless, that’s their brand, so STADIO it is. Perhaps they want to shout the name from the rooftops and it’s hard to blame them …

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Banking: a sunset industry?

This may sound like I’m about to wax lyrical about Bitcoin. Trust me, that’s the last thing you’ll ever read about from me. I write about real assets i.e. the kind that generate cash flows. There was a time when the smartest kids at university fought over jobs at banks. Investment banking careers, like corporate advisory or proprietary trading, were …

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Understanding listed company reporting on the JSE

This is a term that you will hear often. “Company X released earnings today” or “Company Y announced a dip in revenue” – but what does it actually mean? The basics: listed companies must report detailed financials Listed companies (i.e. those that trade on a stock exchange like the JSE) are required to announce certain information to stakeholders. Note the …

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Understanding listed company reporting on the JSE

This is a term that you will hear often. “Company X released earnings today” or “Company Y announced a dip in revenue” – but what does it actually mean? The basics: listed companies must report detailed financials Listed companies (i.e. those that trade on a stock exchange like the JSE) are required to announce certain information to stakeholders. Note the …

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Sanlam lets ARC invest in asset management rats and mice

It’s been a busy week for Sanlam, the Cape Town-based financial services firm that historically entrenched itself in the Afrikaans community and has grown from there. The company released results, announced a B-BBEE transaction and suffered a 4% decline in the share price. The standout asset management result in recent times has without a doubt been Sygnia, reflected in 35% …

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