STANLIB STANLIB Podcasts

Rand weakens after SA’s Budget, while early US interest rate cut pushed back

Loading player...
The rand weakened by just over 2% after SA’s National Budget, reacting to the decision to access R150 billion of the Gold and Foreign Exchange Credit Reserve Account (GFECRA). The main reason was that government failed to stipulate how debt would be controlled in future or give assurances that the funds would not be squandered. Meanwhile, hopes of an early US interest rate cut have ebbed, due to still-high inflation data and a strong labour market. In fact, there is even a possibility of another interest rate hike.
26 Feb 2024 English South Africa Investing · Business News

Other recent episodes

US confidence ebbs, signalling urgent need for resolution on tariffs

US inflation for March surprised on the downside, with core CPI below 3%, says STANLIB Chief Economist, Kevin Lings. However, the longer that steep tariffs remain in place between the US and China, the likelier it is that stagflation will follow. More significantly, latest surveys show US business and consumer…
14 Apr 11 min

Major themes for the week are GNU upheavals and impact of Trump tariffs

In this week’s podcast, STANLIB’s Chief Economist Kevin Lings touches on the disagreement within the Government of National Unity (GNU) on the Fiscal Framework, where the ANC seems to have won power and the DA lost power. However, discussions are still under way. In more depth, Kevin discusses the reciprocal…
7 Apr 14 min

SA’s Budget vote means more than a VAT hike

In this short podcast, STANLIB’s Chief Economist, Kevin Lings, explores the implications of the passing of the controversial 2025 Budget in the National Assembly by the ANC in alliance with smaller parties, excluding the DA. This is very likely to lead to a 0.5% increase in VAT in 2025 and…
3 Apr 8 min

Nobody wins from higher US tariffs

In this podcast, STANLIB Chief Economist Kevin Lings unpacks the reasons for the higher tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump, and their possible impacts. Those impacts are likely to include higher inflationary pressure, especially in the US, and a widespread slowdown in economic activity, though it is too soon…
3 Apr 14 min

Fears of stagflation in the US are rising

In this week’s podcast, STANLIB’s Chief Economist Kevin Lings discusses increasing nervousness in US financial markets about stagflation as a result of President Trump’s tariff moves. Inflation looks likely to remain above the US Federal Reserve’s target for some time, while forward-looking indicators on manufacturing and tourism suggest a slowing…
31 Mar 10 min
All episodes